Christened Both Ways, personal Options

[big tommy]

When I was born in 1929 it caused quite a stramash. You see, I was born on Boxing Day 1929 while my parents were married on 12 July in the same year. So you can work out the details for yourself.

The problem was:- My granny's family on my mother's side were very bitter Protestants, while the family on my father's side were even more bitter Catholics.

My granny hated my father for getting my mother pregnant and for being a Catholic, while my Granda (father's father) detested my mother simply because she was a Protestant. In the meantime my mother and father had moved into a room and kitchen in Whitevale Street in the Calton and were getting along just fine.

When along came my mother's sister (my Auntie Rosie) who declared:-"there will be no so-and-so Catholics in this family" and took me along to St Rollox Congressional Church in the Calton to be christened as a Protestant.

So that was it!! I was a Protestant,

That is, until some 18 months later when my father's sister, my Auntie Nelly, discovered this and promptly whisked me off to be baptised as a Catholic in St Roch's RC Church in Garngad Road. Such was the bitterness which held sway at this time.

So now I was a Catholic .

I never found out about any of this until I applied for my passport in 1978. For some reason I looked at the back of my birth certificate and discovered something written over in pencil which, upon being rubbed away disclosed the fact that I had been christened in a Protestant Church.

I immediately sought out my parents and asked them to explain it to me, as Jean and I had gotten married in a Catholic Church without any complications, even when I had shown the priest my birth certificate and my baptismal papers. I had lived my whole life as a Catholic and here was a discrepancy which needed some explaining.

Eventually it was all explained to me just as I have told you and now I am happy and proud to know I am really a Catholic AND a Protestant.

Now I am covered for all eventualities and I hope God takes note.

Tommy

[davyab44]

Tommy ..does the wee song "the Orange and the Green" ring a bell.

[big tommy]

Dear Davy
pass my tale on to Davie.He has been hunting all over for it.
Tommy

[Gallifreya]

Mixed Blessings! I enjoyed reading this one because my families both warred over my religion too. Dad's family were protestant and my mother's family were Catholic. Neither set of grandparents approved of the match. We all lived with Dad's parents at the time of my birth and they also announced firmly that there was never going to be a Catholic child in their family, so they won the baptism war, but undaunted by this my Mother continued to bring me up according to her Catholic principles -- so I guess they BOTH won! I don't know whether to call myself a Protolic or a Cathistant! As an aside to this, our protestant neighbour, who used to come around the doors collecting subs for the local social club, told my my mother one day that her daughter was marrying a Catholic and she didn't like it at all. She looked my Catholic mother right in the eyes and said--they're strange people these Catholics -- you can see it in their eyes!! My mother just smiled, paid her the subs, closed the door and fell into a chair howling with laughter!
Gallifreya

[marina]

its quite funny to read all of this but im sure it wasnt funny for the parents of you all, you really had a tough time of it didnt you, but a mixed marriage cannae be all that bad cos you all turned out to be wonderful people (cheques in the post pleeeeeeeeeese)

[weesue]

I know what you guys mean!
My dad was (non practising) Catholic and Mum was a Protestant.
My mum tried to learn the catechism and turn, but in the end she couldn't.
My Dad was in the TA and away, when mum sent him a letter with her engagement ring in the envelope, explaining that the marriage was off...
Well, Dad went AWOL and came home to tell her it didn't matter and they would marry anyway... AW!
They just agreed not to get any future children christened. Well their parents weren't very happy, but mum and dad were married in 1953, Five girls later, until Dad died in 1990...
Mum still misses him so much!

[Isobel]

Jim and I started out different religions.It stayed that way for twenty odd years until he decided he was going to become a catholic.Let me tell you it changed nothing for us he is still the same person . I dont think people bother about these things now. My youngest daughter plans on marrying an non catholic, thats fine ,If it turns out as good as my marriage she will be fine.My gran used to always say .Remember theres only one god.