Would you date a non-Catholic? I've seen this question come up in the CatholicMatch forums and many people, speaking from past experiences, agree that they would not do it.
But what if someone you're interested in is a recent, or soon-to-be Catholic convert? What if he is Catholic, but struggles with some of the Church's teaching? What if she is a lapsed Catholic who is on the site strictly to find dates, but isn't interested in strengthening her faith? What if a recent convert has a family that is opposed to the Catholic faith? How would you handle this issue?
Well, help is on the way. As part of my Year of the Saints project, I found St. Cedd, who is the patron saint of interpreters. He is widely venerated by many Catholic sects, as well as by Anglicans and other Protestant sects. He presents us with a framework for dealing with such issues, as his life gives us a model for handling these types of situations.
It is believed that Cedd was born into an Anglican family, and as the presumed oldest of four, took on a leadership role early on with his siblings. After becoming a priest and later a bishop, he attended a meeting of other sects in the Church of England, and was a major force in resolving differences between these sects. This meeting—the Synod of Whitby—included members who understood little to nothing of the other languages spoken. Some only spoke and understood Latin. Others spoke only Gaelic. Other languages were Early Welsh, Old English and Frankish. Known for his skill in such tasks, he became widely recognized as an effective interpreter; both of different languages, and also of different beliefs within the different sects of Christianity. For instance, he became influenced by the Celtic Rite, and later adopted these beliefs and practices as his own. But he never lost the respect of his former Anglican peers, a testament to his diplomacy and ability as an interpreter. In fact, he was even made a bishop for the East Saxons, all the while following the Celtic Rite. To this day, he is revered by many in the Church of England; a sect that is not known for its veneration of saints.
Here is where we can learn a thing or two from him. When he later went on to convert others, including members of the military and government, and even a pagan King, he never did so through force or coercion. He remained diplomatic and used his skills of "interpretation" to win over new converts.
We too can use these skills to deal with anyone we get involved with—be it recent converts who may be misinformed, lapsed Catholics or rites different from our own. Perhaps more importantly, we can learn from him to be diplomatic and level-headed when dealing with families whose beliefs are different from our own.
The holidays are quickly approaching. If you are dating someone and are at the stage where families are part of your lives together, holiday dinners are in your future. Perhaps your date's family is of a different rite, sect or faith. Now would be a good time to think about how St. Cedd used his skills as an interpreter to convert others. His feast day is October 26, so you'll have plenty of time before the holiday season. Give thanks for St. Cedd!
