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PASTORAL RESOURCES
INSTRUCTIONS for WEDDINGS,
DIVORCES, BAPTISMS, FUNERALS and MEMORIALS
WEDDINGS
For the union of a man and woman to be recognized as
sacramentally valid by the Orthodox Church, the following conditions
must be met:
-
The Sacrament of Matrimony must be celebrated by an Orthodox
Priest of a canonical Orthodox jurisdiction, according to the
liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, in a canonical
Orthodox Church, and with the authorization of the diocesan
Bishop.
- Before requesting permission from his Bishop to perform the
marriage, the Priest must verify that:
- neither of the parties in question are already married to
other persons, either in this country or elsewhere;
- the parties in question are not related to each other to a
degree that would constitute an impediment;
- if either or both parties are widowed, they have presented
the death certificate(s) of the deceased spouse(s);
- if either or both of the parties have been previously
married in the Orthodox Church, they have obtained
ecclesiastical as well as civil divorce(s);
- the party or parties who are members of a parish other than
the one in which the marriage is to be performed have provided a
certificate declaring them to be members in good standing with
that parish for the current year; and
- a civil marriage license has been obtained from civil
authorities.
-
No person may marry more than three times in the Church, with
permission for a third marriage granted only with extreme
oikonomia.
- In cases involving the marriage of Orthodox and non-Orthodox
Christians, the latter must have been baptized, in water, in the
Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Church
cannot bless the marriage of an Orthodox Christian to a
non-Christian.
- The Sponsor (koumbaros or koumbara) must provide a current
certificate of membership proving him or her to be an Orthodox
Christian in good standing with the Church. A person who does not
belong to a parish, or who belongs to a parish under the
jurisdiction of a bishop who is not in communion with the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese, or who, if married, has not had his or her
marriage blessed by the Orthodox Church, or, if divorced, has not
received an ecclesiastical divorce, cannot be a sponsor.
Non-Orthodox persons may be members of the wedding party, but may
not exchange the rings or crowns.
Days When Marriage Is Not PermittedMarriages are not
performed on fast days or during fasting seasons; these include the
Great Lent and Holy Week, August 1-15, August 29 (Beheading of St.
John the Baptist), September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross), and
December 13-25. Nor are marriages celebrated on the day before and
the day of a Great Feast of the Lord, including Theophany (January 5
and 6), Pascha, Pentecost, and Christmas (December 24 and 25).
Marriages may be performed on these days only by permission of the
diocesan Bishop.
Inter-Christian Marriages
It is a fact that, the more a couple has in common, the more
likely they are to live together in peace and concord. Shared faith
and traditions spare couples and their children, as well as their
extended families, many serious problems, and help to strengthen the
bonds between them. Even so, the Orthodox Church will bless
marriages between Orthodox and non-Orthodox partners, provided
that:
- The non-Orthodox partner is a Christian who has been baptized,
in water, in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;
and
- The couple should be willing to baptize their children in the
Orthodox Church and raise and nurture them in accordance with the
Orthodox Faith.
A baptized Orthodox Christian whose wedding has not been blessed by
the Orthodox Church is no longer in good standing with the Church,
and may not receive the Sacraments of the Church, including Holy
Communion, or become a Sponsor of an Orthodox Marriage, Baptism or
Chrismation. A non-Orthodox Christian who marries an Orthodox
Christian does not thereby become a member of the Orthodox Church,
and may not receive the Sacraments, including Holy Communion, or be
buried by the Church, serve on the Parish Council, or vote in parish
assemblies or elections. To participate in the Church's life, one
must be received into the Church by the Sacrament of Baptism or, in
the case of persons baptized with water in the Holy Trinity,
following a period of instruction, by Chrismation.
Inter-religious Marriages
Canonical and theological reasons preclude the Orthodox Church
from performing the Sacrament of Marriage for couples where one
partner is Orthodox and the other partner is a non-Christian. As
such, Orthodox Christians choosing to enter such marriages fall out
of good standing with their Church and are unable to actively
participate in the life of the Church. While this stance may seem
confusing and rigid, it is guided by the Orthodox Church's love and
concern for its member's religious and spiritual well-being.
