Q: I have just left the love of my life due to the fact that she is a Mormon. To try to help, a friend of mine gave me a girl’s number; he says she is interested in me. I do not know too much about her. He says she is Catholic, but it is easy to tell that it is Catholic in name only. I am extremely devout in my faith and even consider joining the priesthood unless I find someone to marry. Would I be unequally yoked if I even talk to someone so much less devout? — Nick
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:
It’s good that you are factoring in religion when dating.
Couples who share a deep faith generally have happier marriages than those who don’t. Religious-minded couples who share the same faith tend to keep God at the center of their marriage.
Now, you mention an interest in the priesthood.
The priesthood involves a call from God. It is a gift that, ideally, should elicit a generous response from a man.
The priesthood shouldn’t be seen as a last resort. It’s not about “I can’t find the right woman, so I’ll enter the seminary.”
If you feel a tug toward the priesthood, it would be good to test your call.
Consider contacting a vocation director in your diocese or visiting a congregation if you feel drawn to religious life.
Intensify your prayer life and sacramental life. Go on a discernment retreat.
Whatever you do, try to settle the question of the vocation before you get involved in another relationship.
Let God have first dibs in your life. That would be a good way to show that you are as devout as you profess yourself to be.
