'Bring your own Priest ' has me stumped. Newport RI.

Just Google officiants you'll probably find one who can do a Catholic ceremony.

??? Maybe I am wrong but I thought priest could only do ceremony in a catholic church. My neighbor is a deacon and can do everything but pass out communion so I could be wrong.

Well find one and ask. The worse they will say is "nope"

I was told what Susan M said. They can only officiate in the church, the couple must attend couples/marriage counseling and they must be members in good standing.

Contact the local parish.

Catholic priests aren't permitted to do weddings outside of Catholic churches. They view marrying in the physical building as symbolic of marrying within the broader Catholic church.

Is the chapel Catholic and just not part of a parish? We are getting married at a Catholic University church so we also have to arrange for our own priest, but it is still a Catholic Church so we won't have an issue. If your chapel isn't catholic, it can't be an officially catholic wedding and you'll have some trouble. If it is catholic, just contact the local parish like a PP said, or have one from your own parish and pay travel fees.

@tjacob 2014 thanks for your answer. It is indeed a Catholic chapel. I guess it is a matter of searching in the local parishes, to find the right one.

@suzanne good luck! Hopefully things will work out for you all

Most 'real' Catholic priests won't do a wedding for a couple that is not part of their parish and/or in their church. I know several here that say they are priests not related to a church, but I personally find that a little sketchy.

I would call the chapel and ask them if they have a list of recommendations. Obviously, this is not the first time this has come up.

If it's not important to have the wedding be a sacrament of marriage, possibly you can bring in another type of officiant who can do a Catholic style wedding.

Ditto Celia's suggestion. The chapel probably has a list of preferred vendors -- including priests and other officiants.

If it's a catholic priest and catholic space, it will definitely count. The church I'm getting married at is not part of a parish and doesn't have a home priest, but the waiting list for weddings is still 2 years long, all of which are fully sacramental weddings. Catholic priests can basically choose to do whatever they want, but they can perform a wedding in any Catholic Church as long as there's permission from the parish if there is one.

No, that is actually not true. They can't choose to do what they want, and most of them won't marry someone out of their congregation without some major hoops.

OP, you need to contact the chapel, then contact that specific parish. Do not rely on information from people on the internet, including me.

Yeah I agreed with you. Lots won't, but they can, otherwise I wouldn't be getting married lol I said they can do what they want within the parish constraints and constraints of the church in general.

ETA: I was more or less trying to reassure OP it can be done and will be sacramental as long as a priest is willing.

Also, they need to check with their own parish about completing marriage prep. It's possible to do your marriage prep with one church and get married at another (I did) but there has to be communication about it.

Is the chapel in RI connected to a hospital or school or anything? I tried to find it online based on your description but only found actual parishes.

If the sacrament isn't an issue, there are probably more avenues, but really, really check into this before you just rent a "priest". It may or may not be your answer.

I'm not trying to be annoying, but Catholicism is not a 'make it up as you go' thing.

Hi Suzanne!

I am also getting married in Newport- I believe the same chapel since there aren't many, and I wanted to reach out and see if you had any luck because I am having a hard time finding a priest!

Thanks!

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Hi Emily,

Hannah and Ryan were married at Our Lady of Mercy at Salve Regina. In the end, we asked the wedding coordinator at the Chapel, Diane, if the priest there would do it, and he did. his name is Father Saji Joseph. He did a wonderful job and it was a meaningful and beautiful ceremony. We had some incredible music there as well if you would like some ideas!

Thank you so much for getting back to me! I will reach out to Diane and ask her because as of now she has given me no leads. I would love any recommendations. Was the music included I asked Diane and she never got back to me because It doesn’t reference anything in the handbook.

Yeah, we did have to ask Diane a few rimes, but in the end it worked out. Music is not included. They do have a music director, (forgot his name) who will play the organ if you wish, but at a cost. We hired music from the outside. We had an acoustic guitar/flute duo called Ale Breva duo, and our soloist/cantor was Monica Hatch. She had a voice like an angel and they all worked well together. You can check them out on SoundCloud.

I hope you have good luck with Diane!