GenerationHV said:
“Where are the words of encouragement for marriage? Set a date, get in prep. Marry civilly before baby comes if your parish has a strict 6 month waiting period.”
One of the first questions that comes up in Catholic marriage prep is, is there a pregnancy? In a lot of places, you cannot marry while pregnant–the Church wants to be sure that it isn’t a shotgun wedding and that the parties are freely consenting to marry. Without that, you have annulment material.
The OP has already been engaged to this man. The engagement ended when they realized that he was not prepared to live with her children. He is a felon. He is sporadically employed, doesn’t like taking orders from employers, and has trouble holding down a job. Why is it a good idea for the OP to move this man into her home with her children?
I’m as big a fan of marriage as the next person, but the OP’s ex-fiance needs to demonstrate 1) that he is able to be around the OP’s older children 2) that he can hold down a job and 3) that he can contribute to the family’s material welfare. At the moment, marrying and moving him into the OP’s home would be a disaster. If there is going to be a marriage, he needs to earn it in some other way than just by managing to get the OP pregnant.
