I’m Catholic but my spouse is from another faith. We married in their place of worship. Am I welcome in the Catholic Church? Does the Church recognise my marriage and my children?

Your marriage is valid in the eyes of the Church, if you as the baptised Catholic received a dispensation from the bishop permitting you to marry a non-Christian. If not, arrange to meet your local Catholic priest and discuss your circumstances with him to see how your marriage can be regularised.

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The Church wants pastorally to support a mixed-faith couple, so that you benefit from God’s love in your union. Just as all couples are different there is no bespoke solution to accompanying an inter-religious marriage. We are here to support you.

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Having children is often a trigger for discussing as a couple the much deeper issue of a faith tradition when raising a child. Is your partner happy with the idea of raising your children as Catholics, for example?

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Trying to raise a child in both traditions, though well-intended doesn’t really respect the integrity of either and is problematic. Wanting to share our different faith/belief with our children is very different to celebrating our different cultural roots. The Church can help you both in navigating this discussion. What is drawing you back into considering renewing your connection with the Church? Have you discussed this with your partner?