Holy Matrimony at monasteries

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Thu 15 April 2004 1:50 pm

If a monastic can perfrom a matrimony service, why couldnt it be held at a monastery church?

Anastasios · Post by **Anastasios** » Thu 15 April 2004 2:28 pm

Noah wrote:
If a monastic can perfrom a matrimony service, why couldnt it be held at a monastery church?

Because monastery churches are private, whereas parishes are public churches. Sacraments are normally performed in public churches because the whole Church is involved and present in a sacrament. This idea should not be stretched to try and ban all monastic churches from performing all sacraments; otherwise they would not be able to even celebrate communion!

anastasios

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Thu 15 April 2004 10:01 pm

Mr. Anastasios,

Please dont misunderstand my persistence. I'm not challenging the issue, just trying to understand the logic behind it. A monastery can baptise and commune whole families, and perform the Mystery of Confession, so why not Matrimony? Also, did you find the canon(s) where it is prohibited?

Noah

Justin Kissel · Post by **Justin Kissel** » Sat 17 April 2004 2:44 pm

Perhaps its because in Orthodoxy the marriage service is linked with family--that is, procreation. The service is filled to the brim with prayers and biblical examples that encourage not only holiness between a wife and husband, but also encourage them to raise a family. This might be hard for monks to take, considering that they can't have children. Also, marriages are celebrations of the beginning of a certain type of life, that life being exactly the type of life a monk could never lead (though might be tempted to leave the monastery and start). There's also the fact that most women look very attractive at weddings, even if they are in modest clothing. There's just something attractive about a bride and her female family and friends on days such as that. Joy and peace is a much more attracting quality, I think, than physical attributes. This would especially be relevant for the monk, who even if he had finally gotten to the point where physical characteristics didn't tempt him too much, he might still be tempted by a pious, humble, modest, and joyful woman. Uh oh, that modesty thing again, I better get our of here...

Daniel · Post by **Daniel** » Sat 17 April 2004 3:08 pm

Elijah wrote:
...the Church does not want the monks at the monastary to be regretful that they did not get married.

Then can married people not attend the tonsuring of monk, for they too might regret having not entered a monastery.

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Sat 17 April 2004 11:19 pm

Daniel wrote:
Then can married people not attend the tonsuring of monk, for they too might regret having not entered a monastery.

Agreed. Also, adult women can be baptised at monasteries... and you want me to believe that their apparel at a baptism is EASIER for a celibate to look at than one dress for a wedding?! But I suppose I can see the reasoning as it pertains to the content of the sacrament and what it does and represents. But still... maybe I'm just not getting it. BTW, did anyone find any of the canons about this or are we all just going on word of mouth?

Noah

ania · Post by **ania** » Mon 19 April 2004 3:22 pm

I know that in Jordanville, there have been weddings in the downstairs church of St. Job, but never in the main church. These weddings are usually done of necessity (one example, a couple was baptised, they had lived together for many years, but had never gotten married. After their baptism the priest-monk married them in the downstairs/winter church). There is never a large crowd, no more than the couple, the priest, and a few witnesses, usually the 2 or 3 person choir. There have also been weddings at the cemetary chuch of the Dormition in Jordanville, but I have never witnessed them and don't know who & what goes on at those.