Prohibited Marriages
The following types of relationships constitute impediments to
marriage:
-
Parents with their own children, grandchildren or
great-grandchildren, or godchildren of the same godparents.
- Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
- Uncles and aunts with nieces and nephews.
- First cousins with each other.
- Foster parents with foster children or foster children with the
children of foster parents.
- Godparents with godchildren or godparents with the parents of
their godchildren.
DIVORCE
The parish priest must exert every effort to reconcile the
couple and avert a divorce. However, should he fail to bring about a
reconciliation, after a civil divorce has been obtained, he will
transmit the petition of the party seeking the ecclesiastical
divorce, together with the decree of the civil divorce, to the
Spiritual Court of the Diocese. The petition must include the names
and surnames of the husband and wife, the wife's surname prior to
marriage, their addresses, the name of the priest who performed the
wedding, and the date and place of the wedding. The petitioner must
be a member in good standing with the parish through which he or she
is petitioning for divorce. Orthodox Christians of the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese who have obtained a civil divorce but not an
ecclesiastical divorce may not participate in any sacraments of
the Church or serve on the Parish Council, Diocesan Council or
Archdiocesan Council until they have been granted a divorce by the
Church.
BAPTISMS
A person who wishes to sponsor a candidate for Baptism or
Chrismation must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing and a
supporting member of an Orthodox parish. A person may not serve as a
godparent if his or her marriage has not been blessed by the Church
or, if civilly divorced, he or she has not been granted an
ecclesiastical divorce, or for any other reason he or she is not in
communion with the Orthodox Church.
Baptisms may not be performed from Christmas Day through the
Feast of Theophany (December 25-January 6), during Holy Week, or on
any of the Great Feastdays of the Lord.
FUNERALS
Funeral services are permitted on any day of the year, except for
Sundays and Holy Friday, unless permission is granted from the
diocesan Bishop.
MEMORIALS
Memorial services may not be chanted from the Saturday of Lazarus
through the Sunday of Thomas, on any Feastday of the Lord or any
Feastday of the Theotokos.
FASTING
Just as there are times for feasting, there are also times set
aside for fasting. During these periods, certain foods are
prohibited. These are, in order of frequency of prohibition, meat
(including poultry), dairy products, fish, olive oil and wine.
Fruits, vegetables, grains and shellfish are permitted throughout
the year. Of course, the Orthodox Church never reduces the practice
of fasting to a legalistic observance of dietary rules. Fasting,
that is not accompanied by intensified prayer and acts of charity,
inevitably becomes a source of pride. The Church also recognizes
that not everyone can fast to the same degree, and assumes that
individual Christians will observe the fast prescribed for them by
their spiritual fathers. The following are fasting days and seasons:
-
All Wednesdays and Fridays, except for those noted below;
-
The day before the Feast of Theophany (January 5);
- Cheesefare Week (the last week before the Great Lent, during
which meat and fish are prohibited, but dairy products are permitted
even on Wednesday and Friday);
- Great Lent (from Clean Monday through the Friday before Lazarus
Saturday, olive oil and wine are permitted on weekends);
- Great and Holy Week (note that Great and Holy Saturday is a day
of strict fasting, during which the faithful abstain from olive oil
and wine),
- Holy Apostles' Fast (from the Monday after All Saints' Day
through June 28, inclusive);
- Fast for the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 1-14,
excluding August 6, on which fish, wine and olive oil are
permitted);
- Beheading of St. John the Baptist (August 29),
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14); and
-
Nativity Lent (November 15-December 24, although fish, wine and
olive oil are permitted, except on Wednesdays and Fridays, until
December 17).
The following are fasting days on which fish, wine and olive oil are
permitted:
-
The Feast of the Annunciation (March 25, unless it falls outside
the Great Lent, in which case all foods are permitted);
- Palm Sunday;
- The Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6); and
- The Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Mother of God
(November 21).
On the following days, all foods are permitted:
-
The first week of the Triodion, from the Sunday of the Publican
and the Pharisee through the Sunday of the Prodigal Son,
including Wednesday and Friday;
- Diakainisimos (or Bright) Week, following the Sunday of Pascha,
-
The week following Pentecost; and
- From the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord (December 25) through
January 4.
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