About a month ago, I got engaged. It’s great! White wedding, picked fences, three kids, and growing old together. Except for one problem, she’s not Catholic and my parents are well-known leaders of our Catholic church.
To be frank, I have no intention of making my fiancee convert — even if she wanted to. I honestly believe that following God should be a personal choice, not dowry. However, it has always been clear to me marrying a non-Catholic would be a big problem for my family and that is part of the reason why it took me so long to get engaged.
But my day of reckoning has come and the epic battle has begun. My parents on one side, bewildered and sadden that I am losing my faith and “living in sin”. My fiancee and I on the other side wishing and hoping for a beautiful celebration of our devotion to one another so that we can move on with our lives.
My parents has made it clear to me that short of my fiancee converting, our relationship is doomed for failure and our kids will be born with horns on their forehead (ok, I am exaggerating just a little bit).
Me, I am torn between my desire to repay my parents for all the sacrifices they made in raising me, and showing my commitment to the love of my life. Well, my decision has already been made. I just wish it didn’t have to go down like this.