Dual - rite marriages

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chaldean_Rite
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Chaldean_Rite

Guest
Anyone been married to a Latin rite catholic while you yourself were from an Eastern Church? Where did you get married? Where do you go to church every Sunday? Where do you get the Sacraments? What do the kids identify themselves as?
 
I’m married to a woman who has been both Orthodox and Catholic, but prefers to be Catholic (I am Orthodox). We have not had a Church wedding yet but are hoping that we can plan a wedding in the Orthodox Church with the blessing of the Roman Catholic Church to do so. I think that the RCC will require a RC priest to be there, I don’t know yet. I hope this thread has many postings!:rolleyes:
 
Chaldean_Rite said:
Anyone been married to a Latin rite catholic while you yourself were from an Eastern Church? Where did you get married? Where do you go to church every Sunday? Where do you get the Sacraments? What do the kids identify themselves as?
Click to expand...
We have several such marriages in my church. The weddings tooks place in my church and the women joined the Eastern Catholic church of their husband as is according to Church Law. In at least one case, the wedding was stopped in the Roman Church by our priest because the husband was Eastern Catholic.

We also have several families where the husband was Roman Catholic and the wife was Russian and/or Ukrainian Orthodox. The marriage took place in our church so that the wife was not forced to give up her traditions.

The kids all identify themselves as Eastern Catholic and at least on has gotten married and now brings her children to our church. Antoher one willl be getting married next year in our church.

Hope this helps…
 
I am a cradle Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic married 30+ years ago to a Roman Catholic wife. We were married in a Latin ceremony in my wife’s home parish (the cathedral church of the Latin diocese in which we reside), with the prior written permission of my own Byzantine Catholic eparch. My wife chose to retain her canonical enrollment in the Latin Church upon our marriage and I retained my own Eastern Catholic affiliation.

Our children (all three) were received into the Byzantine Catholic Church as infants through the Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation, the most recent of which was +/-18 years ago (as of that time the Byzantine Catholic Church had not yet returned to the practice of communing infants in the same initiation ceremony with baptism and chrismation). Even if they had been baptised in the Latin Church, however, they would still be canonical Byzantine Catholics, as Catholic Church Law specifies a patrilineal path with regard to the sui iuris Church enrollment of children in an inter-Church union (the kids are what the father is, regardless of where the baptism occurrs).

Our children attended religious education classes through the local Latin Church and first received Our Lord in Holy Communion along with their Latin classmates. All three also participated in confirmation preparation along with their classmates, and two of them even participated in the confirmation ceremony itself, with pre-notification given to the bishop to give them his blessing only, rather than administer the sacrament when they approached, since they had already been confirmed as infants.

As they learned of the Latin Church through formal RE classes, I “filled in the blanks” with regard to their Byzantine Catholic Church affiliation on my own, along with regular visits to my own (and their) Byzantine Catholic home parish. Throughout our years as a family our worship practices have been (and still are) split pretty much 50/50 between the Latin Catholic Church and the Byzantine Catholic Church. This has NEVER posed a problem with regard to my kids’ identity as Byzantine Catholics - quite the contrary, in fact! They had the advantage of growing up knowing first-hand that the Catholic Church is much more than just the Roman Catholic Church, and they took pride in sharing that information with others. For example, throughout their religious education classes they continued to cross themselves right-to-left as is proper to members of the Byzantine Catholic Church (even when told that they were doing it “wrong”) and they even took pride in the fact that they were the only ones in their respective early RE classes who had already been confirmed (this, in itself, turned out to be a “learning experience” for many of their RE instructors who had no clue that Catholic children could possibly be confirmed as infants!). We, as a family, found many opportunities to share Eastern Catholicism with our Latin brethren who, otherwise, would very likely have never known that Eastern Catholicism even existed!

This is what’s great about our Catholic faith… ANY Catholic can freely worship and participate in the sacraments of ANY sui iuris Catholic Church at any time! Unity, not uniformity!
 
