A little church history

Did you know that by church law you can't be married to more than one person at a time? There's some really interesting things about the role of the church in keeping marital records.  During the Roman Empire the state generally kept the written records of births, marriages, and deaths of it's citizens.  At some point after the fall of Rome the church (dutiful monks and priests) stepped in to maintain those records, hence the books we still keep today.  Along with baptism and confirmation records we include records of the places and dates of marriages and births.  In some places these records are still considered legal records and can be used to determine identity in the absence of an official state birth certificate.

You may notice in the bulletins lately we published the Banns of Marriage for a couple seeking to be married at St. Peter's.  This custom goes back to the medieval age in which churches were required to publish the banns three weeks prior to the Sunday services in the home churches of the marrying couple.  The announcement was to ensure that there is no legal impediment to their marriage.  Perhaps the groom or the bride is already married one village over. The banns provided a way for the community to be responsible for the preservation of the sacrament of marriage and support the family that might suffer due to the loss of a parent or spouse to an unsuspecting bridal party.

In previous decades not publishing the banns could result in nullifying the marriage by the state and the church.  For us today, the banns have become more of a special announcement, though they still carry the form of legal impediment.

Another tradition of the church that is meaningful but sadly has gone by the wayside is genuflecting. Genuflecting when crossing the altar from right to left or stepping in or out of your pew is a sign of obeisance to the presence of Christ in the Reserve Sacrament.  That is to say that when the red candle that hovers over the altar is lit it is signifying that consecrated bread or wine is present in the aumbry (or tabernacle).  We are assured of Christ Presence in the Sacrament and we may bend the knee (genuflect) or make the solemn bow for those who struggle with bending the knee thus acknowledging the King of kings is in this place.  The only time the candle is extinguished is in the absence of the bread and/or wine.  Generally that takes place between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and is not re-lit until the first Easter service that follows.  

Blessings,

Fr. Stephen+