Would you marry a non-catholic?

[chevalier]

I could, but I wouldn’t cast my net in a non-Catholic environment or especially on a specific non-Catholic lady, unless she were already heart-gripping to me. I wouldn’t, however, suffer my children brought up as non-Catholics or indifferent, so I would have to think a lot and hard about that aspect before marrying. And since I know I’d have to think about that before marrying, I would think about that before engaging. And so I would think about it… etc etc.

 

[Katie1723]

I would marry the man I loved…no matter the religion.
Kathy

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

I would marry the man I loved…no matter the religion.
Kathy

I thought about this point long and hard before marrying my wife. I understood fully that I would need to be the main influence on my children’s spiritual well-being. I prayed constantly that I not be led into a situation where any future children we would be raised contrary to the Church’s teachings. After much discernment, I (with much help from the Holy Spirit) decided that my future wife would not hinder my childrens’ necessary growth of their Catholic faith. Even if I loved her, I could not marry her if she conflicted with how I (we) wanted our children raised.

Today she is a faithful Catholic woman who in many ways is my example on how to live the Catholic faith. We are growing together in faith now. We have four beautiful children and we are faithful to the Magisterial teachings of the Church.

It helps that both parents share the same faith. Although she wasn’t a Catholic at the time we married, I think it was her “Catholic-like” qualities that drew me to her. Looking back, it’s really not surprising that she converted. I’m very blessed that God heard my prayers of the need for Christian unity within our household.

 

[Nino]

BUMP

I married a non-Catholic. She was a non-practicing Jehovah Witness. She converted to the Catholic faith about a year afterward.

 

[Norseman82]

I want to caution on the following statements:

I would leave it up to God
Of course I am not married…hey I can’t even date yet!
but it all depends on what God wants.
If God wants me to marry a non-catholic, and thus bring her into the Church, then let it be done according to God’s will
If He wants me to marry a Catholic ( I have someone in mind… ) because a lot of good would come from it, then so be it
God knows what he wants us to do, and you can’t really control that.
stay with Him, pray, and He will guide you to the right spouse

and although I will do whatever God tells me to do, I would rather marry a Catholic because I have seen how loving and beautiful those kind of relationships can be, and I want to experience that, but its not really my call

When God shoves the right man my direction, who am I to say no?

Breton, I totally agree with you. Especially when you said that God chose your wife for you. Others may think it’s “soppy” but sometimes God just gives us a kick in the right direction. Maybe I’m so oblivious He has to make it really, really obvious for me.

According to the Cathechism, we choose our spouses. We have to stop blaming God for the wrong decisions we make (see Sirach 15). Additionally, St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians that we should not be unequally yoked to a nonbeliever.

That being said, my attitude is probably closest to chevalier’s. I will hold out for a Catholic woman as long as possible. At one time I was more open to marrying a non-Catholic Christian because I’ve met some protestants who make better Catholics than some Catholics I’ve known (especially from my experience with pro-life). However, I still would rather hold out for a Catholic so we can have a unity of worship. But I’ll say this: with women falling for this “single vocation” and the modern “Cosmopilitan” and Gloria Steinem “you don’t need a spouse to make you complete” mentality, and the fact that so many Catholic women I run into are divorced or they think nothing of turning their backs on practicing Catholics who are “saving it for marriage” for someone who isn’t (and even put the blame on God), the pool of compatible Catholic women seems to be shrinking, and I’m starting to get deathly scared that I may not be able to find a compatible Catholic woman. I’d rather not “turn my back on my own”, but if “my own” won’t be there for “one of their own”, what can one do? It’s enough to make one climb the walls.