Patchunky said:
We have several such marriages in my church. The weddings tooks place in my church and the women joined the Eastern Catholic church of their husband as is according to Church Law. In at least one case, the wedding was stopped in the Roman Church by our priest because the husband was Eastern Catholic.

We also have several families where the husband was Roman Catholic and the wife was Russian and/or Ukrainian Orthodox. The marriage took place in our church so that the wife was not forced to give up her traditions.

The kids all identify themselves as Eastern Catholic and at least on has gotten married and now brings her children to our church. Antoher one willl be getting married next year in our church.

Hope this helps…
Click to expand...
Shlom lokh,

Are you sure about the woman joining a particular Church because of marriage is regulated by Church law? I’ve never heard of that before, so it seems somewhat strange to me. I know whatever Church the father belongs to, that is what the children automatically become. However, if it is only that the woman is Catholic, then they become whichever Church she belongs to.

Alloho minokhoun,
Andrew
 
My Grandmother was a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic and my Grandfather was a Latin Rite Catholic. They were married in 1940 in St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Perth Amboy but both of them became members of St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church in the same city. My Grandparents both attended mass at St. Stephen’s and my Uncle, Aunt and Mother were all baptized there. When my grandmother passed away her funeral rites were celebrated at St. Stephen’s. Throughout her life, however, she always said she was Greek Catholic. We also always made a point of celebrating “Greek Christmas” (in a small way) and we (her family) always were taught that there was more to Catholic Church than just the Roman Church.
 
Chaldean_Rite said:
Why was it stopped? Is this part of canon law or something?
Click to expand...
The Vatican II Post-Conciliar Documents on the Eastern Churches specify that it should be that the mixed couple should be married in, and their children raised in, the Eastern Church.

Canon Law does NOT reflect this, but does permit this.
 
Aramis said:
The Vatican II Post-Conciliar Documents on the Eastern Churches specify that it should be that the mixed couple should be married in, and their children raised in, the Eastern Church.

Canon Law does NOT reflect this, but does permit this.
Click to expand...
Which ones?
 
Current Canon Law allows the couple to decide which church the marriage will take place in and which church the children will be raised in. Before the CCEO, the marriage had to be in the grooms church and children were canonically of the church of the father unless a dispensation was granted by Rome.

Fr. Deacon Lance
 
Harpazo said:
Shlom lokh,

Are you sure about the woman joining a particular Church because of marriage is regulated by Church law? I’ve never heard of that before, so it seems somewhat strange to me. I know whatever Church the father belongs to, that is what the children automatically become. However, if it is only that the woman is Catholic, then they become whichever Church she belongs to.

Alloho minokhoun,
Andrew
Click to expand...
Here’s the relevant canon from the cceo:

Canon 29
  1. By virtue of baptism, a child who has not yet completed his fourteenth year of age is enrolled in the Church sui iuris of the Catholic father; or the Church sui iuris of the mother if only the mother is Catholic or if both parents by agreement freely request it, with due regard for particular law established by the Apostolic See.
  2. If the child who has not yet completed his fourteenth year is: (1) born of an unwed mother, he is enrolled in the Church sui iuris to which the mother belongs; (2) born of unknown parents, he is to be enrolled in the Church sui iuris of those in whose care he has been legitimately committed are enrolled; if it is a case of an adoptive father and mother, 1 should be applied; (3) born of non-baptized parents, the child is to be a member of the Church sui iuris of the one who is responsible for his education in the Catholic faith.
    intratext.com/IXT/ENG1199/_PT.HTM
Canon 30

Anyone to be baptized who has completed the fourteenth year of age can freely select any Church sui iuris in which he or she then is enrolled by virtue of baptism received in that same Church, with due regard for particular law established by the Apostolic See.

Canon 31

No one can presume in any way to induce the Christian faithful to transfer to another Church sui iuris.

