Celibate Josephite Marriages

[AEM2]

I have heard of term called a Josephine Marriage where the couple enter into marriage and basically remain celibate (as in non-consummated or only “consummated” once during a non-fertile time with no child as a result).

I was wondering if anyone has any links or knowledge of this practice within the Catholic Church or Christianity as a whole. The only group I am aware of was the Shakers in the US, but surprisingly they died out as a group.

 

[Dale_M]

I think you mean Josephite marriage.

Wikipedia has a bit of information under the name “spiritual marriage”. But the article is lacking a lot of citations, so may not be reliable. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_marriage

I seem to recall that one of the grounds for annulment is if the marriage has never been consummated.

 

[kell0618]

The Sacrament of Matrimony is the covenental joining of the validly baptized Bride and Groom as head of their own little domestic “church” and the source of their spirit of self-sacrifice that allows them to put their children first. A valid Sacramental marriage has as its primary purpose the begetting and raising of children; the unitive aspects of marriage are secondary. Marriage, therefore, is open to life if the marital right (the right of each spouse to the other’s body, 1 Corinthians 7:4) is exercised. In the rare instance that *both *spouses *mutually consent *to not exercise their marital rights and decide to remain sexually continent in imitation of Joseph and Mary and for the sake of the Kingdom, the marriage is termed a “Josephite marriage.”

Source

The Church does, in fact, know of non-comsummated marriages. Their known as “Josephite Marriages.” These are considered valid and naturally indissoluble; the Church may, however, dissolve these for good reason.

Source

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I think you mean Josephite marriage.

Wikipedia has a bit of information under the name “spiritual marriage”. But the article is lacking a lot of citations, so may not be reliable. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_marriage

I seem to recall that one of the grounds for annulment is if the marriage has never been consummated.

A Non-consummated Marriage is not automatically null, it can for certain reasons be dissolved by the pope I believe.

 

[chevalier]

Correct. Ratum et non consummatum is what it’s called when it’s a valid marriage and not consummated. It goes first to the bishop and then to Rome for the Pope himself to decide. As far as I know, in those cases where there was no consummation and invalidity is charged, they will go for such a dissolution.

The Code of Canon law doesn’t contain anything about Josephite marriages these days. Maybe they rule that exclusion of progeny doesn’t take place if there’s a decision to take a vow of err… since sex in marriage is chaste, then not a vow of chastity but whatever you properly call it.

What would be the benefits of a Josephite marriage anyway? Assuming there are no children in need of a father figure or something? Since for all it seems, marriage has only temporal effects?

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

The Code of Canon law doesn’t contain anything about Josephite marriages these days. Maybe they rule that exclusion of progeny doesn’t take place if there’s a decision to take a vow of err… since sex in marriage is chaste, then not a vow of chastity but whatever you properly call it.

That would be continence.