Making a Civil Marriage into a Sacramental One
The Catholic Church does not recognize a marriage ceremony of a Catholic before a civil authority or Protestant minister or without proper dispensation, to be a true marriage. To be valid, the marriage of a Catholic must take place in the presence of a Catholic bishop, priest or deacon. A Marriage Validation, sometimes referred to as getting your marriage "blessed" or convalidated, fixes the problem of a Catholic in an invalid marriage.
Catholics married outside the Catholic Church may not receive Holy Communion. The Validation is a true and complete wedding ceremony — the Sacrament of Matrimony.
To have your marriage Validated, see the priest with whom you feel comfortable. The process does require appropriate marriage preparation. We can assist, if someone has a previous marriage to petition for petitioning for a declaration of nullity.
A group validation is being planned with the Bishop Larry Silva for next
February 11, 2017. If you are interested please contact the parish office soon.
If you are married to a non-Catholic who refuses to participate in a new marriage ceremony in the Catholic Church, please inquire about the possibility of a validation by “radical sanation.”
Thanks to L. Benoit and Patrick Downs and Rev. Father Mark Gantley for the information presented Hawaii Catholic Herald and discussions on validations.