[Individual Rights in NJ]

I agree and disagree with different aspects of your statement.

yes, point 1 you make is true in the sense of the holy spirit function of marriage. However, they have not made the sacrament, and a blessing doesn’t change that.

If you are a practicing Catholic in good faith, I would think the sacrament is important for you.

[wideawake]

The best thing to do is to have a Catholic wedding ceremony.

And as sitetest has pointed out, I am assuming too much in thinking that form can be observed properly without supervision.

The personal experience I am familiar with is an "Anglo-Catholic" Protestant marrying a Catholic who became an "Anglo-Catholic" Protestant.

So their wedding ceremony in the Protestant church was very similar.

So I stand corrected.

[defconw]

I agree, the fact that the Catholic was not practicing at the time does not mean that now it's all hunky dory. The good news is now that her husband is now becoming a Catholic and she has returned to the faith and they were married in a church, a ceremony might be more fitting, but in keeping with recognizing the validity of a state marriage, the marriage is valid, but ilicit. The blessing is more extensive then just a simple crossing and sprinkle. My guess is the Bishop will decide

[IC Ken]

When I married my wife the Catholic Church wanted $ 5,000 for an annulment from her previous Catholic marriage. This was in 1976. I told the diocese I could not afford it and they said I couldn’t afford to be Catholic and I would be excommunicated if we married. After 38 years I haven’t forgiving them but wife still claims she is Catholic. I do still receive the offering envelopes.