Is a veil common in Catholic churches or more a personal choice/“signature” look for your wife?
One of the other surprising things to me is that Communion is done with a chalice (or actually about three chalices). In the Presbyterian church where I grew up and most other Protestant churches where I’ve seen it done it’s usually done with small glass or plastic cups in a brass holder (like this one). Do Catholics use these as well or is it always a chalice?
I’ve never seen those little cups at a Catholic church. It kind of flies in the face of a communion, no?
I very rarely see a women wear a veil except in Orthodox churches that are not connected to the diocese. They still say their masses in Latin, for example.
To understand WHY it’s a chalice at the Catholic Church, you have to understand Transubstantiation.
Presbyterians believe that the wine/grape juice REPRESENTS the Blood of Christ. The little cups are prefilled by the communion volunteers prior to the service. They even stack up all the trays and keep it to one side until communion.
In the Catholic Mass, the priest blesses the bread (host) and the wine, and then with prayer and by the power of the Holy Spirit, oversees the miracle of the Mass, whereupon they are changed into the ACTUAL Body and Blood of Christ. All of the wine that the priest has on the altar is transformed. It is this wine that is then poured into the chalice(s) and distributed by the communion ministers. Any wine which is not consumed by the congregation is returned to the priest, and he drinks all the remainder of the consecrated wine. He will even use a bit of water to rinse out the chalices and drink that as well.
At the conclusion of the Presbyterian services, the little cups which still contain the wine/grape juice are returned to the kitchen area, and the unused portion is poured down the drain.
~VOW
It used to be women had to wear a veil but over the last generation they were then allowed to choose to wear one or not. Nowadays you usually only see older women or traditionalists wear them.
I didn’t even know about the veil thing until my wife researched it and decided she should wear one. She’s usually the only one in church with one on. Every once and a great while we’ll see someone else, but not often. She has received compliments on it before.
Women were supposed to cover their heads. A veil wasn’t required - an ordinary old hat would do just as well. Veils were popular because they could be folded up and easily carried in pockets, handbags etc for those times when the woman wasn’t wearing a hat.
At the traditionalist parish where I sing I’d estimate that about half the women cover their heads. I agree that it’s usually the older ones who wear veils. The younger ones tend to wear hats. The sopranos and altos in the choir have berets stashed in the choir gallery so that they’ve always got something on hand.
I was being lazy but of course, you’re correct. Thank you for pointing that out.
One other question: can a Catholic priest perform a wedding for a Catholic and a non-Catholic?
My brother and sister were both Presybyterians who married a Baptist and a Methodist respectively and in both cases the wedding was performed by the bride’s pastor without the groom converting. Now admittedly, while they have different histories and some doctrinal differences, Presbyterianism/Methodism/Baptists aren’t that different when compared to, say, Presbyterianism and Catholicism. However, there are many Catholics who marry outside Catholicism, so it comes up.
I know they can legally officiate the marriage legally- pretty much anybody can if they have so much as a Universal Life Church ordination- but are they allowed to do so by the church? And if so, is it at all common? (I know that Caroline Kennedy was married by a priest, but in religion as in most things the rules are a tad different for the very rich and famous in general/Kennedys in particular.)
Speaking as a Catholic who goes to Mass every week, I’ve got news for you- the recent changes in the liturgy have even us PRACTICNG Catholics a little confused and tentative about what we’re supposed to say and do!
So, if a guest (Catholic or non-Catholic) comes to a wedding or any other service, doesn’t know the prayers or customs, and prefers to sit quietly… believe me, that guest will not stand out. No one will be staring at him and (implicitly) saying, “What’s wrong with you?”
Sampiro - When my sister married a non-Catholic, they just had to agree to raise any children Catholic. The priest usually meets with the couple at least once, or they take classes before the wedding. The priest does have the right to refuse to marry anyone, as far as I know.
StG
Yes. My dad had to go to some meeting with the priest prior to the wedding, but he (the priest) didn’t refuse to marry my mother to someone who would not convert.
All three of my siblings married non-Catholics, but were all married in church by priests. (I’m the only one who married a Catholic…I’m trying to score points with our parents for inheritance purposes.) They’re happy to marry you, but I think the non-Catholic spouse still has to promise to raise the kids Catholic, though.
When my wife and I got married, I was not only not Catholic, but not even baptized. The priest was able to marry us, although it did take a bit more paperwork than a Catholic/Other Christian marriage, and the ceremony was conducted outside of the context of a Mass, unlike most Catholic weddings.
Also, it is not the case that the non-Catholic partner has to agree to raise the children as Catholic. The Catholic partner has to agree to do what they can to ensure that the children are raised Catholic.
Not to start a religious debate in IMHO, but: Many, many people believe in the Real Presence who do not believe in transubstantiation. The one is a holy mystery, the other a theologian’s speculation of how it can come to be.