From Whom Do You Inherit Your Rite?

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meltoine

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Let me preface this by saying that my husband and I first took this question to our priest when we were preparing for our wedding, and he could not find an answer for us at the time. Now that we are due to have our first child the question has taken on a particular new relevance and I am still at a loss for an adequate answer.

What Rite of the Church does my husband belong to? And as a follow-on, which Rite will our child belong to? I know our child will be whichever Eastern Rite my husband is since I am Latin Rite.

His mother belongs to the Maronite right, which I believe falls under the category of the Antiochian or Syriac traditions. His father belongs to the Melkite Rite, which falls under the Byzantine Liturgical tradition.

The one thing our priest was able to tell us is that at Vatican II it was decided that children of at least one Eastern Rite parent would automatically be Eastern Rite, to preserve the numbers, culture, and tradition of the Eastern Churches. I read Orientalium Ecclesiarum and found in sections 4 and 6 where it refers to members born into the Eastern Rites and requires them to practice their own Rite to the best of their ability, but I cannot find (in this document or others) the reference he quoted.

Also, in my priest’s explanation of the situation, he said that the document he was referring to made no mention of which Eastern Rite a child belongs to if both parents are of differing Eastern Rites.

The bottom line questions are:

To which Rite does a child of parents from two different Eastern Rites belong?

Can you point me in the direction of the document our priest may have been referring to?
 
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.
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So, your husband would be considered Melkite, unless (a) it was agreed by his parents that he would be Maronite, or (b) he voluntarily enrolled as a Maronite on/after his 14th birthday.
 
Yep, It’s either Maronite if he himself was baptized in that Eastern tradition, or Melkite. If he was baptized Roman then its Melkite through his grandfather’s Eastern tradition. So I’d recommend checking your husbands baptismal record if he can’t remember. God Bless.
 
gmcbroom said:
Yep, It’s either Maronite if he himself was baptized in that Eastern tradition, or Melkite. If he was baptized Roman then its Melkite through his grandfather’s Eastern tradition. So I’d recommend checking your husbands baptismal record if he can’t remember. God Bless.
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Not exactly: his father is Melkite. Since both parents are “Catholic” that means he is also Melkite, irrespective of where he was baptized unless it was stipulated by both parents that the boy was to be Maronite. If that latter occurred, it would be noted in the baptismal record.
 
malphono said:
Not exactly: his father is Melkite. Since both parents are “Catholic” that means he is also Melkite, irrespective of where he was baptized unless it was stipulated by both parents that the boy was to be Maronite. If that latter occurred, it would be noted in the baptismal record.
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Beyond that, if parents are not aware of the need to specify a rite, the child is automatically enrolled into the rite of his father, regardless of which rite the baptism took place in.
 
Do these rites really matter, or is it a question of paperwork? Does an individual have a moral obligation to follow the fasts and guidelines of his or her inherited rite, regardless of which parish he or she may be attending?

If there is one Catholic Church, cannot a person simply follow the rule, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in Melk, do as the Melkites do; and when in Ruthenia, do as the Ruthenians do?”
 
The_Iambic_Pen said:
Do these rites really matter, or is it a question of paperwork? Does an individual have a moral obligation to follow the fasts and guidelines of his or her inherited rite, regardless of which parish he or she may be attending?

If there is one Catholic Church, cannot a person simply follow the rule, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in Melk, do as the Melkites do; and when in Ruthenia, do as the Ruthenians do?”
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as a Latin catholic, I am bound under Canon Law for the Latin church
ill give an example
On Ash wednesday, I am under the obligation to abstain from meat and fast

However my friend, canonically enrolled as a Byzantine, is not bound by Latin fasting rules, and as such is free to eat meat on Ash Wednesday

The reverse is true for me on days such as Clean Monday
 
Montalo said:
However my friend, canonically enrolled as a Byzantine, is not bound by Latin fasting rules, and as such is free to eat meat on Ash Wednesday
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That’s odd. Your friend isn’t bound by the Latin fasting practice it’s true.
However for us Great Lent begins on Monday not Wed., and I thought the minimal fasting for an otherwise healthy Byzantine would be to abstain from meat Wednesdays and Fridays in Great Lent. The calendar of our Russian parish is vegan throughout Great Lent. Holy Th and Palm Sunday allow fish and wine. Vegan for Wed. and Fri. the rest of the year; there are some exceptions like the week of Holy Trinity during which there is no fasting.

Anyone bringing food for our meal after Divine Liturgy is expected to follow any current dietary restrictions. Foods that don’t comply won’t be put out and blessed. We start a fast this Sunday, in anticipation of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Father sent out a reminder to follow the fasting rules for anything you’re bringing. I think about half of our small parish is canonically Latin.
 
5Loaves said:
That’s odd. Your friend isn’t bound by the Latin fasting practice it’s true.
However for us Great Lent begins on Monday not Wed., and I thought the minimal fasting for an otherwise healthy Byzantine would be to abstain from meat Wednesdays and Fridays in Great Lent. . . . .
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Could he be following the old calendar? I think Easter and hence Lent are later for that. However, I don’t know if any Eastern Catholic Churches use the old calendar, or is that only an Orthodox custom?
 
