Adsum

December 2002

Premarital Instruction of a Non-Catholic

From the book, More Answers to Today’s Moral Problems
by Very Rev. Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R., S.T.D., L.L.D., L.H.D.

Question: If a priest is giving premarital instructions to a non-Catholic planning to marry a Catholic, should he content himself with only instructing him or should he try to convince the person of the truth of the Catholic faith?

Answer: A priest should desire to convert to the Catholic Church every non-Catholic with whom he comes in contact, because he wishes all men to share in the happiness and the security of the one true faith. This is particularly true when he is imparting to this person instructions in Catholic doctrine, which are so intimately connected with arguments in support of the Catholic faith. At the same time, prudence may suggest that in giving premarital instructions the priest will sometimes abstain from any direct efforts to convince the recipient of the truth of Catholic doctrine. It must be remembered that the chief purpose of the premarital instruction of a non-Catholic about to marry a Catholic (prescribed by some bishops) is to enlighten the non-Catholic about the teachings of the Catholic Church, so that he will understand the beliefs and the practices of his future spouse and thus they will enjoy a more harmonious home life. I would, generally speaking, suggest that unless the non-Catholic manifest a positive (even though only probable) inclination to join the Catholic Church, the priest will do better if he merely explains Catholic teachings without any attempt to lead the person to conversion. Otherwise, he may stir up in the non-Catholic a defense attitude against what he regards as unjustifiable proselytizing and render him antagonistic to the Church. If the priest succeeds in showing the non-Catholic how eminently logical is the Catholic position, he will have gone a great way. The seeds of conversion will have been sown, and divine grace may produce the fruits at a considerably later time.

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