For many people of the Catholic faith, being Catholic stems from a family tradition they were raised with. For these individuals they participated in the ritual of receiving sacraments, such as baptism and confirmation, from the time they were an infant and grew up in these traditions.
Why would someone want to become Catholic if they are not born into a family practicing the faith? Besides believing strongly in the faith itself, another incentive is marriage.
Catholics are free to marry whomever they wish, but to have a marriage in the Catholic Church a member of the church must obtain permission from the local bishop to marry a Christian baptized in another faith or a dispensation from the local bishop to marry an unbaptized person.
According to Canon Law, three conditions need to be met:
1) The Catholic party must declare he or she intends to remain Catholic and promises to baptize and raise all offspring in the Catholic Church;
2) the non-Catholic party is fully informed of the promises made by the Catholic party and the related obligations
3) both parties are instructed about the purposes and essential properties of marriage which apply to both parties.
The non-Catholic partner if they chose to must complete the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults before becoming a member of the Catholic Church.
There are seven sacraments in which a person of the Catholic faith is able to fully participate, they include:
- Baptism – the receiving of a new life in Christ. Baptism washes away original sin and gives us new birth in the Holy Spirit.
- Confirmation – seals the believers faith in Jesus. Like Baptism, confirmation is received only once.
- The Eucharist – nourishes the life of faith, representing the Body and Blood of Christ.
- Penance – receiving God’s forgiveness. During Penance a person of faith will confess and receive Jesus’ healing grace through the absolution of a priest.
- Anointing of the Sick – the unity of a person’s suffering with that of Christs bringing the forgiveness of sin.
- Matrimony – the couple are united with each other as a sign of unity between Jesus and his Church.
- Holy Orders – the receiving of the clergy of their ordained rights. These rights include reminding lay persons of their baptismal call to help others and to carry on the teachings of the apostles.