A mixed marriage

A few days ago I mentioned that seven of my great-grandparents were protestant, while only one was catholic. Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens was catholic, his wife Johanna Petronella Moerman was protestant (Dutch Reformed).

As far as I know the Coppens-Moerman marriage was a good marriage, I am not aware of any problems due to the difference in religion. But there were two religion-related incidents, one at the beginning and one at the very end of their marriage.

Family lore has it that the parents of Mr. Coppens were upset he married a protestant girl. This is confirmed by their marriage act, which states that, as the parents of the groom did not consent, intervention of the county court was needed (and obtained) before the marriage could proceed. The father of the bride was present at the wedding and did consent, her mother was long dead.

Just before the death of H.F. Coppens, his parish priest visited him and he received the last rites (as we saw on his death announcement). According to family lore (but unproven), the priest also tried to convince my great-grandparents that they should marry immediately, as they only had a civil wedding and not a catholic one. My great-grandmother was so upset about the suggestion they were not married yet, and thus had been living in sin all those years, that she asked the priest to leave the premises immediately and never to return (she "threw the priest out of the house", in the words of my grandmother).

Files: Hendrikus Franciscus Coppens, Johanna Petronella Moerman