Office of the Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs
Frequently Asked Questions

Annointing of the Sick
Baptism
Exorcisms
Funerals
Holy Communion
Marriage
Mass outside of Church

Anointing of the Sick or Last Rites

I would like a priest to give the Last Rites to my dying parent. The term ‘Last Rites’ has been replaced by ‘Anointing of the Sick’ because the word ‘last’ implies a final act. More often than not, the person having the sacrament administered to survives the event (operation or illness) and therefore the act was not final. The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick may be repeated as needed and may also be administered to the family of the person for whom the sacrament was meant, as a means of hope and strength. As with all sacraments, Anointing of the Sick is for the living.

Baptism

I would like to have my child baptized. What are the rules when selecting god-parents? Canon law or Church law refers to god-parents as ‘sponsors’ or ‘witnesses”. When selecting sponsors for your child’s baptism, canon law tells us that one sponsor is sufficient however two sponsors are acceptable. If selecting one, the person may be of either gender (it is not a requirement that the god-parent be the same gender as the child being baptized) but must be Catholic. If selecting two god-parents, you must choose one from each gender (one male and one female). One of the two must be Catholic, the other may be a member of another Christian church such as Anglican or Lutheran.

The sponsor(s) must be 16 years of age and confirmed. The Archdiocese of Toronto does not make exceptions.

Can we change the godparents names on a baptismal register? Often people will want to change the name of a godfather or godmother on a baptismal certificate for a variety of reasons. However, we are not permitted to change the entries made in a baptismal register. The godparents are the official witnesses of the baptism and therefore the certificate is a quasi-legal document. This is not an easy answer to accept, especially in cases where there is estrangement on the part of family members between each other. We try to convince the persons requesting the change to appoint someone who will be the sponsor for the child at Confirmation. Let that person accept the "role" of godparent until such time that his or her name can be entered as sponsor for confirmation.

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Exorcisms

The Archdiocese of Toronto does not have an exorcist nor does it perform the rite of exorcism.

Funerals

Is it ok to cremate a person and still have a Funeral Mass in the Church? Yes, cremated remains may be present in Church for the Funeral Mass of the deceased. The Church encourages the family to have the body present in the Church followed by cremation, however either way is accepted.

I am the Catholic party in my marriage. My non-Catholic spouse is dying. Can we have a funeral Mass with Eucharist in a Catholic church? If the deceased was a baptized Christian (e.g. Anglican) then yes a Mass may be held in a Catholic church at the pastor’s discretion.

Holy Communion

I want to receive Holy Eucharist on my tongue, not in my hand! Ultimately, it is up to the communicant to decide how s/he will receive the Host be it in the hand, on the tongue, kneeling or standing. For hygienic reasons, often times the priest will administer the Host to the hand of the communicant. The Archdiocese of Toronto supports its priests in this decision.

Which Churches hold Eucharistic Adoration? Some parishes in the Archdiocese have small chapels for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament. Some are even accessible 24-hours. Other parishes hold specific times for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Central: St. Basil’s Parish

West: Transfiguration Parish

St. Clement’s Parish

St. Alphonsus Parish

East: St. Theresa’s Parish

North: Blessed Trinity

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Marriage

My fiancé proposed to me and I accepted. Now what should we do to get married in the Catholic Church? Congratulations! The first step is to contact your local Catholic Pastor. If both of you are Catholic, then either parish priest may be contacted. Your Pastor will schedule a series of interviews with you and your fiancé in order to prepare you pastorally for marriage. It is mandatory to take a Marriage Preparation Course from a recognised Catholic Institution. Please note, that in case one or both of you had a Previous Marriage, Archdiocesan regulations state that the priest will not be able to give you a wedding date at the first meeting. Hence it is recommended that no wedding arrangements be made until after you get an ‘All Clear’ from the priest who is preparing you for marriage.

We would like to be married in a Catholic Church in another country. How do we go about it? The procedure to get married in a Catholic Church in another country or Diocese is similar to getting married locally. Please contact your local Pastor who will prepare you for marriage and instruct you to take the Marriage Preparation Course. The Marriage documents are then ‘transferred’ to the Parish of marriage in the other country via the Chancery offices of the respective Dioceses involved.

Could we get permission to marry outside the Catholic Church, for example, at a Banquet Hall? A parish church is the ordinary place for the celebration of a marriage involving two Catholics or a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic. Since the marriages of two baptized persons are sacraments, they are not merely private or familial celebrations but also ecclesial events. The spouses declare their consent “before God and the Church” and live out that commitment in and with the support of the local ecclesial community. It is, therefore, fitting that this celebration should take place in the parish church.

