coming from a catholic background the Catholic church was definitely not unconcerned re mixed marriages - it may have changed in last couple of decades but certainly until the 1960s and probably much later the nonCatholic partner was required to sign an agreement that the children would be brought up as Catholics - this involved sending to Catholic schools both primary and secondary (in Liverpool area there were many such to choose from)

Family stories usually have some grain of truth but like my favourite that ggfa was important in Liverpool shipping and turned out to be a dock night watchman! they are subject to much editing + augmentation.