Catholicism, my husband, and my baby’s baptism

I’m not a practicing Catholic at the moment, but I would like to become one again. I went to church regularly when I was a child and teenager, and Catholicism has always been part of my life in some way.

I have a baby now, and I would really like to have him baptized. However, my husband and I have an issue that I’m not sure how to approach.

We are not legally married or married in the Church. My husband also doesn’t like the idea of Catholic images or the intercession of the saints. Part of his family was involved in Candomblé, and he has negative experiences with religious images being used for things he considers wrong or harmful. Because of that, he is uncomfortable with Catholic statues and images. He also doesn’t believe in asking the saints for their intercession. His view is basically, “Why not just talk directly to God?”

I understand that Catholic teaching is different from that, but I don’t want to approach him by simply telling him that he is wrong. I want to understand how to explain the Catholic perspective in a way that makes sense to him, especially given his personal experiences.

How would you approach this conversation with a spouse who has this kind of background?

Also, since we aren’t married in the Church, would this create an obstacle to having our baby baptized? I’m willing to start going to Mass again and learn more about the faith, but I’m not sure where to begin.

I’d really appreciate advice from Catholics who have dealt with something similar.