Marrying in Another Christian Church (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

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“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

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	Marrying in Another Christian Church (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

QUESTION:

My fiance and I want to get married in Spring next year. His family is [...] Orthodox, but we are getting married in my church, the Lutheran Church.

My question: I'd like to pick a date for the wedding that will not be offensive to his Orthodox family (Lent, etc...). With that in mind, would we be able to get married the weekend after [Orthodox] Easter.

ANSWER:

I would strongly suggest that you speak directly to the pastor of your fiance's Orthodox parish about your plans. Orthodox Christians may not be married in non-Orthodox ceremonies and remain "in good standing" with the Orthodox Church.

Thus, it would seem that before one selects a date, one should determine the possible ramifications involved in getting married in a non-Orthodox ceremony in the first place.

Hence, it is best to speak with your fiance's pastor about all of this, assuming that he is active in the Orthodox Church and that he wishes to remain an active, practising Orthodox Christian.

Hope this helps.
In Christ,
Father John Matusiak

Published in January 2011.

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