A non-catholic marrying a catholic.

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Echzee

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Hello everyone.
So, basically, I’m a non-Catholic, but I was baptized as a Lutheran Protestant. So my father withdraw my religion at the age of 11, reason for that is he wanted me to choose my own religion. At present, I don’t have any religion, but I see myself as an Agnostic person.
So my question is, is it OK to marry a Catholic?
Thank you for taking your time in answering my question 🙂
 
My family has many Lutherans who married into Catholicism. So basically you’ll probably have to become Catholic, as Catholics rarely convert.
 
Yes you can marry a Catholic. But do so fully understanding all that a mixed faith marriage will require, such as the children will have to be raised Catholic and receive their sacraments as age appropriate. You will more than likely have to be married in the Catholic Church, unless your intended’s Bishop gives permission otherwise.

Its not a situation to be taken likely, it is possible though. But thoroughly inform yourselves as a couple to meet all the challenges of the situation and consult a priest.
 
No one should become a Catholic unless they understand what the Church teaches and why. They can pray for the grace to become a Catholic and be open to the truth.

A person should not become a Catholic just to please anyone else, or to make it “look good” to a potential spouse, or the family.
 
PatriceA said:
Yes you can marry a Catholic. But do so fully understanding all that a mixed faith marriage will require, such as the children will have to be raised Catholic and receive their sacraments as age appropriate. You will more than likely have to be married in the Catholic Church, unless your intended’s Bishop gives permission otherwise.

Its not a situation to be taken likely, it is possible though. But thoroughly inform yourselves as a couple to meet all the challenges of the situation and consult a priest.
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Just to clarify this, the children do not HAVE to be raised Catholic. The Catholic partner must promise to do all in his/her power to raise their children in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that this leaves room for the possibility that the children would not be raised as Roman Catholics because it also acknowledges the rights and duties of the other party involved.

Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
 
nhylan said:
Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
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This was what I was thinking. The weird thing is in Evangelical-Catholic or Baptist/Pentecostal-Catholic marriages the Catholic party usually doesn’t convert.
 
Tyuiop411 said:
This was what I was thinking. The weird thing is in Evangelical-Catholic or Baptist/Pentecostal-Catholic marriages the Catholic party usually doesn’t convert.
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Agreed, as much as I love my Protestant brothers and sisters that’s a whole different bag from my marriage (Anglican and Catholic) or a Lutheran and Catholic marriage.

And sorry to clarify, that wasn’t a thread it was a study done just last week or something. Sorry for the slip up there.
 
Echzee said:
Hello everyone.
So, basically, I’m a non-Catholic, but I was baptized as a Lutheran Protestant. So my father withdraw my religion at the age of 11, reason for that is he wanted me to choose my own religion. At present, I don’t have any religion, but I see myself as an Agnostic person.
So my question is, is it OK to marry a Catholic?
Thank you for taking your time in answering my question 🙂
Click to expand...
Nothing inherently wrong with it, but mixed marriages of any kind are extremely difficult. It’s a hard juggle to compromise and find a way that will satisfy both sides.

Just know you’re in for a rough ride if your future spouse is a practicing Roman Catholic.
 
nhylan said:
Just to clarify this, the children do not HAVE to be raised Catholic. The Catholic partner must promise to do all in his/her power to raise their children in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that this leaves room for the possibility that the children would not be raised as Roman Catholics because it also acknowledges the rights and duties of the other party involved.

Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
Click to expand...
Tyuiop411 said:
This was what I was thinking. The weird thing is in Evangelical-Catholic or Baptist/Pentecostal-Catholic marriages the Catholic party usually doesn’t convert.
Click to expand...
I can’t speak for the Baptist, they tend to be stricter on membership rules, but the Evangelic and Pentecostal communities tend to have an open communions thus there is little need to “convert” for a family to be together in those houses of worship.
 
nhylan said:
Just to clarify this, the children do not HAVE to be raised Catholic. The Catholic partner must promise to do all in his/her power to raise their children in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that this leaves room for the possibility that the children would not be raised as Roman Catholics because it also acknowledges the rights and duties of the other party involved.

Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
Click to expand...
Absolutely Right…
 
PatriceA said:
Yes you can marry a Catholic. But do so fully understanding all that a mixed faith marriage will require, such as the children will have to be raised Catholic and receive their sacraments as age appropriate. You will more than likely have to be married in the Catholic Church, unless your intended’s Bishop gives permission otherwise.

Its not a situation to be taken likely, it is possible though. But thoroughly inform yourselves as a couple to meet all the challenges of the situation and consult a priest.
Click to expand...
When I was Catholic, my wife was not. We were still able to marry in the Catholic church and there was not any pressure put on us to make sure our children were brought up Catholic. I eventually left the Catholic church and was received into the Anglican church at the same time my wife was baptized. We have one child and we are all devout practicing Anglicans. I’m thankful that we do not have a mixed religion type marriage. I believe that this would have been very difficult to weather.
 
