I thought I'd start this blog to keep family and friends updated on all the wedding planning. And have a public forum to complain about all the wedding planning.
The heaviest issue on my heart right now is the ceremony. Crazy right? That's the most important part. The pain lies in the how and where.
Some background information first. I was raised Catholic. We're talking ultra Catholic. My mom's cousin was the head of all of the nuns and resided in the Vatican. Quite a legacy. I attended Catholic schooling from pre-school to high school. That's just the way things were.
But I started to question my beliefs in high school. After a friend passed away, and a nun told me that due to the manner of his death, he won't go to heaven, red flags flew.
And then there was the priest that was my junior and senior year religion teacher - he was convicted of possessing child pornography. He served 18 months of a 21-month federal prison sentence, is registered as a sex offender, and has been barred from public ministry by the Diocese of Toledo.
The kicker for me was one of the more recent scandals to rock the Toledo Diocese. A priest at my parent's parish was indicted for improper sexual contact - the second time he was charged with such a crime. This is the same man who officiated my grandmother's funeral. MY Grandmother. One of my best friends and life coach. He laid his hands on her in Last Rites. The thought nauseates me, and I'm sure my grandma is spinning in her grave.
After all of these circumstances, combined with their exclusive and backwards-thinking stance on many issues, my decision was made. I had to distance myself for my own mental health, and personal growth. Key word being myself. In no way do I judge anyone for practicing Catholicism, or any religion for that matter. It's your business. Not mine. But don't make it mine either.
My mom recently informed me that she is afraid for Steve and I to not get married in the Catholic Church. She can't understand why we don't just get married there. She wants God to be in our marriage, and she believes that he only chills in Catholic churches. I can understand her opinion; she's devout. She's happy in her faith and accepts it all. She always dreamed of my wedding, and the way it's panning out is not the way she envisioned.
She's not going to back down. I'm not going to back down.
Our ceremony will be so filled with love that I think ALL the big-wigs are going to be there - Buddha, Muhammad, God, fairies, Aliens, and even JC. Surely no god of mine would deny such a heavenly day due to location or officiant. Hopefully my mom can come to that same realization.
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