Dear Editor: A concerned parent wrote and asked if their marriage, and the marriages of two of their children, which were celebrated by a priest who later left the priesthood, were still considered valid. They can rest assured that they are.

The Catholic canonical form of marriage requires the exchange of marital consent in the presence of an authorized minister of the Church (local ordinary, pastor, or a priest or deacon delegated by them), and at least two additional witnesses (can. 1108).

Subsequently leaving the priesthood does not invalidate the act of someone who was an authorized minister at the time.

Furthermore, while the Roman Catholic Church considers the spouses who exchange consent to be the actual ministers of the sacrament and the sacred minister who receives the consent to be an official witness on behalf of the Church, the principle “ex opere operato” can also be applied.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1128 states: “the sacraments act ‘ex opere operato’ (literally, ‘by the very fact of the actions being performed’) i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all.

From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the minister. I hope this puts their minds at ease.

Father Bob Mucci

Sheepshead Bay

Editor’s note: Father Mucci is the pastor of St. Mark’s parish in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.