Hi,
I'm new to this forum so please excuse me if this is the wrong area to post this question in but, it seems appropriate.
Here is the situation. My father wants to convert to the Catholic Church after having been born and raised as a baptist/general protestant. He was baptised at a young age, maybe 12 or so if I remember correctly, by a baptist community of some sort. And we believe his baptism to be valid. He has gone through the majority of a fairly conservative Novus Ordo RCIA class but stopped after finding out that he would not be able to advance due to the following: He has been married and divorced 5 times now. At least one marriage was performed in some sort of protestant service from what I understand and the others were simply done with a justice of the peace at a courthouse, as he did with my baptised Catholic mother.
After all of these "marriages" and divorces, several of them resulting in children, is there any way he could ever become Catholic? I hate to think that because of my father's past sins, even now desiring to repent and start living a Catholic life, he would be barred from doing so. Could he go to confession? Could he ever be confirmed? Is there ever the possibility that one day he could receive our Lord in the Holy Eucharist? What options are there for my father?
And then there is my Mother. She is in a similar boat. She was baptised Catholic but, never raised so. She has been divorced 2 or 3 times herself and also desires to be confirmed and come into the Church. Is her situation any different? Are my parents doomed?
Please pray for us.