Blessing of a Marriage/Cremation

Q If my spouse and I have been married outside of the church, how can we get our marriage “blessed?”

A The first step to get your civil marriage recognized by the church (commonly referred to as “blessed by the church”) would be to meet with a priest or a deacon to discuss your situation.  If either you or your spouse were married before your current marriage, a review by the Diocesan Tribunal must be sought to determine if that prior marriage was valid.  This annulment process, or a declaration of nullity, must be sought for each marriage because the church assumes all marriages to be valid, until proven otherwise. 

Depending on the circumstances of the prior marital unions, it is possible that the Tribunal process would not be very complicated.  For example, since Catholics must marry before a Catholic priest or deacon, weddings involving a Catholic are always easily proven to be invalid if they were not witnessed by a Catholic priest or deacon.  With proper documentation showing this, this kind of case can usually be resolved within a week or two.  Other cases may take five to six months to complete. 

Assuming no previous marriages (or all have been determined to be invalid), there are actually two ways to get your marriage recognized by the church.

A convalidation ceremony may be required, where new acts of consent (new marriage vows) are exchanged.  

Depending on the history and current state of your civil marriage, the priest or deacon may be able to write a letter to the bishop requesting that your civil marriage be acknowledged by the church.

The church upholds the sanctity of marriage, and we would like to help you get your marriage recognized by the church.  You can contact any priest or deacon in the diocese to help you with this process.

Q What does the Church say about cremation?

A The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “The church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body” (CCC 2301).  The Catholic Church still has a preference for burial over cremation but in 1963 it removed its longstanding prohibition against it.  

Burial is preferred because we look forward to the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come, and we believe in the dignity of the human body which was created in the image and likeness of God.  Burying the dead is a corporal act of mercy and mirrors the burial of Christ after his crucifixion and death.

Cremation does not constitute a denial of the immortality of the soul or the resurrection of the body.  That is why it is allowed, as long as the cremains are treated with respect and dignity and laid to rest in a sacred place, such as a cemetery or in an area that has been set aside for this purpose (called a columbarium).  When the final resting place is in a public place, it is an expression that the deceased is part of the “communion of saints.”  

Ashes are not to be scattered in the air, on land, at sea, nor may they be preserved in pieces of jewelry or other objects. They must be kept intact in a proper vessel.  In 2016, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the then prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, stated “A human cadaver is not trash” and an anonymous burial or scattering of ashes “is not compatible with the Christian faith.”  If ashes have already been scattered, he suggests making a memorial in a church or other appropriate place, including the name of the deceased.  

Keeping ashes at home is also not permitted.  Cardinal Muller stated that keeping ashes at home, although a sign of love and grief, fails to understand that the loved one belonged to the entire community of faith, not just close relatives.

Deacon Hooper is a deacon assistant at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs. He can be reached at [email protected].