My husband's conversion

[105lynne]

I’m currently praying for my husbands conversion to the Catholic faith. He is a HARD CORE Protestant, and is very well versed in the Bible. He claims to be a non-denominational Christian. He disagrees with most everything Catholic, but he does have tremendous respect for Our Lady. I’m almost afraid to pray for his conversion because I’m a peace keeper by nature. I don’t want to deal with a potentially rocky and rough road ahead. I know I need to keep my eyes focused on the end result. I have avoided praying for this for the past 10 years! If it does happen, I pray it’s a peaceful, drama-free conversion. We have three kids, ages 4, 3, & 2. We agreed to raise the kids Catholic, but I feel like he is not so sure about it anymore since my four year old talks about the Rosary, kisses the crucifix, etc…and that makes him uncomfortable, to say the least. It would be so much easier if we were on the same page when it comes to religion.
Two questions: Am I wrong to be afraid of this change? Am I wrong to even ASK for this change?

 

[cradlecatholic5]

My husband is a Protestant. I’ve never, nor would I ever ask him to convert. We have never had issues w/ our religions, faiths. Both believe in God.

It all depends on your expectations.

 

[105lynne]

I’ve never asked him either. He studied the faith a little before we were married and was baptized. He knew he needed to be baptized and since my church was willing, he did it there. He has never expressed any desire to convert, but has tried to persuade me away from the Church. He told me that I “deserve better” than to have a man (the pope) tell me what I should and shouldn’t do/believe/practice. All I want is unity and the older the kids get, the less I feel that. It doesn’t help that his mother keeps telling him that I’m going to Hell for being Catholic. She believes that since Catholics believe in Purgatory, that is an absolute denial that Christ died for our sins.
Catholicism is such a huge part of who I am and how I live. I just want my kids AND my husband to be a part of that, too. But maybe that’s unreasonable. I just don’t know…

 

[Dorothy]

There certainly is no harm in you praying for your husband’s conversion. It will depend on whether he is open to the grace or not. If he does not desire to convert, ask for the grace that he not stand in the way of your raising the children Catholic.

You mentioned that one of your children talks about the Rosary and kisses the crucifix and that made him uncomfortable. This is an issue to pray about, and also discuss with him, as it can cause a lot of consternation and discomfort as your family grows.

 

[ctkrcia]

105lynne, my wife and I just celebrated our 31st anniversary. When we married, she was Protestant and remains so to this day. We used to have a lot of heated discussions about religion along with others that were very emotional. At one point, we made weekly visits to her minister so I could learn more about her faith tradition. Simultaneously, we attended RCIA so she could learn more about Catholicism.

At this point, there is nothing either of us could say or do to convert the other. However, I know there is always hope that God can do something. I pray daily to the Blessed Mother for her intervention. I pray daily that God will send His spirit into her and inspire her to seek the fullness of truth. I pray daily that God will send someone into her life that will open her ears, eyes, and mind. However, I also acknowledge daily that we may never be 100% together in faith until the day we both reach Heaven (hopefully ).

The biggest influence I have had over the past few years is to really, REALLY learn my faith. Then when challenged, I can peacefully and calmly explain, keeping 1 Pet 3:15-16 in mind (especially verse 16). Since I am now 100% sure of my position, I can remain calm rather than get LOUD. Living my faith in a devoted, pious, and humble manner speaks much, much louder than any words can say.

I will be praying for you and your husband. Peace and grace.

 

[Belle10]

I’ve never asked him either. He studied the faith a little before we were married and was baptized. He knew he needed to be baptized and since my church was willing, he did it there. He has never expressed any desire to convert, but has tried to persuade me away from the Church. He told me that I “deserve better” than to have a man (the pope) tell me what I should and shouldn’t do/believe/practice. All I want is unity and the older the kids get, the less I feel that. It doesn’t help that his mother keeps telling him that I’m going to Hell for being Catholic. She believes that since Catholics believe in Purgatory, that is an absolute denial that Christ died for our sins.
Catholicism is such a huge part of who I am and how I live. I just want my kids AND my husband to be a part of that, too. But maybe that’s unreasonable. I just don’t know…

First, it’s not unreasonable at all to want your husband to share the one true faith established by Jesus Christ. My DH is not Catholic either, so I understand the difficulties (though my DH grew up Methodist, he doesn’t practice it).

Our children are being raised Catholic by both of us. I take the lead obviously, but he has agreed because he knows how important it is to me. I pray one day he will want to convert, but I don’t pressure him. I’d highly recommend praying the rosary and chaplet of Divine Mercy for him and your family.

As to your MIL, she’s clearly mistaken. If you want to be a good example for your children, make sure you understand Church teachings so you can refute incorrect information that your MIL will no doubt present, especially as your kids get older. If you understand and live what you believe, that’s the best example.

Join us in the St. Monica’s thread in Family Life if you’d like. I’ll say a prayer for your family. :hug1: