Orthodox-catholic wedding

[1julias]

Hi,
I have questions regarding mixed marriages. I am Catholic and he is Orthodox.
Obviously, we would both like to maintain our respective faiths.
My question is, if we are to marry in the Orthodox church, can our children be Catholic? What consequences does this have on the Orthodox parent? Would he be excommunicated in the eyes of the Orthodox Church?
If we have a Catholic wedding, how does he go about to regain his good standings with the Orthodox church?
(our intentions would be to raise our children Catholic…if possible).

 

[choy]

not sure about the orthodox side, but you would need to get a dispensation from your Parish Priest to get married in an Orthodox Church. i’m thinking it would be something similar for your spouse-to-be to ask from the Orthodox Church permission to receive the sacrament of Matrimony from the Catholic Church

 

[rlg94086]

Hi,
I have questions regarding mixed marriages. I am Catholic and he is Orthodox.
Obviously, we would both like to maintain our respective faiths.
My question is, if we are to marry in the Orthodox church, can our children be Catholic? What consequences does this have on the Orthodox parent? Would he be excommunicated in the eyes of the Orthodox Church?
If we have a Catholic wedding, how does he go about to regain his good standings with the Orthodox church?
(our intentions would be to raise our children Catholic…if possible).

Have you and your future spouse considered and/or looked into an Eastern Rite Catholic Church? Not knowing where you are located, there may be a parish worth looking into? If you’ve agreed to raise your children Catholic, this would seem a logical choice.

 

[anjoh66]

I think the problem is that the children usually follow the parish of the father, it would mean that the orthodox church only accept the children to be orthodox and the catholic church only accepts them to be catholic.

I can see a difficult dilemma here, the orthodox must promise in the marriage wows to raise the children as orthodox and likewise the catholic must promise a similar wow.

For example if a latin rite man marries an eastern rite catholic voman the children will follow the rite of the father. But that shouldnt be such a big problem, as for the orthodox they dont even allow catholics to take part of their eucharist, meanwhile the catholic church allow the orthodox.

There is many issues to be solved.

 

[proudnifi]

I’m in a mixed marriage; I’m Catholic (Latin rite) and he’s Greek Orthodox.

You will, of course, need to speak with priests from both Churches. As a Catholic, you can apply for dispensations to marry an Orthodox and to be married in an Orthodox ceremony; the Orthodox can receive permission to marry a Catholic. The Orthodox Church wouldn’t recognize a Catholic ceremony, so most couples get married in the Orthodox ceremony - we did, too. It looks a little different, but it’s very beautiful and meaningful. I didn’t pursue a Catholic wedding but I think you can get the marriage blessed (not sure of the correct term) later by the Orthodox priest if you have a Catholic wedding. One difference between the Catholic Latin rite and Orthodox view of marriage is who is making the marriage happen - the man and woman (Catholic Latin rite view) or the priest (Orthodox view) - so an Orthodox would need an Orthodox priest there to have an actual marriage and the Catholic is less dependent on the priest. It’s generally more convenient to have the Orthodox ceremony. Again, talk with your priests to see what is available and works best for you. Both sides have paperwork and prep work, so even without the mixed religion part, you need to contact the priests before getting too far along in wedding planning.

As a Catholic seeking a mixed marriage I promised to do all in my power to baptize/raise any children Catholic. Although the Orthodox prefer any children be raised Orthodox (of course), I have not heard that the Orthodox parent would face excommunication.

Good luck!

 

[5Loaves]

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hi,
I have questions regarding mixed marriages. I am Catholic and he is Orthodox.
Obviously, we would both like to maintain our respective faiths.
My question is, if we are to marry in the Orthodox church, can our children be Catholic? What consequences does this have on the Orthodox parent? Would he be excommunicated in the eyes of the Orthodox Church?
If we have a Catholic wedding, how does he go about to regain his good standings with the Orthodox church?
(our intentions would be to raise our children Catholic…if possible).

Welcome to the CAF.

As others have said, you need to be talking with your priests, Catholic and Orthodox. There is no single Orthodox Church; it’s really necessary you get clarity from the Orthodox priest about the specific Orthodox tradition you two would be approaching for the Mystery of Holy Matrimony.

There are several publications I encourage you to check out and also to share with your Catholic priest. You don’t mention being an Eastern Catholic so I assume your a Catholic from the Latin Church. Priests of the Latin Church as well as any marriage preparation staff in the parish, are rarely familiar with issues of mixed marriages, Catholic and Orthodox.

When a Catholic Marries an Orthodox Christian comes from the Walking Together Series, ecumenical and interreligious themes, USCCB.

A Guide on Catholic-Orthodox Marriages for Catholic Clergy and Other Pastoral Ministers …

Also “Joint Recommendations on the Spiritual Formation of Children on Marriage between Orthodox and Roman Catholics”
“An Agreed Statement on Mixed Marriage” etc.
These can be found on both The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation USCCB and on the SCOBA, Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, website.

I’m glad to see that proudnifi who is in a mixed marriage has posted. There are other folks in mixed marriages here and on another forum.

Robert mentioned the Eastern Catholic Churches. If you are in an area where there is an ECC you might also contact the priest and deacon there for guidance for yourselves and your parish priest.

Again, welcome!

 

[puzzleannie]

Hi,
I have questions regarding mixed marriages. I am Catholic and he is Orthodox.
Obviously, we would both like to maintain our respective faiths.
My question is, if we are to marry in the Orthodox church, can our children be Catholic? What consequences does this have on the Orthodox parent? Would he be excommunicated in the eyes of the Orthodox Church?
If we have a Catholic wedding, how does he go about to regain his good standings with the Orthodox church?
(our intentions would be to raise our children Catholic…if possible).

you need to meet with both pastors. In general the Orthodox Churches are stricter when it comes to marriage and other sacraments. You may end up having to seek a dispensation to marry him in his church. If you two don’t agree now on how you will both practice your faith and how you will raise the children, don’t proceed until you do agree. Not as in one person compromising to save an arguement, as in real agreement. Also about the demands of each faith–fasting discipline in Lent for instance is one difference, customs surrounding Easter, all the cultural aspects that are somewhat more prominent in daily practice of Orthodox (and Eastern Rite Catholics). Do you know enough about his cultural heritage? Talk now, don’t wait until after marriage. The wedding is the least of your worries and issues.

 

[Hesychios]

In my parish back in Chicago (I am not there these days) we have a family that has the Catholic father and the Orthodox mother. The mother is very active and leads church school for our parish. The father is a deacon at a nearby Latin Catholic parish (ordained 2005 I think).

I am almost positive that they were married in the Orthodox church. All three children were raised Orthodox (one is now college aged, and the youngest boy is an altar server), and the father does not commune when he attends our parish, I have noticed.

The Cardinal of Chicago was fully aware of the family situation before accepting him as a deacon candidate, and of course the wife needed to be interviewed (and agree) as well. Both bishops were aware of the situation and there seems to be a lot of harmony.

What I am trying to say is that this is not as formidable a challenge as one might first imagine. Others live with this and see their own spiritual lives prosper.

We need to pray for Christian unity and reconciliation, of course, but for the present Catholic-Orthodox marriages are not only possible but more common than people realize.