The church is much more than just icons and building; it is a sacred place where the believing community gathers to worship and where the sacraments are celebrated. It is the policy in the Archdiocese of Toronto that a marriage should take place at a parish church under normal circumstances. Exceptions are only made when there is a grave and urgent cause such as illness or physical disability.

I am Roman Catholic but my spouse-to-be is a non-Christian. To satisfy the wishes of both our families, we would like to have 2 wedding ceremonies, one at the Roman Catholic Church, and another ceremony to follow or precede, in the non-Christian Church. Is this allowed? Canon 1127 §3 of the Code of Canon Law forbids a double celebration of the same marriage for the purpose of giving or renewing matrimonial consent. The Catholic Church could arrange to recognize the non-Catholic ceremony as sufficient. Talk with your priest first.

We are planning our marriage at a scenic beach resort. I am most connected with God when I am among nature. Since we are both Roman Catholic, we would like a Catholic Priest to officiate our wedding on the beach. First of all, since you both are Roman Catholic, as already specified in (3) above, marriage between two Catholics is to be celebrated at a parish church. A Catholic Priest/Deacon of the Archdiocese of Toronto is not authorised to celebrate a wedding, especially between 2 Roman Catholics, in a non-sacred Place. Exceptions are only made when there is a grave and urgent cause such as illness.

I am Roman Catholic, but my spouse-to-be is not. Our Priest will not allow the celebration of the Eucharist. The Mass is a celebration of the saving death and resurrection of Christ. Reception of Jesus in the Eucharist also symbolizes unity among the persons receiving Holy Communion with the Catholic Church. Introducing the Eucharist into a communal event where only some people will be allowed to receive it symbolizes division, while the wedding ceremony emphasizes unity. This would be unfortunate. This is why the definitive norms of the Catholic Bishops of Canada state, “it is generally more opportune that a marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic be celebrated without Mass.” (cf. 1971 Norms, #20 in Letters & Legislations, Page #340).

To maintain consistency across the Archdiocese of Toronto, it is a policy that no Eucharist be celebrated for marriages between a Catholic and a non-baptized person. The celebration of the Eucharist at marriages between a Catholic and a validly baptized non-Catholic is discouraged, but is at the pastoral discretion of the priest celebrating the wedding, bearing in mind the problem of living out disunity at Communion time.

I have been married before in the Catholic Church. I have made arrangements to get married in two months. Can a Catholic Priest marry us as scheduled? The Archdiocese of Toronto asks that couples contact their local Pastor at least one year before their tentatively planned date of marriage. This is to allow for possible delays due to any additional impediments that might necessitate postponing the marriage date, especially in the case of couples with one or more previous marriages. Also, a special “2 nd Marriage” Preparation Course by Catholic Family Services of Toronto is mandatory before marriage.

Can we use Banns or do we have to be married by Marriage Licence? A couple can be married by Marriage Licence or by Banns. However, Banns are to be used only if:

• there has not been a dissolution of any previous marriage, by Divorce.

• both parties live in Canada.

• both parties are in the habit of attending worship.

• The couple is not already civilly married to each other.

We have selected some well-known and meaningful pieces of music for our wedding. However, our Pastor will not allow us to use them. Because the wedding liturgy is not a private affair, but a celebration of the faith of the whole congregation, the choice of music must be such that all can join in at the appropriate moments. Music and songs that express a secular or superficial understanding of marriage and love, or those that are associated with the cinema, television or stage, do a disservice to the sacred celebration.

All music and hymns must be chosen after consultation with the priest at your parish, in conjunction with the existing policy about music and the securing of musicians.

We have prepared our own vows and would like to use the ones we prepared, at the exchange of vows ceremony. Is this allowed? As a rule, the short answer in NO. There are many places for creative choice in the ceremony, but the content of the vows is for the validity of the act of entering marriage & therefore we ask that the given formula be carefully observed.

We would like to have our Wedding on a Sunday to accommodate our relatives who will be travelling from out of town for our wedding? According to the particular law of the Archdiocese of Toronto (promulgated since 1971), weddings in the Catholic Church are not allowed to be celebrated on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation.

Mass outside of a Church

I would like to have a private Mass said in my home for a small group of people. My organization is holding a picnic and would like permission to have a Mass celebrated in the park before the picnic starts. The Archdiocese of Toronto does not endorse Masses celebrated outside of a sacred place (i.e. Church or Chapel).

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