Catholic Wedding Q&A

What time must be a wedding Mass be scheduled to fulfill the Sunday obligation?

Catholics are required to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and can fulfill their obligation by attending a Mass during the day or in the evening of the day preceding. Evening is considered to begin at 4:00 p.m., according to Pope Pius XII's document Christus Dominus.

Canon 1248 states that Catholics who participate in Mass anywhere on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation during the day or in the evening of the day preceding can fulfill their obligation. A wedding Mass would fulfill the requirement if it after 4 p.m. on the night before or on Sunday or the feast day. The Order of Celebrating Matrimony states that if a wedding mass is celebrated on Sunday, the mass of the day should be used. However if the Mass is not part of the parish's weekend schedule, then the wedding Mass (with prayers and readings) can be used without change. Also, weddings during Advent and Lent should retain the penitential character of those seasons. Discuss these options with the parish and priest assisting you in preparing your wedding liturgy.

For more information

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