Mixed marriage and children

[wkj_123]

I have a question. If two Protestants were married and then one converts to the Catholic Church, and then a child is born how does this effect the child’s baptism. What if the Catholic parent wants to baptize the baby and raise it Catholic but the Protestant refuses. Can the baby be baptised and taught both faiths or are there other options? Thanks.

 

[Viki63]

That would be a good question to talk to your priest about.
It is important for a baby to be baptized, and Protestants use the same valid form of baptism as Catholics. So there would be no conflict there.
But a Catholic parent promises to raise his child in the Catholic faith, so the other parent would have to agree to it.
Raising a child in both faiths is a possibility, but will probably end in the child leaving both,
I suggest both parents, exercising the charity that Christ gives us, discuss this in a loving way and get (name removed by moderator)ut from their pastors.
The important thing is to help the child get to heaven.
.
.

 

[MT1926]

That would be a good question to talk to your priest about.
It is important for a baby to be baptized, and Protestants use the same valid form of baptism as Catholics. So there would be no conflict there.

Agreed, the Catholic parent should definitely talk to their Priest.

But a Catholic parent promises to raise his child in the Catholic faith, so the other parent would have to agree to it.

Not necessarily. This is true if the the parent was Catholic prior to marriage. However, since they were married prior to the conversion, I do not see how this would force the non Catholic parent to agree.

Raising a child in both faiths is a possibility, but will probably end in the child leaving both,
I suggest both parents, exercising the charity that Christ gives us, discuss this in a loving way and get (name removed by moderator)ut from their pastors.
The important thing is to help the child get to heaven.
.
.

I’ll second this.

 

[wkj_123]

Thanks for the replies. I guess part of the question would be if the wife said she will let the husband take the child to mass and teach the child about the Catholic faith without protest, but she will also take the child to Protestant services and teach that faith would that allow for baptism?

 

[RPRPsych]

That would be a good question to talk to your priest about.
It is important for a baby to be baptized, and Protestants use the same valid form of baptism as Catholics. So there would be no conflict there.
But a Catholic parent promises to raise his child in the Catholic faith, so the other parent would have to agree to it.
Raising a child in both faiths is a possibility, but will probably end in the child leaving both,
I suggest both parents, exercising the charity that Christ gives us, discuss this in a loving way and get (name removed by moderator)ut from their pastors.
The important thing is to help the child get to heaven.
.
.

Very true. However, since this has happened post hoc, things might be complicated.

 

[1ke]

I have a question. If two Protestants were married and then one converts to the Catholic Church, and then a child is born how does this effect the child’s baptism.

Of course it would be wonderful if the Catholic parent could baptize the child in the Catholic Church and provide instruction in the Catholic faith.

What if the Catholic parent wants to baptize the baby and raise it Catholic but the Protestant refuses.

Then counseling between the two is in order, and ultimately compromise is in the picture.

Many priests are very experienced at counseling mixed marriage and interfaith couples. Talk to your pastor about your situation.

Can the baby be baptised and taught both faiths or are there other options? Thanks.

The baby can be baptized once-- you can’t be baptized in “both faiths”. A Christian baptism in another denomination is a Christian baptism. (Assuming you aren’t talking about some other religion like Mormon, which isn’t Christian).

As far as how you teach your child about your faith-- that is something you will have to figure out. I’m not sure what you mean by “taught both faiths”. I mean of course each parent is going to bring their own perspective and faith tradition to what they teach their child.

If the child is baptized Lutheran for example, I would assume the child would go to Lutheran Sunday school and the Lutheran church, unless the other parent has a change of heart and agrees to bring the child into the Catholic Church at some point later in which case the child would go to Catholic religious ed and receive the Catholic sacraments. If the child were going to non-Catholic church and education, of course the Catholic parent could still share their faith with the child and bring the child to Mass if possible-- but must be careful not to confuse or destroy the faith of the child by conflicting information

It is best to talk to your pastor, not strangers on the internet.

 

[1ke]

But a Catholic parent promises to raise his child in the Catholic faith,

There were no such promises made at the time of this marriage. Both people were Protestant.

so the other parent would have to agree to it.

No, the other parent does not “have to” agree to it. In a mixed marriage the non-Catholic party is informed of the promise, they make no promise themselves. And, in this case, there were no promises from a Catholic party to the marriage, because they were married when they were both Protestants.

 

[1ke]

Thanks for the replies. I guess part of the question would be if the wife said she will let the husband take the child to mass and teach the child about the Catholic faith without protest, but she will also take the child to Protestant services and teach that faith would that allow for baptism?

Talk to your pastor. This is not something that can be ironed out here on the internet.

The child could be baptized Catholic in such a case, if the non-Catholic parent understood that the primary education would be in the Catholic faith, the child would need to receive Catholic education and attend Catholic Mass weekly-- that is what baptizing the child obligates both the parents and the CHILD to do.

If the non-Catholic parent doesn’t agree to that, and wants the child baptized in a non-Catholic denomination, yes the Catholic party can still try to impart the Catholic faith the child. But that is a delicate balance because you don’t want to confuse the child or destroy their faith by conflicting information. It’s best to talk to your pastor.