I am of the Catholic faith, and had married a Catholic man. We were married in a wedding chapel, and not in the Church. We divorced 3 years ago, and I have since met and married a man of the Baptist faith. We plan to renew our vows in the Catholic Church. We, too, were married by a Justice of the Peace. My first marriage was by a Rev. in the chapel. My husband plans to take his catechism so that we can be married in the church. I was told that I needed to get my first marriage annulled, but at the time, I didn't explain the circumstances of that first marriage, because it had never occurred to me. Is my first marriage valid in the eyes of the church, and do I still have to get an annullment?

-- Robyn Lynn Mace (lucieloves@att.net), May 16, 2004

Answers

Hello Robyn,

No, your first marriage was not valid in the eyes of the Church if you were both Catholic and were married outside the Church. And yes, you do need to get an annulment, which is an official statement that your first marriage was not valid.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), May 16, 2004.

Your husband doesn't need to "take his catechism" in order for you to marry in the Catholic Church. You need to get your annulment, as Paul indicated, and then both you and your husband need to take some type of pre-Cana or Engaged Encounter class together. Talking to your priest is the first step in getting all these necessary tasks moving.

-- Mark (aujus_1066@yahoo.com), May 16, 2004.

Thank you both for answering my question. I have another. My husband was baptized a Presbyterian, and turned Baptist. He is planning to take the classes so that he can become Catholic. He, too, had a first marriage. Would he also have to get an annullment, and how do we go about doing this? Thank you!

-- Robyn Lynn Mace (lucieloves@att.net), May 17, 2004.

Yes, he would have to obtain an annulment as well. In his case, it isn't clear if he has grounds for an annulment or not. He needs to talk with a priest in the diocese that he lives in to start the annulment process. If he is attending RCIA classes in preparation for joining the Church, they should inform him of the need for an annulment very early on in the process.

Note that he will not be allowed to join the Church until you and he renew your vows, which in turn cannot happen until he is granted an annulment. Thus, you should start the annulment process as soon as possible, because it often takes longer than the 8 or so months lead time afforded by the RCIA timeline.

-- Mark (aujus_1066@yahoo.com), May 17, 2004.

this doesnt tell me why non religious people should be allowed to marry in a church

-- Tom Leatherbarrow (leatherbarrow90@hotmail.com), June 07, 2004.

Non religious people aren't allowed to be married in church.

-- Hugh (hugh@inspired.com), June 08, 2004.

-this may seem like semantics; however, many read this forum AND I hope they do not become misled or confused SO I offer some elaboration on what has been stated:

1. ANY marriage is considered valid unless and until it is officially declared invalid/null by a competent authority.

2. Second or subsequent marriages are only possible if the previous spouse has died...

3. There can never be a 'renewal' of vows -there are vows or there are not vows...

Daniel////

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), June 10, 2004.

Well, there can be a ceremony called "renewal of marriage vows", just as there can be a "renewal of baptismal promises". However, such "renewals" do not change anything. They are simply a restating of what is already true and valid.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), June 10, 2004.

To the person that responded with the remark that this didn't answer his question why non-religious people should be married in church, I have this to say. You don't know me, or my husband. We are both very religious and loving people. My first husband and I were married for 22 years. I didn't want to go into details of my first marriage, but obviously I need to, to make you understand. My first husband beat me and verbally abused me for years. No-one ever knew about it, not even my own family. I was at the point of not even wanting to live anymore, until I finally got the strength to get out of it, from a novena that was sent to me. My second husband's first marriage ended when his wife abandoned him and their child, and ran off with another man. I hope this answers your question, and makes you realize that this isn't what it seemed to you. Thank you.

-- Robyn Mace (lucieloves@att.net), June 19, 2004.

"Well, there can be a ceremony called "renewal of marriage vows", just as there can be a "renewal of baptismal promises". However, such "renewals" do not change anything. They are simply a restating of what is already true and valid."

well... Yes Paul -the examples you use with the conditions you set are transparent and not actions that could mislead -as you say "such "renewals" do not change anything"; however, the context of of my clarification is in keeping with the context of the advice given in this thread...

Simply put -what is never valid is never revalidated even by a "ceremony" that does not change anything already valid OR invalid...

--a marital condition and or action, as is Truth, is either valid or invalid.

Daniel////

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), June 19, 2004.