Marriage in the Melkite Rite

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lilliana
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lilliana

Guest
Hi,

I will be getting married in the Melkite Rite, and the priest tole me that I have to answer personal questions about me and that requires swearing by placing my right hand on the Holy Bible, and the same has to be done for my fiance but neither of us should know the answers but the priest. And I am wondering what kind of questions are these and how personal is it. Does anyone knows or experienced this? I have never heard of such a thing anyway.

Thanks!
 
Lilliana said:
Hi,

I will be getting married in the Melkite Rite, and the priest tole me that I have to answer personal questions about me and that requires swearing by placing my right hand on the Holy Bible, and the same has to be done for my fiance but neither of us should know the answers but the priest. And I am wondering what kind of questions are these and how personal is it. Does anyone knows or experienced this? I have never heard of such a thing anyway.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
First, there is no Melkite Rite. There is the Melkite Greek Catholic Church with uses the Byzantine Rite.

I have never heard of this but maybe someone else has.
 
We had our marriage convalidated in the Byzantine Catholic Church last year. Our Priest had us place our right hand on the Bible and asked us questions such as:

Are you free to marry?
Have you been married before?

The questions were along those lines.
 
I don’t know about the Melkite use–I’ve attended only one such wedding–but in the Russian recension, before the Rite of Crowing actually starts with the Priest’s Doxology, “Blessed is the Kingdom,” there are the following quesitons:

Do you have a free and unconstrained will and intention to take yourself as [wife] this [woman] whom you see before your?

Answer: I have, Reverend Father.

Have you promised yourself to any other [bride]?

Answer: I have not, Reverend Father.

Similar questions are posed to the Bride, with the appropriate changes.

Satisfactory answers being obtained, the Priest begins, “Blessed is the Kingdom…”
 
Technically, it is actually part of the Rite of Betrothal. The Syro-Malankara Church asks the same questions as well, witnesses are required.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top