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A Marriage Convalidation is colloquially referred to as "having your marriage blessed" in the Church. In fact, the Church teaches that convalidation is a new act of consent and the beginning of a valid marriage.
A convalidation is needed when either the man or the woman, or both, are baptized Catholics but did not get married through the Catholic Church (eg. Justice of the Peace, other Christian denomination, other religion, etc.) and did not seek permission or dispensation through the Church.
A valid Catholic marriage is one in which the man and woman received appropriate marriage preparation and were married according to the matter and form of the sacrament (full and free consent, before an authorized witness of the Church (priest/deacon) and at least two other witnesses).
If neither the man nor the woman were Catholic at the time of the wedding but were married according to their non-Catholic Christian faith tradition, and either one or both are now entering full communion with the Catholic Church, the Church recognizes their marriage as valid and will not need a convalidation.
Recognizing that every person is unique, with unique circumstances, it is advised that you call the parish office (317.846.3475) and ask to speak with Marian Copley (Marriage Preparation and Records) or Thomas Gallagher (Dir. of Evangelization, Pastoral Ministries, and Family Life).
If you simply want to begin the process of having your marriage convalidated, you can also email Marian Copley at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.