Question about annulments

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I am a recovering alchohic and an active member in Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1991, I married a Catholic outside the church. Since then I have been exposed to the Catholic religion and feel of all the religions I have tried (Unity, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian) the Catholic religion is the very closest I can find to the parellels of A.A., which I need to stay close to for the rest of my life. I desparetly want to become a Catholic.

My problem is this: my husband never got his original marriage annulled, in the church.He was married in 1959 in a Catholic Church. It will be difficult for us to get the divorce decree as he was young, didn't know what he was doing, came from a messed up family (as did she) and flew to Mexico for a quick divorce. ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR ME AS TO HOW TO RESOLVE THIS? We have no idea where she lives, don't know her parents address and, while we can get a copy of their marriage certificate, Juarez Mexico says they have no record of the divorce. What should I do? Give me steps to follow.

Second, my husband married a second time, outside the church. Do I need to go through that annulment process since it was not recognized by the church in the first place?

All I want to do is join this Parish and be able to take communion. I want to do what is right, however. Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

(A). How do I get a marriage annulled when, most likely, I can't find any three people who knew them beforehand and the divorce was not recorded in Juarez Mexico.There were no childrenfrom this marriage. It was a mistake on the part of two young people.

(B) Do I have to go through this same process for his second marriage, which has never been recognized by the church?

I want to do the right thing. But, I also don't want to have to spend five years trying to join the church. As it is, we will have to be remarried in the Catholic Church before I can join.

Can anyone give me good advice as to how to get through this annullment process without jeopardizing any truths or integrity?

THANK YOU.

After that marriage, my husband wa

-- Anne Durning (TotalRelo@worldnet.att.net), July 26, 1999

Answers

Dear Anne,

I am in almost the same situation as you. I am unbaptized, divorced and re-married to a Catholic, who is divorced. None of our marriages, his or mine were in the Church.

Here is what has been required of us. Keep in mind that different Parishes/Diocese have different practices. First, since my husband married a non-Catholic, at a Justice of the Peace, his first marriage is not recognized by the Church so he does not have to go through the annullment process. Second, even though I have previously had no religion at all, I am required to get an annullment for my first marriage. After my annullment is completed (it could take about a year), then I will be allowed to begin my year of Inquiry. After that I will be allowed to start the RCIA program. Then I will be eligible to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. After all that, and a marriage prep class, my husband and I will be re-married by the Priest.

At the present, it is looking like my 2 year old daughter will receive her first Communion before I do!

Since every Parish is somewhat different, please talk to a Priest to get all your questions answered. I'd love to hear what you find out. Good Luck to you! Love, Tiesha

-- Tiesha (tiesha@ici.net), July 26, 1999.


Hi,

First of all this can be started in your current diocese or in the diocese where the marriages took place it makes no difference, all the processes are the same, they are all governed by Canon Law.

"Juarez Mexico says they have no record of the divorce. What should I do? Give me steps to follow."

There must first be a valid civil divorce before the annulment process can be started. So take care of this legal matter first.

"Second, my husband married a second time, outside the church. Do I need to go through that annulment process since it was not recognized by the church in the first place?"

The Church must make that decision, and declare that he could not validly marry you because he was bound to a prior marriage. If you have proof that he did not have a prior marriage annuled and married outside canonical form, then it should not be a long process.

"All I want to do is join this Parish and be able to take communion. I want to do what is right, however. Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated."

ask God to guide you in this process, pray.

(A). How do I get a marriage annulled when, most likely, I can't find any three people who knew them beforehand and the divorce was not recorded in Juarez Mexico.There were no childrenfrom this marriage. It was a mistake on the part of two young people.

(B) Do I have to go through this same process for his second marriage, which has never been recognized by the church?

I want to do the right thing. But, I also don't want to have to spend five years trying to join the church. As it is, we will have to be remarried in the Catholic Church before I can join.

Can anyone give me good advice as to how to get through this annullment process without jeopardizing any truths or integrity?

Yes, Answer all questions truthfully and trust that God already knows the real situation and will help you in this.

-- Br. Rich S.F.O. (repsfo@prodigy.net), July 26, 1999.


The original question about annulments was posted some time ago so I don't know if you are still in need of an answer Anne. I would contact a priest either in your local parish, or one working with a separated and divorced Catholics group. If you can't find a priest who has the time or knowledge, you could contact your local tribunal at the Archdiocese or Diocese and they will tell you how to proceed. If you can't find the other partner in the marriage it helps if you have witnesses to testify that what your husband is saying is the truth. For instance his parents or members of his family. The grounds for an annulment are the same every where but some dioceses are stricter than others in how they apply the law, and some have more staff working in the tribunal to help move things along faster. According to the head of the tribunal in our diocese it isn't necessary to get a civil divorce before you start annulment proceedings, though I would think you would have to get a civil annulment before you could remarry for your marriage to be legal according to the state. My husband went through the annulment process and we found the people at the tribunal very helpful and non judgemental, they deal with this situation all the time. I hope all goes well for you. Elizabeth

-- Elizabeth (jemj@total.net), September 16, 1999.

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