Mormons, Catholics Share Emphasis on Families

Published February 9, 1984. I received a pleasant surprise in the mail this week. It was a letter from Lee Ann McCarthy, editor of Marriage Encounter Magazine in St. Paul, Minnesota, informing me I would have a monthly column in their national publication.

Later that day I phoned Lee Ann to tell her I was pleased and to wish her well in her endeavors. Marriage Encounter was first published in 1973 under the title of “Agape.” It was mostly a magazine for Catholics with the purpose of promoting harmony and stability among married couples in the Catholics with the purpose of promoting harmony and stability among married couples in the Catholic church. In 1977 the title was changed to Marriage Encounter, and the format was adjusted to include other religious denominations.

I told Lee Ann how much I admired and appreciated her staff for all they are doing to provide some stability for marital ships that seem to be afloat in a sea of turmoil in the United Sates today. They are doing a commendable job.

That evening I informed Susan and our children about the letter from Marriage Encounter. They were all pleased and complimentary – except one. My 12-year-old son, Brian. Brian, you see, was recently ordained a deacon by me, in the LDS Church. And he is very devout. After my announcement that evening, Brian wondered aloud if his father, a Latter-day Saint professor at Brigham Young University, should be writing for a magazine affiliated with the Catholic Church. In fact, he suggested we call our bishop that very hour.

In defense of myself, I told Brian that I was pleased other religious groups had confidence in my writing. I also explained to him that Mormons and Catholics have some things in common. We both place great emphasis on the importance of marriage and family. In addition, both denominations seem to love children.

I reminded Brian how kind the Catholic doctors, nurses and staff had been to our family when his younger brother, Jason, was born in the Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They literally helped us celebrate the birth of a baby.

After a few moments, I also told Brian of my phone conversation earlier that day with the editor of the magazine. Lee Ann and I both agreed we had a common cause . . . that of helping people have better marital relationships. I suggested to my young deacon son that what helps a Catholic couple would likely help an LDS couple and vice versa. Mormons and Catholics, I believe, have much we can learn from each other.

Brian still had his doubts, and he shared them as he went to bed. After he went to sleep I began to wonder. Was he right? Should a BYU professor be writing in a Catholic-affiliated magazine each month?

That night I gave it a great deal of thought. The next morning I told Brian I still planned to write for the magazine. I told him I sincerely and deeply appreciated their efforts to help people have better marriages. I thought it appropriate to join with them in what I believed to be a worthy cause.

Brian left for school that morning, not sure of his father’s religious convictions. Nor was I of his. After he left I kept thinking there was something about Mormon theology my devout 12-year-old deacon had not yet learned. It was a thought that kept running through my mind and went something like this:

“If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”