Being a Catholic married to a non-Catholic poses it’s own set of problems. My husband of over 40 years was raised in the first christian Church. He converted just before we married to please me. We were married in 1968 and I was 17–he was 20. He was getting ready to be shipped to Vietnam and we decided to get married. i share this background so you will understand when I say that he took his “classes” on the naval base in San Diego. He only had to take 3 or perhaps 4 classes so you can pretty well imagine just how little he absorbed. I was so glad that he converted (as it pleased my parents who, like a majority of parents, were none to happy that I wanted to marry as a teenager) that I almost pushed him into converting and didn’t question his resolve. The Catholic church is beautiful and I’d bet that the more you learned, the more and more you would be drawn to it. With all respect–and I fell away for a number of years and ultimately came “home” to my faith–I decided long ago that there were only 2 options for me anyway. Either 1) I had to be some other faith such as a Jew or Hindu or 2) I had to belong to the Christian church with the oldest traditions and beliefs that could trace itself as far back and as close to Jesus’ time on earth–thus I had to choose Catholicism. Another words, if a Christian church did not exist before, say 1750–but it broke away from a church that traced itself back to the year 33 AD–how could the break away church be correct? This is part of what you will find if you delve into the Catholic church. My husband–a truly good man–however never really understood the faith, truly believes that he does know it since he took classes, and thus today has difficulty with concepts like going to confession, the rosary etc. I am working on him–but it’s hard because he was taught that to be saved you had to accept Jesus as your personal savior–period! So, my advice. Seek instruction in Catholicism yourself–even if he’s unhappy–because if you don’t, you will forever be resentful that he prevented you and inside, you will never be at peace and certain that all’s well with your soul. If, after classes, you want to convert, do so. Just don’t ramrod him toward joining and for now, teach your children Catholicism by your example and perhaps as they get older (if the kids are young) by casual introduction to a catholic view point. If you do this, he won’t feel threatened. Remember that many protestant dislike Catholocism because that’s how they have been raised. Let him see the joy that the faith will have in your life and pray, pray, PRAY for your family. Don’t ever insist he takes classes, go to Stations of the Cross, say the rosary etc unless he’s ready to on his own. Give him time to absorb. If you push him, hell push back. If you let him decide on his own by patient osmosis, I bet in a few years you’ll be a catholic family!:clapping:
