Office for Matrimonial Concerns records
Scope and Contents
The collection contains church records for the Office of Matrimonial Concerns. Records include marriage dispensations for mixed religion, disparity of cult, consanguinity, and canonical form; registers of marriage dispensations; and requests for dispensation of marriage banns.
Dates
- Creation: 1883 - 2022
Creator
- Catholic Church. Diocese of Charleston (S.C.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Access is restricted; consult repository for details.
Conditions Governing Use
The Diocese of Charleston makes no representation that it is the owner of any copyright or other literary property in the materials contained in its archives. In providing access to or permitting the reproduction of any such materials, the Diocese of Charleston does not assume any responsibility for determining the nature of any rights, ownership or interest therein; nor for obtaining the appropriate permissions to publish or use; nor for determining the nature of any liabilities (for defamation and invasion of privacy) that may arise from any publication or use. This rests entirely with the researcher.
Biographical / Historical
The Office for Matrimonial Concerns is responsible for granting marriage dispensations to couples who wish to marry, but face impediments. This includes impediments of mixed religion, disparity of cult, consanguinity, and canonical form. Valid reasons must be established in order to allow the couple to receive the Sacrament of Marriage.
Prior to 1983, marriage banns, an ecclesiastical announcement of a couple contemplating marriage, were required to be publicized three times. This usually occurred on the three consecutive Sundays preceding a marriage ceremony. The purpose was to allow any canonical or civil impediment to the marriage to be brought forth, so as to prevent marriages that were invalid. The dispensation of banns, approved by a church authority figure, granted permission for the couple to marry without having the banns publicized three times.
Extent
36.78 Linear Feet (85 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 records carton)
Language of Materials
English
Latin
Abstract
Church records from the Diocese of Charleston Office for Matrimonial Concerns.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from the Office for Matrimonial Concerns.
Accruals
Additional material expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Melissa Bronheim, December 2011.
- Title
- Inventory of the Office for Matrimonial Concerns records, 1883-2021
- Author
- Melissa Bronheim
- Date
- December 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston Archives Repository
114 Broad Street
Carriage House
Charleston SC 29401 US
843-410-1720
843-410-1765
archives@charlestondiocese.org
