2 Weeks After Baptism, Ronaldo Returns to Church To Marry

Good on Ronaldo! Two weeks a Catholic and having a Church wedding. I'm a soccer fan, but I had no idea what his surname was until this article!

From Aleteia

By Cerith Gardiner

The former soccer star, Ronaldo Nazario, has married in church just a fortnight after being baptized Catholic.

On September 12 the former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario shared the news that he’d been baptized in the Catholic Church. And now, just a fortnight later, he’s back in church wearing white again to partake in the sacrament of marriage.

There’s no doubt that the legendary soccer player has had a colorful past when it comes to relationships. But hopefully this time, with a renewed faith in God, this union will last a lifetime.

News of the nuptials was shared on social media by the new Mrs. Nazario, 33-year-old Celina Locks, and Ronaldo on their respective social media accounts. And what is heartening to see is that the newlyweds were happy to share the religious side of their wedding.

(In many countries, the sacramental wedding and the legal ceremony are two entirely different events, as priests are not given the right to officiate the union from the point of view of the government. Couples might choose to have a small gathering before a judge and then a bigger day at church.)

The caption accompanying the photo of the happy couple translates as:

Today we bring our families together for an intimate religious celebration 🤍 and thus marks the beginning of a week of many celebrations…

The pair married in the village church of es Cubells, in Ibiza, Spain. And after they’d said “I do” they left the modest Catholic church with beaming smiles to be greeted with a showering of rose petals and confetti.

A hermit’s hard work

The church, which sits rather dramatically on a cliff top, was founded in 1864 thanks to a Carmelite friar, Blessed Francisco Palau. The friar devoted his life to being a missionary preacher and a hermit, founding the School of Virtue that proved a model in providing catechetical teaching for adults.

Today the location of the simple but beautiful church that looks out to sea makes for a picturesque wedding venue, providing a beautiful start to married life.

Now that Ronaldo and his new wife have shared their happy news with their millions of followers on social media, maybe they’ll inspire others to emulate their “intimate religious celebration,” with a focus on holy matrimony.