Convalidations Encouraged in Jubilee YearRead Time 8 min

Catholics sometimes choose to get married at a place other than a Catholic church — such as in a friend’s yard, at a beach or an amusement park, in a non-Catholic church or in a courtroom.

Unless permission is granted in advance, the marriage is not considered “valid,” or sacramental, in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

But there is a remedy called a convalidation that is being especially encouraged in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee during the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope.

“During this Jubilee Year, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob extends a special invitation to civilly married couples to explore having their marriage recognized by the Catholic Church, known as convalidation,” the archdiocese says on its website regarding its “Bring Your Marriage Home initiative. “The Catholic Church cares for you and desires you to have all the graces available and to allow you to return to the reception of the sacraments.”

One area couple who received convalidation several years ago described it as a positive part of becoming Catholic.

“We wanted to be in right order with God, and it never once felt like a burden or an oppressive rule that the Church made. We knew it was God’s love and mercy for us, bringing us fully and sacramentally into his Church,” she said.

Susan and Tim Craft, members of St. Mary of the Hill Parish in Hubertus, were married by a Lutheran pastor at a botanical garden June 12, 2010.

“We are both converts to the Catholic faith. I went through conversion 25 years ago as a younger adult, and Tim came into the faith three years ago,” Susan Craft said. “Tim was baptized Catholic as a baby; his mother was Catholic, but then through family decisions, he was raised Lutheran.”

Tim and Susan have two daughters, and during the COVID-19 lockdowns, both began reevaluating their faith and faith life as a family.

“We were also both dealing with the illness and losses of both of our mothers during COVID, so this became a deep time of reflection and contemplation,” Susan Craft said. “Due to these circumstances, I quit my full-time corporate job and started teaching college English courses part time. I also started attending daily Masses at Holy Hill.”

At the same time, Tim felt the pull to become fully Catholic and made the decision to go through the OCIA process at St. Mary of the Hill.

“Needless to say, I was thrilled! It was truly the Holy Spirit who led us through this process by first slowing down our schedule and giving us time to consider our faith more fully,” Susan Craft said.

Throughout this time of exploring their Catholic faith, they discovered that their marriage was invalid in the Church, and they were missing the Sacrament of Matrimony.

“We had no idea, and being that I wasn’t raised Catholic, I didn’t think anything of it,” Susan Craft said. “I figured it was a religious service, so it was fine. When we realized this, we knew God was leading us to live fully in his sacraments, not just some.”

The couple approached Fr. Jude Peters, O.C.D., Pastor of St. Mary of the Hill, and he explained the process of convalidation to them. They were excited to become sacramentally married and had a small ceremony Dec. 12, 2023, in the Marian Chapel at Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill.

“We now have two anniversaries we celebrate each year, June 12 and December 12, and without knowing it, it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has special meaning for us,” Susan said.

The archdiocese encourages Catholics who are not in sacramental marriage to reach out to their pastor to discuss convalidations. The process can vary for each couple based on their particular circumstances.

Jubilee Year of Hope Details

Pope Francis declared the year 2025 as the Jubilee Year of Hope.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is celebrating the Jubilee Year with multiple initiatives as a time of spiritual renewal and to renew hope. These efforts include encouraging convalidations, which are sacramental marriages for those married civilly; prayer and care for those who have died; fostering relationship with those incarcerated; and a Day of Reconciliation, Reparation and Fasting held in April.

Five locations in the archdiocese also were designated as pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee Year: Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee; Basilica of St. Josaphat, Milwaukee; National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Holy Hill, Hubertus; Archdiocesan Marian Shrine on North 68th Street; and the Schoenstatt Shrine, Waukesha.

Find out more at archmil.org/About-Archdiocese-Milwaukee/Jubilee-2025.