Need urgent advice and prayer

[HobbitintheWind]

My husband and I were not practicing either of our faiths when we married and agreed years that ago that our children would be raised neither Catholic nor Baptist. Many years passed we had kids and I returned to my faith. It was a tumultuous time for us. Over a year ago he said that the children could be baptized as he knew it weighed on me but I have not because with baptism comes the understanding that they will be raised Catholic, we’ve talked about it many times. In this year he has warmed much to Catholicism. Just a few weeks ago he said he found himself making the sign of the cross after a group prayer at work and said he’d been doing a lot of learning on catholic.com and jimmy Akins website. So a week later when I tell him we have a date for con validation and he replies “great. Looking forward to it, you should see we can have the girls baptized then too” ( he was out of town and this was through email) I cried and cried tears of joy and have said many prayers of thanks in the weeks since. The priest set us up to watch the baptism video after mass yesterday so we could have com validation and a baptism tonight. When we returned home my husband said he still wasn’t keen on raising them catholic and thought this was just a simple dunking in water that he was doing for me to be nice. My heart was crushed. After all this time and discussion his offer is still the same I’ve declined a year ago. Even though he knows full well why I didn’t take him up on it and run out and have them baptized then. I completely misunderstood what I thought to be his change of heart. So here we are with a com validation and baptism scheduled for this evening, my heart is heaving if we should even go through with any it. I’m distraught, discouraged and a wreck…and he’s going to play golf. Please pray for my children, my husband and myself.

 

[Dorothy]

Keep praying and inform the priest of what has happened. Perhaps he will be open to a conversation with the priest to have more things be explained to him? I say that because he did admit to making sign of the cross and being impressed by Catholic authors that he read. It seems there is a spiritual warfare going on.

Even if he decides to not go and have a chat with the priest, keep praying!

I will pray for your family as well!

 

[getysbg]

The Baptism is for the children’s sakes. It’s important - we all know it or you wouldn’t have been so crushed. Start them on the journey, continue to pray for his conversion. Perhaps ask him to waych on You Tube Fr. Larry Richards - The reason for our hope. Our prayers are with you.

 

[MJJean]

If it were me I would get the kids Baptized and do my best to raise them Catholic. I probably wouldn’t do the convalidation unless my husband thoroughly understood what Catholic marriage means and unreservedly agreed with the Church’s teachings on marriage.

 

[Dorothy]

Someone please correct me if you know better, but I thought that convalidation can take place even if one spouse is Christian and validly baptized, and no impediments of previous valid marriage. Then the Catholic spouse can receive the Sacraments. One cannot force the non-Catholic spouse to become Catholic in order for this to take place.

 

[MJJean]

Someone please correct me if you know better, but I thought that convalidation can take place even if one spouse is Christian and validly baptized, and no impediments of previous valid marriage. Then the Catholic spouse can receive the Sacraments. One cannot force the non-Catholic spouse to become Catholic in order for this to take place.

Yes, you are correct. No one can force a person to convert to Catholicism. It has to be willingly done from the heart. However, a Catholic married to someone who refuses convalidation can apply for Radical Sanation. Although, since the OP’s husband is willing, Radical Sanation doesn’t seem to apply in this case.

I do not know, though, if both spouses have to be Baptized for them to be able to convalidate. Since convalidation is the same as the normal marriage ceremony, I would suppose the general rules regarding marriage would apply.

 

[JP2Admirer]

I would have the children baptized, for the sake of their souls. Sounds like your husband has the door partially opened Catholicism. Baptize the kids and work with your husband on convalidation.