catholic brides

I am curious if there are any catholic churches...or what the rule is on allowing non-catholics to take communion

Now I know that everything I have been too, only the catholics have been able to go up and take communion...but is there anything you can do to include anyone who is non-catholic in this part?

I know I am not wording this right, and it probably sounds funny, but I think we are going to go catholic, and I don't want to exclude my mother, her side of the family and some friends.

With extremely rare exceptions for the Orthodox and Polish National churches only, non-Catholics NORMALLY cannot take communion in the Catholic church. The reasoning is that Catholics believe in transubstantiation, whereas other faiths do not. (Catholics believe that the host and wine are literally the body and blood of Christ and not just symbolic) Some Catholics (particularly those that are very religious) think it's very disrespectful for non-Catholics to take communion. (The priest will not allow it if he knows either - though see the exception I listed below)

My brother got married in the Episcopal church. They had an Episcopal priest and a Catholic priest co-celebrate the service and both Episcopals and Catholics were allowed to receive communion. I will have to look up Episcopal beliefs about communion, but offhand I don't think they believe in transubstantiation.

FH's family is not catholic (neither are many of our friends) and b/c of the whole communion thing and a few other reasons, we're not having a full mass - just a ceremony. We didn't want to single out his side of the family and make them feel awkward. They would't be able to receive communion and might now know parts of the mass, etc.

Link to More Info

ETA - That link says the following, which I find interesting. You might want to ask the priest about this:

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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).

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Posted by cookieling

I attend what some would call a 'modern' catholic church. Non-catholics are invited to come up during communion, but instead of receiving the eucherist, they receive a blessing. Basically, the person stands before the priest with their arms crossed and the priest makes a sign of the cross on their forhead. That way, no one is left sitting by themselves in the pews. Everyone is involved in some form. Maybe you could ask the priest if he'd do that for your wedding.

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Oh, that's a great suggestion. I have seen that at weddings and it's very nice.

Hey...as far as I know I don't think the Catholic church makes any exceptions when it comes to that.

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Posted by krischris529

Hey...as far as I know I don't think the Catholic church makes any exceptions when it comes to that.

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I didn't think so either. I read that other thing online, though, which made me question that. However, I think that's an EXTREMELY rare exception and NOT one they'd make for a wedding.

This is one of the reasons why my FH and I are only having a ceremony.

IMO- i think its something that you and your FI discuss- whether to have it in the Lutheran Church or the Catholic Church. Remember this isnt about who gets offended or not-- its about the SACRAMENT you are entering into...

That being said, my Dh is not Catholic and is Southern Baptist. I felt as a practicing Catholic it was important to be married in the church, however having a full mass was not necessary to celebrate the Eucharist with hakf the congregation including the groom, unable to participate. We opted for a ceremony, to celebrate one scarament not two.

hope this helps....