Q Can a Catholic marry without taking any classes or preparation?

A  It depends on why you would want to arrange a marriage in such a way.

Generally speaking, most dioceses require a period of some preparation for marriage. In the Rockford Diocese the general advice is to contact the parish priest as soon as you are engaged or at least six months before the wedding date.

The specific norms can be found at http://www.rockforddiocese.org or by contacting the Office for Life and Family Evangelization.

When I was ordained a priest, we said the priest should meet with the couple intending to marry half a dozen times to talk about the doctrine of the Church concerning marriage, to fill out the papers regarding freedom to protect marriage and all that.

For mixed marriages there was a set of instructions which were to be given at least to the non-Catholic party about the obligations of the person marrying a Catholic and that generally took eight or nine instructions.

A general rule for couples to keep in mind is to spend at least as much time and attention preparing for their marriage as they do the wedding day, reception and photography session.

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