When a Catholic Marries a Non-Catholic / Robert J Hater

Marriage can be challenging under even the best of circumstances. When your spouse is from another Christian denomination, another faith or no faith at all, a whole new Set of unique challenges come into play. The increasing frequency of such marriages demands intelligent planning and compassionate advice.

Starting from the premise that God blesses all marriages, Father Hater offers a pastoral approach to dealing with the difficulties Catholics face in marrying someone from another faith background. How can both spouses' beliefs be respected? How can comments and even interference from friends and relatives be answered?

Tips for both the married (or marrying) couple and parish professionals range from how to manage the wedding ceremony to creating a faith-centered home environment. Drawing on his own extensive pastoral experience, Father Hater provides stories of those who have successfully overcome these difficulties and who have been enriched by embracing the challenges, rather than avoiding them.

ROBERT J. HATER is a professor of systematic and pastoral theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the author of The Catholic Parish: Hope for a Changing World (Paulist) and Catholic Evangelization: The Heart of Ministry (Harcourt).