Dear Wanda,
What a wonderful story!
I am sure indeed it is the Lord drawing
you to the Catholic faith. How kind of you to make Rosaries for soldiers
overseas; I am confident that the Lord is rewarding you for your
sacrifice.
As for what to do, well, respond to where God is leading you and
pray for His will.
As for concrete steps, find a good priest to talk
to, or just talk to the pastor of the local parish. You can look
it up in the phone book. Call him up, say that you want to inquire
into the Catholic faith or that you want to be received into the
Catholic faith, and he will speak with you about your journey and
teach you what you need to know.
As for your husband, because he was baptized (even if he no longer
believes), the Church does not have an objection to marrying such
a person. There are exceptions that can be made even for those never
baptized.
The bigger question is whether he was validly married
before, and whether you were. I suspect the most important consideration
at this point is your previous marriage(s). Both of you would have
to obtain an annulment of all your previous marriages before being
fully received into the Church, or else live with your husband henceforth as brother
and sister. The priest can help you work through all these questions
once you are ready to be received into the Church.
Regardless of what obstacles there are, it is worth it.
Think of
the parable of the pearl of great price, and the effort of the man
in the parable to obtain the pearl he valued so much. This applies
to Jesus, but it also applies to Jesus' bride and Jesus' Mystical
body, the Catholic Church and you will be rewarded richly in Heaven.
Meanwhile, if you have any specific questions about the faith, please
feel free to write us back!
Eric Ewanco
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