BY GINA GARCIA

Special To The Bulletin

ATLANTA--Marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta are decreasing and Catholic-to-Catholic marriages increasing, based upon an analysis of the couples taking part in three marriage preparation programs of the archdiocese over the past five years.

In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, an average of 58 percent of the couples attending archdiocesan marriage preparation courses during the past five years have been interdenominational or interfaith couples. This reflects a decrease from an average of 67 percent in the prior five-year period.

The Office of Family Concerns, which oversees marriage preparation programs, attributes the nine percent drop to the large influx of Catholics moving into Atlanta from other regions of the country.

Up to the 19th century, it was very unusual for a bride and groom to be of different faiths or different Christian denominations. Communities were highly inclusive and seldom reached out to other areas perceived to have alien cultures and religions, even those very close to their own. Families brought their children up to strictly observe their traditional faith.

In the later 1800s, an imperceptible growth in such marriages began as a flood of different peoples from the Old World began to immigrate to the U.S. and took advantage of the chance for a new life, sometimes fleeing ethnic persecution, wars and famine.

Since the late 1960s mixed marriages have become defined in American culture. Families were no longer staying in one city or town for life. Job transfers were a major reason for moving into other areas and caused families from one faith or denomination to interact with people of a predominantly different religion for social and economic opportunities. There simply were not enough available same-faith potential spouses in some areas to consider and the taboo of marrying into another culture and faith was starting to fade.

Since the late 1700s a small number of Catholics have lived in Georgia. Catholic to Catholic marriages were maintained, but as the population grew, it was not uncommon for a Catholic to marry a Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian or any other Christian denomination due to their sheer numbers. However, that population has been shifting again in recent years as more Catholics move into the state.

The following statistics show the ratio of Catholic-Catholic and Catholic-interdenominational/interfaith marriages from 1993 through the first six months of 1997.

The statistics are based upon the 3,734 couples attending one of the three marriage preparation workshops offered by the Office of Family Concerns of the archdiocese: the Pre-Cana workshop, the Remarriage workshop and the African-American marriage preparation workshop. Figures for 1993 are an estimate. The figures show an increase in the number of Catholic to Catholic marriages, while, at the same time, the ratio of interdenominational/interfaith marriages remains significant.

1993: 41 percent Catholic-Catholic; 59 percent Catholic-Non-Catholic

1994: 43 percent Catholic-Catholic; 57 percent Catholic-Non-Catholic

1995: 43 percent Catholic-Catholic; 57 percent Catholic-Non-Catholic

1996: 46 percent Catholic-Catholic; 54 percent Catholic-Non-Catholic

1997: 45 percent* Catholic-Catholic; 55 percent* Catholic-Non-Catholic

(*January--June 1997)

The number of couples receiving marriage preparation is also rising. In 1993 an estimated 663 couples underwent marriage preparation in all three programs. In 1994, 713 couples underwent marriage preparation, in 1995, 768 couples and in 1996, 884 couples. In the first six months of 1997, 706 couples underwent marriage preparation.

Gina Garcia is registrar for marriage programs of the Office of Family Concerns of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.