Swiss_Guy said:
My family has many Lutherans who married into Catholicism. So basically you’ll probably have to become Catholic, as Catholics rarely convert.
Click to expand...
Catholics often convert. I know three RC women who became Anglican because their husbands wanted them too. And one of them is Swiss.
 
nhylan said:
Just to clarify this, the children do not HAVE to be raised Catholic. The Catholic partner must promise to do all in his/her power to raise their children in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that this leaves room for the possibility that the children would not be raised as Roman Catholics because it also acknowledges the rights and duties of the other party involved.

Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
Click to expand...
Yes, you’re right. The doctrine of ne temere, whereby all children had to be baptised, brought up and educated RC, was repealed some years ago. And thank God. It was insulting to non-RCs, and caused all sorts of problems and divisions.
 
The RCC allows for marriage between a Catholic and an agnostic. However, the issue of religion will be a big one inside of the marriage if the Catholic partner is a practicing Catholic. Even if they are not currently practicing, you have to realize that this may change when you start having children. There’s nothing like babies for bringing out someones faith.

Paul does offer guidance for Christians on the matter of marriage with non-believers. I’ll let everyone here interpret them as they may.
[BIBLEDRB]1 Corinthians 7:12-15[/BIBLEDRB]

[BIBLEDRB]2 Corinthians 6:14-18[/BIBLEDRB]
 
The Irish Times referred to “the scandalous doctrine of ne temere” and were right to do so. It assumed that RCs were superior to Protestants. This is obviously something that Protestants cannot accept. My brother (an agnostic) maried an Irish RC and the children were baptised RC (though, incidentally,only one went to a RC school, and of his five g/children, two are CofE and three Quakers).

While ne temere was in operation I would not have been prepared to marry a RC. My brother, as I said, is agnostic so it didn’t worry him too much. But I would have agreed that the boys be Anglican and the girls RC: ie their mother’s religion. (That is academic because my wife is Anglican).

In practice, with the passing of ne temere there are many mixed faith marriages that work quite satisfactorily. Its replacement, matrimonia mixta, is worded a bit harshly for my liking, but in practice what is needed is a bit of give and take on both sides and in the twenty first century, there’s plenty of that (though possibly not in the Vatican).
 
I for one would never give up my faith. I was a lapsed Catholic when I got married, although I did return to the CHurch some years later. I have long since come to believe that the Catholic Church is all that it claims to be, the one and only true faith established by Jesus Christ and His Apostles

My wife is not Catholic and it is difficult at times and I would definitely say much more difficult than if we were both Catholic.

Yes, I wish I had married within the faith. It would make things a lot simpler. BUT I have no regrets in having married the person that I have. I still have hope that in time, my wife will convert. There are many issues that we have disagreements with. Mixed marriages can work, but both sides have to work things out, before during and after problems come up/.

A lot of sincere discussion up front would help, but be prepared to have more conflicts down the road.

For me and for most Catholics, divorce is NOT an option. Marriage is a permanent committment. I take my marriage vows very seriously (and so does my wife).

IF you go into a marriage with that determination you might have a chance. IF you have any inkling of bolting when difficulties arise (and they will most certainly come up), then you will save yourself a lot of heartache (and maybe finaces) if you look else where.

“Until death do us part” does not mean, IF it does not work out I can look elsewhere.
 
Did you see the movie, “A Love Divided”? That’s set in Fethard, Co Wexford, near where I used to live. It could be portrayed as anti-RC, but in practice the Church of Ireland did not come out of it very well either. The Rector was felt not to have given sufficient support to his flock, and the Bishop’s attitude appeared to be, “well, it’s your fault, we disaprove of mixed marriages; you married a RC and look what’s happened”.

Luckilly, thank God, the CofI community in Fethard has actually grown in number and relations with the local RC Church are now very good.

I’m sorry about the “random slaps at the Vatican”. Please can you be more specific?
 
A postscript from the Diocese of Ferns.

By agreement with the Bishops, joint wedding services (CofI/RC) are allowed and take place, as do joint baptisms. “Inter-communion” is not allowed, but occasionally takes plece, though it is not publicsed.

A mixed marriage couple I know had one of their daughters brought up CofI, the other RC. They attend RC church one week, CofI the next. At the CofI church both daughters take communion. At the RC church the RC daughter takes communion, the CofI one gets a blessing. The couple have been married many years now, and seem to be very happy.

Our church sexton was RC. When she died, there was a joint funeral.
 
And I think nobody disapproves of this silly man originated segregation more than Jesus himself.
 
nhylan said:
Just to clarify this, the children do not HAVE to be raised Catholic. The Catholic partner must promise to do all in his/her power to raise their children in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that this leaves room for the possibility that the children would not be raised as Roman Catholics because it also acknowledges the rights and duties of the other party involved.

Someone else said in this thread that Roman Catholics rarely convert when they get married. I wonder if that person has seen a thread that said that for a large portion of former Roman Catholics the reason they had converted was because they got married to someone from a mainline church?
Click to expand...
This is not correct. The Catholic party must promise to raise the children in the faith and the non catholic party must be made aware of this promise.
 
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