How can my wife become Catholic?

[dave22]

Are there any other ways for my wife to become Catholic? I have two problems.

Problem 1: She has many questions about God that I cannot answer. She is very confused and not fully sure if she wants to become Catholic. I am not sure how to help her. How can I convince her to become Catholic?

Problem 2: If she chooses to become Catholic, the classes are not set up to work for people with tight schedules. Unfortunately, I work many hours and my wife stays home with the kids. As a result, she cannot attend classes for a year. Is there a online method, or other way for her to become Catholic?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Problem 1: She has many questions about God that I cannot answer. She is very confused and not fully sure if she wants to become Catholic. I am not sure how to help her. How can I convince her to become Catholic?

You cannot “convince” her to become Catholic. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. All you can do is to support her in her investigation of Catholicism through prayer and a willingness to help her research the answers to her questions. Please feel free to contact Catholic Answers directly for more personalized assistance.

Problem 2: If she chooses to become Catholic, the classes are not set up to work for people with tight schedules. Unfortunately, I work many hours and my wife stays home with the kids. As a result, she cannot attend classes for a year. Is there a online method, or other way for her to become Catholic?

I am unaware of an online method, but if your wife is already a baptized Christian, she can ask a priest or deacon to give her personalized instruction. She could also study the faith on her own and then ask a priest or deacon to assess her readiness to be received into the faith. Perhaps the director of religious education at your parish can recommend materials your wife can study at home.

If your wife is not yet Christian, or even if she is, your pastor may want your wife to go through the RCIA experience in order to introduce her to parish life and to the local Christian community. If that’s the case, the two of you will have to find a way to work around your schedules, perhaps through cooperative babysitting with family, friends, or neighbors.

Think of it this way: If your wife needed to go to the doctor on a regular basis for a physical malady, the two of you would find a way to fit it in despite your long hours and her being at home full-time. Analogously, investigating the Catholic faith is a means of treating the soul and should be considered just as important – if not, in some ways, more important – as doctor appointments.