Hi there

I was not baptised as a child. My mother was Catholic and my father was baptist but they married in a Methodist church and did not practice any particular religion.

I started attending a Catholic church at 16 and took communion for several years (didn't know it was not allowed!).

I married a Catholic at 20 and we were married for 11 years. The marriage broke down due to infidelity and we were divorced. He later wished to remarry and obtained an annulment.

I in the meantime married my current husband who is also a Catholic. We had a civil ceremony and now wish to have a Convalidation. I would also like to be baptised so that we can share a spiritual life and have a sacramental marriage.

What I would like to know is this. Was my first marriage valid since I was not baptised? And will my Convalidation ceremony be allowed if I am not baptised? How long is the process for getting baptised? I have considered myself Catholic for over twenty years now although clearly i the eyes of the church I am not.

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks Mimi

-- Mimi Coombes (northcoombes@lycos.com), August 09, 2004

Answers

Dear Mimi,

I'm so glad to hear that you desire baptism, official entry into the Catholic Church, and convalidation of your marriage. If your first husband already obtained an annulment, then the Church has officially declared that marriage to be invalid. I don't know about the other details, so I will leave that to others.

However, I'd like to say that it's wonderful that you wish to officially join the Church. I am converting from Protestant, will begin RCIA in the fall, and be confirmed on Easter. As such, perhaps we will be confirmed on the same day! That would be exciting. I feel so thrilled and blessed to have found the Catholic faith. God is so good!

God bless you!

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), August 09, 2004.

Hello Mimi,

I hope and pray that your journey into the Church Jesus founded for you is a joyful and rewarding one in every way.

To address your specific questions ...

The circumstances of your first marriage suggest that it was not valid, though some of the information you provided (and didn't provide) might have left room for uncertainty. However, since your partner in that marriage applied for annulment and was granted one, the matter is therefore settled. The Church has already formally declared that your first marriage was not valid. This is to your benefit, given your present circumstances, for your present marriage could not be validated until your first marriage was annulled.

Your current marriage, as you apparently realize, is likewise not valid in the eyes of the Church because even though you are not yet officially a Catholic, your husband is, and a Catholic cannot validly marry in a civil ceremony. The validation you seek would of course correct that situation.

You cannot validly marry as a Catholic until you are baptized, for the simple reason that you are not a Catholic until you are baptized. Baptism is, among other things, the "rite of entry" into the Church. How long it will be before you can be baptized depends. You need to talk to your priest. The Church, before baptizing an adult, must be satisfied that the person is knowledgeable in the basics of the Catholic faith. Ordinarily adults entering the Church (with or without the need for baptism) go through the RCIA program, a series of informational sessions which typically meets weekly for 8 to 9 months, and covers the essential areas of doctrine and practice that a Catholic should be aquainted with. However, if your priest, after meeting with you, is satisfied that you are already sufficiently informed about matters of the faith, he could approve your baptism without the program, or perhaps after a reduced version of it.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), August 10, 2004.

Thank you Emily and Paul - that makes things a lot clearer! God Bless Mimi

-- Mimi Coombes (northcoombes@lycos.com), August 10, 2004.