Dear Izzy,

The best advice I can give you is to make an appointment with your local pastor or priest and share with him your desire to become Catholic and to marry your boyfriend. When you make your appointment with Father, I would recommend asking what ministries he has that you can participate in.

None of us can speak to the timing of events like "when you will be able to get baptized and married", but you should be at peace knowing that the Lord controls all these issues for your own well-being. He is the Lord of Time, so I wouldn't sweat it. Your desire to be baptized is a call of the Holy Spirit; a great blessing you have received, should follow, and be thankful for.

As to what happened at your nephew's marriage, though it is strange that the priest appeared
not to know what to do, you have to keep in mind that when a man and woman get married,
the couple, themselves, administer the sacrament, not by the priest. The priest is just there
as an official Catholic witness.

You said:
The non-Catholic attendees felt very upset because he was lecturing them on Catholic tradition. Because of this, my nephew's wife refuses to set foot in a Catholic Church again and at the time of the marriage, she was thinking about converting. My nephew also refuses to go back to Church and my boyfriend's mother, who was born and raised Catholic, wants nothing to do with the Father.

• Can we get married by another priest, so the same thing doesn't happen at our wedding?

I don't know exactly what was said by Father or how it was said, but I don't understand why they would be upset. It was their choice to attend and witness, what they knew was, a Catholic marriage, so they knew ahead of time what was involved. If the faith meant anything to the priest, I'd be surprised if he didn't mention anything about the importance of the faith and the tradition your nephew's wife was marrying into.

This begs the question whether the couple had proper pre-Cana classes and preparation for their marriage, especially so the fiancée knew the Catholic traditions she was marrying into.

• If they didn't like Father because of certain Church teachings he mentioned, is that his fault?

The very first Christians of the Faith, who lived from 33 A.D. to 800 A.D. died for the Catholic traditions Father mentioned and while becoming a Catholic is a great blessing, it has important responsibilities. We are called to be good witnesses for Jesus, Our Lord, as the first Apostles were after Ascension Thursday.

If there is something else about the priest, that was not mentioned in your original question that still bothers you, there is nothing stopping you and your future husband from attending another nearby Catholic parish where you can be received into the Church and get married. Just make an appointment with the pastor or priest there.

I hope this helps,

Mike