How do I deal with an anti-Catholic in-law?

[Akira79]

I am having problems with an in-law about becoming Catholic. This person constantly pushes stuff at me about the wrong choice I have made. I have prayed and prayed to help me “get over it” but have been unable to. Our confirmation is comming up and this person have even gone as far as hiding my spouse’s baptism record. What can I do?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The one who should be taking a stand with your in-law is your spouse. It is up to your spouse to gently but firmly let this person know that your family has made the choice to become Catholic and intends to proceed despite the unfortunate disappointment this causes your spouse’s relative. If your spouse takes the lead in making your family’s position clear to this relative, then your in-law will be less able to blame you personally for your family’s decision.

As to the baptism record, please don’t worry about it. If you are unable to contact the church at which your spouse was baptized for a copy of the record, then your priest will simply conditionally baptize your spouse and the conditional baptism will serve as your spouse’s new baptismal record. Not having access to the baptismal record will not hinder your spouse’s entry into the Church.

The books listed below may be helpful for learning how to deal with your in-law’s anti-Catholic hostility. The second one on the list is not a Catholic book and approaches the problem from an almost completely secular perspective, but it does have some helpful information on dealing with difficult relatives – particularly relatives with whom there are significant religious differences.

For personal peace, you may also wish to consider praying the Serenity Prayer.

Recommended reading:

God Help Me! These People Are Driving Me Nuts by Gregory K. Popcak
When Difficult Relatives Happen To Good People by Leonard Felder