I'm a Catholic girl and I'm marrying a Hindu man. I couldn't be happier to be marrying him and he feels exactly the same way. But we have a very big problem, I can't find a priest that is willing to marry us. I've spoken to a few different priests and I hear the same thing everytime. They tell me they could only marry us if we only do a Catholic ceremony, in a church and if we only raise our children as Catholic. But he and I both agreed that we would do 2 ceremonies. We want to do the Hindu ceremony one day and the Catholic ceremony the following day before the reception. We also agreed it would be an interfaith home. Our children will be taught both religions and we will be by eachothers side for anything that involves religion. Has anyone else ever been in this situation and if so, how did you handle it? Does anyone know of a priest that would marry us in these terms or could someone else legally marry us other than a Catholic priest?
Re: Catholic/Hindu Interfaith Wedding
However, I went to a jewish/catholic wedding recently where they had a priest and a rabbi that give differnt sets of vows in the same ceremony. I'm not 100% sure he priest was catholic, but i know the family was and he looked ilke a catholic priest.
I also know a catholic who married a non-denominatinoal christian and had to shop around for a priest untill she found one that said, "i will marry you if you promise to raise your kids catholic." She was pregnant at the time, as well. So i know there are priests out there who will work with you.
My advise is keep asking priests and be selective about what you tell them. I'm not saying outright lie but don't nring up the hindu cermony and if tehy outright ask you try to tip tpe around it by saying you dont have th details finalized yet. Don't just ask and get a 'no' and leave it at that. Argue your case a little, explaining that you want your marriage to be valid in the eyes of god and you want your children to be cathlic. if you are okay with the idea, try to think of a tactful way to suggest an extra monetary donation to the church. If you get a no, ask if they can refer you to someone else.
Also, does it have to be in a catholic church? There might be some priests that would do it for you if it wasn't in the physical church. You can also probaly find a minister or non-denominatinoal offician who would be willing to do a "catholic cermony." Most people probably won't even realize its not a 'real' catholic priest.
[QUOTE]I'm a Catholic girl and I'm marrying a Hindu man. I couldn't be happier to be marrying him and he feels exactly the same way. But we have a very big problem, I can't find a priest that is willing to marry us. I've spoken to a few different priests and I hear the same thing everytime. They tell me they could only marry us if we only do a Catholic ceremony, in a church and if we only raise our children as Catholic. But he and I both agreed that we would do 2 ceremonies. We want to do the Hindu ceremony one day and the Catholic ceremony the following day before the reception. We also agreed it would be an interfaith home. Our children will be taught both religions and we will be by eachothers side for anything that involves religion. Has anyone else ever been in this situation and if so, how did you handle it? Does anyone know of a priest that would marry us in these terms or could someone else legally marry us other than a Catholic priest?
Posted by NJ3312[/QUOTE]
We were in the exact same situation - FI is Hindu as well. When we first met with my priest he was wonderful and welcoming. He had worked with interfaith couples before and encouraged us to expose children (if we chose to have them) to both faiths and to actively take part in the various Hindu cultural festivals that his family attends.
I'm sorry that you're having difficulties with your church. Have you tried visiting other churches in the area? We found that scheduling an appointment for both of us to speak with the priest was very helpful. Like anything else in life, there are places and people who accept you for who you are and those who refuse to do so. I hope that you find a church where you both feel welcomed and accepted.
If you choose to leave the Catholic church, Episcopal or Anglican churches are open to interfaith marriages and the liturgy is very similar. Good luck!
Hopefully you are able to find a more accepting priest who will let you do what you want. You may just have to expand your search a bit more.