The Greek Orthodox Church and Symbolisms

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WEDDINGS, DIVORCES, BAPTISMS, FUNERALS, AND MEMORIALS 
WEDDINGS

1. No impediment to marriage may exist.

2. A civil marriage license must be obtained from civil authorities.

3. An ecclesiastical marriage license must be obtained from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese or Diocese.

4. The Sacrament of marriage must be celebrated by an Orthodox priest according to the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church.

5. The priest must belong to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. However, marriage performed in another Orthodox jurisdiction in communion with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is also recognized as valid by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

6. The priest must receive authorization (wedding license) for the marriage from his Diocesan Bishop.

7. Before requesting permission from the Bishop for the marriage the priest must verify: 

a. That the parties in question are not already married either in this country or elsewhere, 
b. That the party or parties who are members of another parish obtain a certificate of membership from the parish to which they belong.
c. That if either or both parties are widowed, that he or she present the death certificate of the deceased.
d. That if either or both of the parties have been divorced and/or have remarried, whether or not the remarriage was recognized by the Church, they present the appropriate certificates.

8. No more than a total of three marriages will be allowed by the Church.

9. When one or both of the parties are divorced, they must obtain an ecclesiastical divorce as well in order to marry again in the Church.

10. In the case of a mixed marriage, the non-Orthodox partner must be a Christian who has been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity. A marriage cannot take place in the Orthodox Church between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Christian.

11. In the case of mixed marriages between an Orthodox Christian and a non-Orthodox Christian, the marriage must be celebrated by an Orthodox priest in the Orthodox tradition.

12. The sponsor (koumbaros or koumbara) must 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 which is not in communion with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, or who if married, is not married in the Orthodox Church cannot be Sponsor. Non-Orthodox persons may be members of the rest of the wedding party.

- January 5-6 (day before Epiphany and day of Epiphany)
- Great Lent and Holy Week
- August 1-15
- August 29 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist)
- September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
- December 13-25
- the day before feast days and all Holy Days of our Lord. 

     A wedding may be conducted on these days only if absolutely necessary and then only by special permission of the Diocesan Bishop.


MIXED MARRIAGES

     It is a fact that the more things a couple holds in common, the more likely it will be that they live their married lives in peace and harmony. Shared faith and traditions spare newlyweds and their children many serious problems and strengthen the bonds between them. However, the Orthodox Church blesses mixed marriages under the following conditions:
     1. The non-Orthodox partner must be a Christian who has been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity.

      2. The non-Orthodox partner must agree to raise children in the Orthodox Church and nurture them in accordance with the Orthodox faith.


     The Orthodox partner should bear in mind that a married Orthodox Christian whose wedding has not been blessed by the Orthodox Church is no longer in good, standing with the Church and consequently does not have the right to receive sacraments of the Church, including Holy Communion, or to become a sponsor at an Orthodox wedding, baptism or chrismation. An Orthodox Christian who has been married outside the Church and who wishes. to be reconciled to the Church, is encouraged to request from his or her local Orthodox priest that his or her marriage be blessed in the Orthodox Church.

     A non-Orthodox Christian who married and Orthodox Christian does not automatically become a member of the Church, and therefore, not permitted to receive Holy Communion or other Sacraments of the Church or a Church funeral. These are privileges of the baptized or chrismated members of the Church.


PROHIBITED MARRIAGES
      FIRST GROUP: Parents with their own children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren. 
     SECOND GROUP: Brothers-in-law with sisters-in-law.
     THIRD GROUP: Uncles and aunts with nieces and nephews.
     FOURTH GROUP: First cousins with each other. 
     FIFTH GROUP: Foster parents with foster children or foster children with children of foster parents. 
     SIXTH GROUP: God parents with godchildren or godparents with the parents of godchildren.