OCCE Coat of Arms  
MARRIAGE  
 
    Back to SACRAMENTS
 
SACRAMENT OF HOLY MATRIMONY

"A man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh" Genesis 2:2-4

There are two essential principles to the Catholic concept of marriage;

  1. That marriage is a vocation and for life
  2. That in marriage the man and the woman become one entity

The OCCE welcomes enquiries from couples seeking Marriage but insists that they undertake preparatory sessions with our clergy. Other than the necessary and preferable "Marriage Rehearsal" for the ceremony, more important is the necessity for couples to understand our belief about Marriage and what it entails. Catholic Marriage is a vocation i.e. it is a deep desire by each person proposing marriage to want to commit to it for the rest of their lives.

OCCE clergy are happy to marry couples in Church or at other suitable venues providing the solemnity of the ceremony may be suitably celebrated.

 
Requirements
  • Both persons intending to contract the marriage should be free from any legal or Canonical (church law) impediment;
  • They must both be Baptised Christians and provide certification of such;
  • If either party is a member of another Church (regular attendance) they should provide reasons as to why they want the Marriage celebrated by the OCCE and must be prepared to supply a reference from their parish priest or pastor in favour of their decision;
  • The OCCE follows the Continental practise of a Civil Wedding followed by a Church ceremony, couples must provide evidence of their having arranged a Registry Wedding prior to the date or at a time earlier than the Church ceremony;
  • If either party are a divorcee they must declare so in interview prior to the Marriage and provide relevant information and documentation as to the circumstances of the divorce and details of any annulment (the OCCE will only marry parties of a previous marriage where the grounds meet the requirements of the OCCE Marriage Tribunal for annulment; if the previous marriage was of another Catholic Church, proof of the annulment must be produced).

 
Regarding Civil Partnerships

The OCCE believes that the Sacrament of Marriage can only be celebrated by a man and a woman; this is not a discriminatory policy born from prejudice but adherence to the orthodox teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the Sacrament of Marriage. The OCCE does not otherwise discriminate against persons regarding sexual orientation but promotes modesty, chastity and fidelity.

 
Regarding Annulment/Divorce

The OCCE strongly believes that the Sacrament of Marriage is intended to be life-long, at the same time however, the Church recognises that humans are fallible and make mistakes. Like the Eastern Orthodox Churches the OCCE believes there are particular circumstances where it might be safely deduced that a Marriage has "died". Likewise the Roman Catholic Church in its Marriage Tribunal system also allows under circumstances the annulment of previous marriages.

The OCCE for its own people will grant an annulment based on adultery (as Christ taught Mk 10:2-12, Lk 16:18, Mtt 5:31 & 19: 3-10) automatically, other circumstances may be considered but without setting precedence.

When deciding on whether to allow the Marriage of a couple when one party is a divorcee, the OCCE will consider the circumstances of the divorce as if it were the competent ecclesiastical authority* (whether the previous Marriage was a Church one or not) in order to allow that party to remarry or not. In these circumstances OCCE clergy will behave with utmost discretion, sensitivity and confidentiality relating to the case and any decision.

*The OCCE does not regard the status of a Civil Marriage as any less of a commitment to one made before God, the reasons or circumstances for infidelity in one may also affect the other. The fact that a previous Marriage may not have been celebrated as a Sacrament is not a basis on which to automatically declare that Marriage irrelevant.


Further information

For more information contact your local OCCE priest (details here).