How to validate my marriage in the Catholic Church?

[Love6493]

Okay so bear with me here. I’ve been reverted to the Catholic Faith for almost theee years now and I’m still learning as I go. However, something recently happened that made me question our marriage and how to go about validating it.

So a little background, I am a cradle Catholic and my husband is Serbian Orthodox. We were married three years ago by a Lutheran pastor out of convenience since neither of us really knew what we were doing.

Well shortly after our marriage, by God’s Grace I reverted fully into the Catholic Church and my husband also began to attend mass with me etc. He eventually signed up for RCIA, but the day he was supposed to be confirmed at Easter Vigil, our newborn came down with a high fever and we had to rush him to the doctors. So my husband was never actually confirmed.

Later on as we tried to reschedule his confirmation, a priest (which was his boss at the time) informed us that since he was Serbian Orthodox, he needed to be accepted into the Byzantine Catholic Church first. Well no one ever reached out to us about it.

So recently a friend of mine got married and it made me wonder about our marriage. I did some quick research and Lo and behold, looks like my husband and I are in mortal sin for not being in a valid Catholic marriage. No one ever told us this, and I went to confession right away, and the priest said to me that once my husband gets accepted into the Byzantine Church, we automatically have a valid Catholic marriage.

But then another priest is telling us we have to get married in the Catholic Church first, and then my husband should be accepted into the Byzantine Church so he’s not accepted while in mortal sin.

I’m so confused. If you’ve made it this far thanks for reading. Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[edward_george1]

looks like my husband and I are in mortal sin for not being in a valid Catholic marriage.

First off, you can’t be in mortal sin unknowingly. One of the conditions of mortal sin is full knowledge.

Secondly, it sounds like somebody messed up. If your husband was baptized and chrismated in the Serbian Orthodox Church as a child, there’s no need for him to be confirmed again in the Catholic Church. His Orthodox confirmation would be valid. There’s also no need for him to go through RCIA, which is properly for the unbaptized, though most parishes seem to lump in everybody converting.

Your husband would properly be ascribed to the equivalent Eastern Catholic Church, which would depend on what’s available nearby. He wouldn’t need to be baptized or confirmed, but simply make a profession of faith. If he wished to practice as a Latin Catholic, he would be able to ritually transfer, which is relatively simple to do upon marrying a Latin.

Being married in the Church is actually a relatively easy matter in this regard. Provided neither of you have a prior marriage, it’s usually a matter of meeting with your priest and going through a short ceremony wherein the consent would be exchanged. Call your priest.

-Fr ACEGC

 

[edward_george1]

Okay one final edit. If your husband were received into the Church and canonically ascribed to the Eastern Church equivalent to the Serbian Orthodox Church, and then you wanted to get married, there would be an additional permission needed, and a deacon would not be able to do the marriage, since in the Eastern Churches the priestly blessing is necessary for marriage, along with the exchange of consent.

If he switched to the Latin Church first, that wouldn’t be the case. But the easiest thing to do would probably be for him to be received into the Church, marry you, and then switch by declaration, rather than having to petition to change.

 

[HopkinsReb]

There’s also no need for him to go through RCIA, which is properly for the unbaptized

Oh, sweet. Good.

 

[1ke]

since he was Serbian Orthodox, he needed to be accepted into the Byzantine Catholic Church first. Well no one ever reached out to us about it.

I suggest your husband reach out to the Byzantine Catholic Church nearest him/

https://www.byzcath.org/index.php/resources

As has already been mentioned, he is fully and validly initiated via his baptism, chrismation, and communion as an infant in the Orthodox Church. He need only make a profession of faith to be in communion with Rome.

I am sorry he was sent down the RCIA path. That is because many Latin Catholics are unfamiliar with the Orthodox.

Father has given you sound advice: he should come in to full communion, marry, and then decide regarding whether he remains Byzantine or transfers to Latin.

 

[Gorgias]

There’s also no need for him to go through RCIA, which is properly for the unbaptized

But keep in mind that “RCIA not necessary” isn’t the same thing as “catechesis about the Catholic faith not necessary”.

I am sorry he was sent down the RCIA path. That is because many Latin Catholics are unfamiliar with the Orthodox.

Then again, it might have been because RCIA tends to be the only systematic adult catechesis program in the parish.

 

[1ke]

Then again, it might have been because RCIA tends to be the only systematic adult catechesis program in the parish.

To my point, Latin Catholics don’t understand the Orthodox. They are fully initiated. They make a profession of faith and that’s it.

They don’t go through classes.

 

[HopkinsReb]

But keep in mind that “RCIA not necessary” isn’t the same thing as “catechesis about the Catholic faith not necessary”.

It will, of course, be up to my priest to assess and decide, but I suspect that I am catechized more than well enough to be Confirmed.

 

[Irishmom2]

Gorgias:

But keep in mind that “RCIA not necessary” isn’t the same thing as “catechesis about the Catholic faith not necessary”.

It will, of course, be up to my priest to assess and decide, but I suspect that I am catechized more than well enough to be Confirmed.

Many of us on CAF believe that to be so, in your case, HopkinsReb.

 

[Vico]

Serbian Orthodox

If he makes a profession of Catholic faith (being received into the Catholic Church) then he is ascribed to the Križevci Catholic Church sui iuris which corresponds to the Serbian Orthodox. (Reference: Comparative Sacramental Discipline in the CCEO and CIC, Francis J. Marini (Editor), Canon Law Society of America; First Edition edition (2003), p 257)

 

[TomH1]

Catechesis may be necessary but not RCIA. It’s over used and in this case the man was going to be confirmed when it was totally unnecessary.

I think the one saving grace from this situation is the gentleman in question was not confirmed.

 

[Gorgias]

Catechesis may be necessary but not RCIA. It’s over used

I agree; but I also know that, in most cases, it’s “the only game in town” at parishes, and so… when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

in this case the man was going to be confirmed when it was totally unnecessary.

That’s the surprising part; one would hope that his pastor would have discussed the candidates with the RCIA director and recognized that no sacraments of initiation were necessary.

 

[TomH1]

That’s the surprising part; one would hope that his pastor would have discussed the candidates with the RCIA director and recognized that no sacraments of initiation were necessary.

That’s where I think the problem lies with putting everyone through RCIA: one size fits all. There used to be a time when people wanting to be received into the Catholic Church received one-to-one instruction with the priest. I know, I know, priests are fewer in number these days but I don’t think a man coming from the Serbian Orthodox Church would need that much. An initial assessment was all that’s required.