Cohabitation Catch 22

[mysid]

copperbadge posted that he hopes to check out the art at St.John Cantius in Chicago today, so I checked out their website. Under the heading "Marriage Guidelines" it said:

5. It is all too common in society today for many couples to live together before marriage for a variety of reasons. This arrangement is known as co-habitation. No reason for this arrangement known as co-habitation is acceptable or condoned by the Church. For individuals wishing to be married at St. John’s, we state that if you find yourself in the arrangement of co-habitation that you remove yourself from it as soon as possible. The priests and deacons at St. John Cantius will not witness marriages of couples who are living together before their wedding.

So...they don't want you to live together without being married, but if you are living together, they won't marry you. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't marrying the couple solve the whole "living together without being married" issue? If I were them, I'd be saying, "If you're living together but not married, hurry on down and we'll marry you up quick!"

What will they do if you have a baby before being married? "If you have a child out of wedlock, we state that you put the infant back in until the sacrament of marriage can be solemnized." And then they'll baptize the baby.

Comments

[busaikko]

In Chicago? "Yes, both of you will have to pay separate rents, and furnish your respective apartments. Mwahaha. Forget about paying for a nice wedding!" I wonder if they demand proof (like gas bills in both your names)? I'd imagine most people just lie ("I moved in with my friend... yeah"): if you told the priest at confession, what could he do?

I'll bet they also have one of those months-long pre-marriage education courses that couples need to take....

[mysid]

I know! Establishing two separate residences when you've been in one and will soon be in one again--not practical. I'm sure many, many couple lie about where one of them live.

And yes, you have to do the pre-marriage counseling bit. (Although for many couples, that isn't a bad idea.)