Canon 32
  1. No one can validly transfer to another Church sui iuris without the consent of the Apostolic See. 2. In the case of Christian faithful of an eparchy of a certain Church sui iuris who petition to transfer to another Church sui iuris which has its own eparchy in the same territory, this consent of the Apostolic See is presumed, provided that the eparchial bishops of both eparchies consent to the transfer in writing.
Canon 33

A wife is at liberty to transfer to the Church of the husband at the celebration of or during the marriage; when the marriage has ended, she can freely return to the original Church sui iuris.

Canon 34

If the parents, or the Catholic spouse in the case of a mixed marriage, transfer to another Church sui iuris, children under fourteen years old by the law itself are enrolled in the same Church; if in a marriage of Catholics only one parent transfers to another Church sui iuris, the children transfer only if both parents consent. Upon completion of the fourteenth year of age, the children can return to the original Church sui iuris.

Canon 35

Baptized non-Catholics coming into full communion with the Catholic Church should retain and practice their own rite everywhere in the world and should observe it as much as humanly possible. Thus, they are to be enrolled in the Church sui iuris of the same rite with due regard for the right of approaching the Apostolic See in special cases of persons, communities or regions.

Canon 36

The transfer to another Church sui iuris takes effect at the moment a declaration is made before the local hierarch or the proper pastor of the same Church or a priest delegated by either of them and two witnesses, unless the rescript of the Apostolic See provides otherwise.
 
My Latin-rite husband and I were married in my home Ukrainian Catholic church. Our children were raised following the Latin-rite, but we regularly attend Divine Liturgy and I sing in the choir and I remain a member there. During Lent, we start on Monday, but we also get ashes on Wednesday. We observe Advent and abstain on Christmas Eve. We can appreciate both traditions, as it enriches our religious life.
 
JohnVIII said:
I’m married to a woman who has been both Orthodox and Catholic, but prefers to be Catholic (I am Orthodox). We have not had a Church wedding yet but are hoping that we can plan a wedding in the Orthodox Church with the blessing of the Roman Catholic Church to do so. I think that the RCC will require a RC priest to be there, I don’t know yet. I hope this thread has many postings!:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Hello…I’m an EO dating a RC girl. We are looking to get married and according to the RC priest, he doesn’t have to be at the wedding if it occurs in an EO church. He can be present but according to the EO church, he can not participate in the ceremony in any way. He can only attend as a witness.

The RC said it would make life a lot easier for her to marry in my church because the RC accepts the marriage in an EO church, whereas if I were to marry in a RC church, I would be considered “outside” of the EO church and would not be able to partake in the sacraments until we were to be remarried in the EO church.
 
Eastern_Guy said:
Hello…I’m an EO dating a RC girl. We are looking to get married and according to the RC priest, he doesn’t have to be at the wedding if it occurs in an EO church. He can be present but according to the EO church, he can not participate in the ceremony in any way. He can only attend as a witness.

The RC said it would make life a lot easier for her to marry in my church because the RC accepts the marriage in an EO church, whereas if I were to marry in a RC church, I would be considered “outside” of the EO church and would not be able to partake in the sacraments until we were to be remarried in the EO church.
Click to expand...
The Catholic Priest or Deacon need not participate, merely witness to record in the register of his parish your EO crowning.

Since you are Roman Rite/Latin Church, the CIC governs. Here’s a link to the law on mixed marriage: vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P41.HTM
 
Thanks for all the posts Aramis. Its highly appreciated.

May you always be under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception.
 
You’re most welcome. I find that the approved translations of the canon law are remarkably readable, and quite in synch with the CCC.
 
In the case where the mother is EO and the Father is RC and both are very devot, how would the couple decide which church to baptise and raise the children in? Does the fathers rite rule apply in this case or not since EO and RC are not in full communion?
 
It depends, but usually, in EO-EC marriages, the children are Chrismated in the EO church so that both recognize the sacrament.

However, either could be done. The EO Sacraments are ALL valid; their faith is so substantially the same that conversion of priests results in almost immediate incardination into the receiving diocese.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top