My fiance was raised Baptist, I was raised Catholic. Together we have decided to attend a non-denominational Christian church.
But, for our wedding, my fiance and I would like for his brother to perform the ceremony- he is a Baptist preacher. Of course, this makes his Baptist family very happy, but my Catholic family insists that we need to be married in a Catholic Church.
What is the best way to appease my family?
(This post was
edited by TWQadmin on Oct 24, 2009, 10:01 PM)
You can get permission from the Catholic Church to have a ceremony that dispenses with the preferred Catholic form. With dispensation, you could also have a priest contribute to the ceremony with readings or a prayer. This way the Catholic Church will recognize your marriage as sacramental and binding.
Getting dispensation will require you to sign a paper saying you will do what you can to raise your children in the Catholic faith. Your fiance does not have to sign this agreement. Together, you can discuss what is best for your marriage and it can be as stringent as sending the children to Catholic school or RCIA or as simple as living your faith as an example to the children and answering their questions, so they know you are Catholic. This was the way it was explained to us before we married as an interchurch couple.
Whatever you decide, keep in mind that once the children are grown, they will make up their own minds on what church to attend and whether or not to embrace the faith of their parents. It's much better that the children be exposed to religion as a positive experience, rather than a bone of contention between their parents.
Catholic-Baptist Family Wedding
