(ZENIT News / Rome, 08.30.2026).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Couples preparing for marriage sometimes include a partner who converted to Catholicism from another denomination or faith. Often, theses couples bring up the question whether to celebrate the sacrament of marriage in the context of the Mass or in the celebration of marriage outside of Mass since a lot of family members are not Catholic. I advise that for a Catholic couple it is certainly preferrable that they celebrate within the Mass, but if a presbyter is unavailable, it is equally valid to celebrate the sacrament outside of Mass. Then comes the question regarding reception of Communion. Due to the imbalance of Catholic and non-Catholics in attendance, the couple ask for Communion only for themselves. It is my understanding during a Mass all Catholics have a right to receive and cannot be denied that right. Is the same approach applicable to the celebration of marriage that takes place outside of Mass using the acceptable option of distributing Communion in the ritual book? A second question is that certain pastors will not allow the distribution of Communion outside of Mass. Does this not diminish the right of the Catholic couple? — D.L., Madison, Alabama
A: The choice of celebrating a wedding within or outside of Mass depends on a host of factors.
In some countries it is traditional practice to celebrate weddings outside of Mass, and the nuptial Mass is less used. This would be the case even in historically Catholic countries as far apart as Lithuania and Brazil.
In other cases, as our reader suggests, it could be down to the unavailability of priests which allows for a deacon, or in some special cases an authorized layperson, to officially witness the couple’s marriage.
In other cases, such as that presented by our correspondent, the choice would depend on the specific circumstances of the situation at hand.
I understand that here we are not dealing with a mixed marriage in which one of the spouses is not Catholic, but rather a case in which both are Catholic, where one is a convert either from a non-Catholic Christian denomination or else a non-Christian religion.
Therefore, we are not dealing with situations foreseen by documents, such as the Ecumenical Directory, which highly recommends the celebration of the wedding of a Catholic with a non-Catholic outside of Mass precisely so as to avoid the difficulty with respect to Communion: To wit:
«159. Because of problems concerning Eucharistic sharing which may arise from the presence of non-Catholic witnesses and guests, a mixed marriage celebrated according to the Catholic form ordinarily takes place outside the Eucharistic liturgy. For a just cause, however, the diocesan Bishop may permit the celebration of the Eucharist. In the latter case, the decision as to whether the non-Catholic party of the marriage may be admitted to Eucharistic communion is to be made in keeping with the general norms existing in the matter both for Eastern Christians and for other Christians, taking into account the particular situation of the reception of the sacrament of Christian marriage by two baptized Christians.»
In this case, we are before an entirely Catholic marriage since both spouses are Catholic and are bound to the canonical form and ritual. There is, however, a certain pastoral analogy to the situation of an interdenominational marriage due to the conversion of one spouse and the inevitable presence of numerous non-Catholic attendants.
Hence, the question is not so much canonical as pastoral.
As our reader suggests, one option is to give Communion only to the spouses. This is a legitimate option for the celebration of a wedding outside of Mass. The ritual of Marriage Outside of Mass describes this:
“If Mass cannot be celebrated and communion is to be distributed during the rite, the Lord’s Prayer is said first. After communion, a reverent silence may be observed for a while, or a psalm or song of praise may be sung or recited. Then comes the prayer, ‘Lord, we who have shared’ (if only the bride and bridegroom receive), or the prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us the eucharist,’ or other suitable prayer.”
This is not necessarily the best solution. The rite offers the possibility of administrating Communion to all Catholics present who fulfill the usual conditions for being able to receive the Eucharist. While this is a possible part of the rite, and not a special concession, it does not constitute a right on the part of the Catholics in the same way as would happen if the wedding were during a Mass.
The possibility of distributing Communion at a wedding outside of Mass would not be possible on a Sunday or holy day of obligation as it would be presumed that all the Catholics should receive Communion at Mass.
If a couple decide to celebrate either a nuptial Mass, or have Communion distributed outside of Mass, they could prepare, with the help of the parish, a notification to help those of other faiths to grasp the Catholic understanding of this sacrament and why it is reserved exclusively to those who share the same faith and belief in the Mass as Christ’s sacrifice and Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist.
This is because Catholics believe that the act of receiving Communion is a statement of faith in these mysteries and likewise brings about the spiritual union of the believer with Christ and all the other faithful. If this is understood, those who do not share this faith, in all probability, would willingly refrain from partaking of the Eucharist.
To help address such situations, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has provided an explanatory statement designed to be included in worship aids:
“For our fellow Christians
“We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us ‘that they may all be one’ (Jn 17:21).
“Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of Canon law (Canon 844 § 4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (Canon 844 § 3).
“For those not receiving Holy Communion
“All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.
“For non-Christians
“We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.
“If you expect that a large number of your guests will not be able to receive communion, you may want to discuss with your pastor the possibility of having a Catholic wedding without the Mass.”
It is hard for me to answer the other question as to why some pastors do not allow for distribution of Communion during a marriage outside of Mass, at least for the couple. As we saw above, the rite foresees this as a possibility.
At the same time, I would not wish to second-guess the decision of a pastor who has to make the call based on the concrete local reality.
For example, we have already mentioned that Communion should not be distributed at the celebration of a Mariage outside of Mass on a Sunday. Since many such weddings are celebrated on Saturday, a pastor might not allow the distribution of Communion so as to avoid seeding confusion among those Catholics present as to whether or not they have fulfilled the Sunday precept.
The Sunday precept is to attend Mass. This can be fulfilled at a Mass on Saturday evening. In this sense a nuptial Mass on Saturday evening fulfills the Sunday precept, but the celebration of a marriage outside of Mass does not, not even for the couple getting married.
Therefore, I would say that if a pastor has a reasonable pastoral motive for not allowing the administration of Communion during this kind of celebration, his decision should be respected; the rights of the couple are not infringed. It there are doubts as to the reasonableness of the restriction, then the bishop can be consulted.
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Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word «Liturgy» in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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