My Son and his Sacraments

[lilyramone]

My son just turned 8. He was baptized at birth but we have not attended a catholic church since then. I am married to a Protestant and life has been more difficult than I anticipated in pushing catholic worship on Sundays, my husband has flat out refused to attend catholic mass, I have been unable to attend myself because I have been bedridden and limited to my home due to multiple health issues.
We have attended a Protestant church as a family as my husband and I have agreed it is important for the children to see us worship together over not attending church at all on Sundays. It is important to stress that God is the center of our family.
Due to health problems I have been unable to drive until just recently. I informed my husband that when I am able to drive (around April this year) I plan to take my son back to the catholic church. He can’t argue anymore once I can drive myself and he knows it. I told him yesterday that our children were given a great Christian foundation with our compromise but my faith now comes first since I can now attend Mass without his help, We agreed that while he was driving, we would attend a church we both found as neutral ground so that at least a Christian foundation could be made. He refused to assist me in creating a catholic foundation. I have done the best I could with my circumstances, please don’t judge me too harshly. He was bitter at first but got over it quickly since he knows this was my intention since they were born. He is a good man, please believe me, he just hasn’t realized the catholic church is the one true church and I do hope he will begin to come to the catholic faith…
I am wondering what steps I need to take between now and when I can drive to prepare getting my son ready for his next sacraments and if there is a way to explain to him why mommy is catholic and daddy is protestant. He is 8 but very smart and has an amazing connection to God personally. He wants to be a neurosurgeon and find the cure for his sisters disability and then serve as a soldier for God. I am afraid that I may not say things properly and would never want to create a barrier between him and his father by stating things in a way that may be disrespectful of his father. He knows we are Christians and that mommy is Catholic and daddy is Protestant and we have only told him that we worship differently (he sees me pray differently and in the past trying to explain mommy’s faith has been usually under sarcastic comments from my husband and his family.
The time has come to explain to him the differences. Now that I will have independence to pursue his sacraments I need advice on what steps to take since I have been away from the catholic church. My husband and I have had so many tearful arguments over this issue but now that I can physically get my son to the catholic church I need some guidance. Unfortunately my choices for Godparents were poor and they were not helpful in keeping their vows as Godparents.

 

[Dorothy]

It is so good that you want to go to the Catholic Church and want your child to be Catholic. My best advice to you is to see a priest and explain all that you told in your post.

Before you were married (I am assuming it was in the Catholic Church), the priest was supposed to tell you and your fiance that the Catholic is supposed to raise all the children Catholic, and your fiancé should have known about that, and agreed.

At one time it was necessary for the non-Catholic to actually sign a paper showing that they agreed with this. It is no longer asked that they sign a paper, but they understand that they are to agree with this.

May our Lord Jesus Christ and His Mother lead you on your spiritual journey!

Keep your situation in prayer, and talk to a priest soon.

P.S. If you write in short paragraphs and leave spaces in between them your posts will be much easier to read.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Can you make an appointment to talk to a priest, either at his office, or ask him to visit your home? Whether your son can enter religious education, make his first confession and first Holy Communion, depends to a large degree on whether your son wants to participate.

Please do not argue with your husband. You do not need his permission to be Catholic, or to take your son, a baptized Catholic, to Church.

 

[George_Stegmeir]

I agree with the first two respondants. You need to see a priest. Why not locate the rectory of the nearest Catholic Church to you and go there and make an appointment, or see if a priest is available that day. I would print out a copy of your inquiry on this site and bring it with you.
Another thing you can do is see if you can get one of your parish priests to come to dinner. You can explain your situation to the priest before hand, and that your reason for doing this is to proove to your husband (and your son) that priests are also human beings and can be quite charming. That should soften your husbands attitude towards the Church.

 

[petra22]

I had a similar situation. My daughter was 14 before she made her first communion. We went to the rectory and Father gave us a book and we took it home and studied it and then he talked to her and when he thought she was ready, she made her first communion without a big commotion, thought it was big to me and her grandparents.

Hope it all goes well. Talk to your priest, and God bless. I’ll be praying for you.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.