Montalo said:
as a Latin catholic, I am bound under Canon Law for the Latin church
ill give an example
On Ash wednesday, I am under the obligation to abstain from meat and fast

However my friend, canonically enrolled as a Byzantine, is not bound by Latin fasting rules, and as such is free to eat meat on Ash Wednesday

The reverse is true for me on days such as Clean Monday
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You are wrong about that, since Great Lent BEGINS on a Monday the Fasting rules apply beginning on Monday of Great Lent, Fasting from ALL animal products including Meat, Dairy,
Eggs, Fish (except on the Annunciation), Wine and Oil.
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Could he be following the old calendar? I think Easter and hence Lent are later for that. However, I don’t know if any Eastern Catholic Churches use the old calendar, or is that only an Orthodox custom?
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My parish does follow something called the Revised Julian so our Pascha is old calendar. Last Pascha and the next one are the same as the Latin Church. It happens now and again. 🙂
 
The_Iambic_Pen said:
Do these rites really matter, or is it a question of paperwork? Does an individual have a moral obligation to follow the fasts and guidelines of his or her inherited rite, regardless of which parish he or she may be attending?

If there is one Catholic Church, cannot a person simply follow the rule, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in Melk, do as the Melkites do; and when in Ruthenia, do as the Ruthenians do?”
Click to expand...
It’s not just paperwork. In general the faithful are supposed to follow the discipline of their ascribed Church. And that demonstrates community solidarity. For example if a Melkite is in a Latin parish, because there is no other place for them locally, they have the right to follow their traditions, and even request the bishop/eparch to assist them in that with the appropriate liturgy, etc. We usually think in terms of obligations but whe have rights pertaining to our ascribed Church, not to where we are assisting that day or to our “adopted” Church, unless it is a universal right.

If the family is mixed Catholic Church then the canons say they can follow one or the other set of rules for fasting and holy days of obligation, and also when out of their eparchy or diocese they can adopt the holy days of that eparchy or diocese. And it does not matter that the readings of the Mass or Divine Liturgy might be different on that day in a different Church. Just assisting on the correct day is the correct discipline. (This is what I have discovered from my reading.)
 
5Loaves said:
That’s odd. Your friend isn’t bound by the Latin fasting practice it’s true.
However for us Great Lent begins on Monday not Wed., and I thought the minimal fasting for an otherwise healthy Byzantine would be to abstain from meat Wednesdays and Fridays in Great Lent. The calendar of our Russian parish is vegan throughout Great Lent. Holy Th and Palm Sunday allow fish and wine. Vegan for Wed. and Fri. the rest of the year; there are some exceptions like the week of Holy Trinity during which there is no fasting.

Anyone bringing food for our meal after Divine Liturgy is expected to follow any current dietary restrictions. Foods that don’t comply won’t be put out and blessed. We start a fast this Sunday, in anticipation of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Father sent out a reminder to follow the fasting rules for anything you’re bringing. I think about half of our small parish is canonically Latin.
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My comment was made in ignorance to fasting on Wednesdays, but my initial poin
 
Montalo said:
My comment was made in ignorance to fasting on Wednesdays, but my initial poin
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Russian Catholic fasting praxis is amongst the most severe in the Catholic Church. Russian Orthodox is pretty much the same.

Locally, the RO rules for Great Lent and St Phillip’s Fast (Advent): nothing with a spine, no eggs, no oil, no wine, no vinegar. All Fridays are no land animals.

The Metropolia of Pittsburgh has a much mellower fasting praxis. Minimal: no land-meat on fridays, nor on mondays, wednesdays nor fridays of fasts. Strongly encouraged to avoid meat, milk, eggs, oil, and wine during all of the fast.

But, in any case, fasting is moderatable by one’s pastor or spiritual father.
 
meltoine said:
The one thing our priest was able to tell us is that at Vatican II it was decided that children of at least one Eastern Rite parent would automatically be Eastern Rite, to preserve the numbers, culture, and tradition of the Eastern Churches.
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Are you sure this is correct?

My Latin rite brother married a Ukrainian woman and move to the south. No Ukrainian churches in the area, so they had my nieces and nephew baptized in a Latin rite parish. That would make them all Ukrainian because of their Ukrainian mum, even though they never attended a Ukrainian church.

Now, as canonical Ukrainians, their own offspring, my greatnephews and greatnieces are also Ukrainian even though they are 2 generations from their Ukrainian ancestors. And the same with the greatnephews progeny, etc.

This is hardly a unique situation, it would seem there are many thousands of Ukrainian rite and other Greek Catholics that don’t even realize their identity here in America.
 
5Loaves said:
My parish does follow something called the Revised Julian so our Pascha is old calendar. Last Pascha and the next one are the same as the Latin Church. It happens now and again. 🙂
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Thanks - Joe K.
 
Kielbasi said:
Are you sure this is correct?

My Latin rite brother married a Ukrainian woman and move to the south. No Ukrainian churches in the area, so they had my nieces and nephew baptized in a Latin rite parish. That would make them all Ukrainian because of their Ukrainian mum, even though they never attended a Ukrainian church…
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No, not if your brother is a Catholic of the Latin Church.

In the first response in this thread malphono gave the canon on this. The child is ascribed to the Church of the father, unless he is not Catholic. If only the mother is Catholic then the child is ascribed to her church. Where the sacrament of Baptism takes place is not relevant.

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.

If the reverse situation were the case in your family- if their father were a member of a Ukrainian Catholic Church and his wife Latin Church Catholic and they never set foot in a Ukrainian CC and all the baptisms were done in a Latin Church then the children would all be Ukrainian Catholics and their baptismal records in the Latin Church records of the physical church where their baptisms took place would have a note indicating their proper Church sui iuris, in this example the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the father. In that example as well his wife had the option to transfer at the time of their marriage to the Church of the husband if she had so desired. (You sister-in-law also could have made that change. It sounds like she didn’t. 👍 🙂 )

CCEO Canon 33A 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.
 
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