Annulment Question

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I was married to a non-catholic “in the church”. We’ve been divorced over 10 years. He remarried several years ago. I have no intention of getting remarried anytime soon but my question is should I consider an annulment or is it just intended just for people considering remarriage? :confused:
 
IMHO - the perfect time to consider applying for a decidion on a marriage that has ended in a civil divorce is before you would consider re-marriage …

After all if you are not free to contract another marriage then you should not begin dating in a serious way where the relationship has moved to talk of marriage …

If you are determind to be free to contract a marriage,then you can be open to dating and if a “Godly person” enters into yoru life, the relationship can progress …

By waiting until you want to marry to find out … gets the cart ne for the horse so to speek … that implies a develoed relationship that is not grounded in your ability to marry …

I hope that makes sense …

And all cases are unigue so discuss this with your parish priest or diocessan tribunal …
 
To (hopefully) simplify YADA’s answer: Yes, you should consider petitioning for nullity now. Resolving that is ideally done and resolved well before one is already considering another attempt at marriage.
 
kelly(name removed by moderator)25 said:
I was married to a non-catholic “in the church”. We’ve been divorced over 10 years. He remarried several years ago. I have no intention of getting remarried anytime soon but my question is should I consider an annulment or is it just intended just for people considering remarriage? :confused:
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There would be no need to go through the expense of an annulment process unless you might at some point consider the possibility of another Marriage. You do however also need to always remember that you must live as though you are now Marriage to someone who is just absent.
 
Church law permits either party of a marriage to challenge its validity in canon 1674.

This arises from a right to know one’s canonical status in the Church so that one knows his or her duties, obligations and rights. In particular, as canon 1058 states, All persons who are not prohibited by law can contract marriage. So it may be a question of determining if that right can be exercised even though there is a prior marriage which is presumed valid.

Yet the law does not require that the petitioning party have a reason. If one does not intend or even foresee the possibility of a future marriage, it may be done for peace of mind. This is not infrequently the reason petitions are made.

Those with limited means still have this right, and so the law provides for certain forms of reductions in fees or even gratuitous assistance.

I would counsel discussing this with your parish priest.
 
kelly(name removed by moderator)25 said:
I was married to a non-catholic “in the church”. We’ve been divorced over 10 years. He remarried several years ago. I have no intention of getting remarried anytime soon but my question is should I consider an annulment or is it just intended just for people considering remarriage? :confused:
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In the eyes of the Church, you are still married.

The act of petitioning for nullity does not necessarily mean it will be granted. In other words, you may, or may not, be free to marry in the future. Do not view this process as a “Catholic divorce” because it isn’t. You can’t even date (which means you’re considering marriage) until you know whether you are free to marry. So, yes, see your pastor, or parish Advocate, to get the wheels in motion.
 
Considering how long it takes to get an annulment, one to two years, I would encourage you to petition for an annulment whether you plan to remarry or not. From my perspective, it is best not to let these things hang out there unresolved.
 
Ray_Scheel said:
To (hopefully) simplify YADA’s answer: Yes, you should consider petitioning for nullity now. Resolving that is ideally done and resolved well before one is already considering another attempt at marriage.
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Thanks, I need help!!! 😉
 
Ray_Scheel said:
To (hopefully) simplify YADA’s answer: Yes, you should consider petitioning for nullity now. Resolving that is ideally done and resolved well before one is already considering another attempt at marriage.
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I agree with Ray…I applied for nullity as soon as my divorce was final, not because I am dating or hoping to date, but because I didn’t want to have to think about my ex again in 10+ years when/if another relationship happens.

Two priests told me that the Church would actually prefer that more people do it that way. But 90% of folks wait until they have to think about it.

It’s a sometimes painful, not very expensive, but very healing process. I personally recommend it.
 
kelly(name removed by moderator)25 said:
I was married to a non-catholic “in the church”. We’ve been divorced over 10 years. He remarried several years ago. I have no intention of getting remarried anytime soon but my question is should I consider an annulment or is it just intended just for people considering remarriage? :confused:
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Short Answer - No it is not intended just for people considering remarriage.
If you believe that the marriage has no chance of reconciliation, then by all means apply. That way you will know whether it is appropriate should you ever consider remarriage.

Peace
James
 
kelly(name removed by moderator)25 said:
I was married to a non-catholic “in the church”. We’ve been divorced over 10 years. He remarried several years ago. I have no intention of getting remarried anytime soon but my question is should I consider an annulment or is it just intended just for people considering remarriage? :confused:
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Actually, now is the perfect time. You can be certain that there is no chance of a reconciliaiton (since he has remarried already) and you yourself aren’t dating or thinking of marriage at the moment, which means that you aren’t “counting on” a decision in your favour, and you’re not in any rush - it’s not going to be upsetting to you when things go temporarily awry. or when things are slower than they were supposed to be.
 
jmcrae said:
Actually, now is the perfect time. You can be certain that there is no chance of a reconciliaiton (since he has remarried already) and you yourself aren’t dating or thinking of marriage at the moment, which means that you aren’t “counting on” a decision in your favour, and you’re not in any rush - it’s not going to be upsetting to you when things go temporarily awry.** or when things are slower than they were supposed to be**.
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Har har har har har!! Ahem! Er…exactly. 😉

Several times, I used the phrase “the lightning fast wheels of the Catholic Church grinding into action” to decribe my annulment…and it really was faster than average! God bless those hearty souls who have to wait 3 years and up.
 
Besides needing a Nullity Declaration for "re"marriage, you would also need it if you should discern a vocation to the consecrated life!
 
I sought a determination of the validity of my marriage not because I was seeking to remarry, but so that I would know my marital status. Had the Tribunal found my marriage valid, I would live accordingly, despite the civil divorce. If, on the other hand, it found my marriage invalid, I would know I could be open to other relationships.

The “unintended consequence” of the process, however, is that I found so much solace and healing. By the time it was over – it took three years – it didn’t really matter so much what the determination was. I understood things about myself that I never saw before. I had the potential to forgive great hurts that I never could have earlier. The process set me free – not the determination. And I will be forever grateful.
 
IrishAm said:
I sought a determination of the validity of my marriage not because I was seeking to remarry, but so that I would know my marital status. Had the Tribunal found my marriage valid, I would live accordingly, despite the civil divorce. If, on the other hand, it found my marriage invalid, I would know I could be open to other relationships.

The “unintended consequence” of the process, however, is that I found so much solace and healing. By the time it was over – it took three years – it didn’t really matter so much what the determination was. I understood things about myself that I never saw before. I had the potential to forgive great hurts that I never could have earlier. The process set me free – not the determination. And I will be forever grateful.
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IrishAm,
Thank you for this testimony. It says so well what I think many of us feel who go through the process. I wish that some others who are critical of the annulment process in the US could recognize this aspect better.

Peace
James
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
There would be no need to go through the expense of an annulment process unless you might at some point consider the possibility of another Marriage. You do however also need to always remember that you must live as though you are now Marriage to someone who is just absent.
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My point which may not have been clear was that there is no requirement for an annulment just because of the civil divorce.
 
One does not petition for the possibility of another marriage. Some do so for the possibility of entering the religious life. There is at least one priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago who had recieved a decree of nullity which is why he was able to enter the priesthood.
 
jmcrae said:
Not without plenty of pre-marital counselling, because of the previous failure to contract a valid marriage.
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Counseling isn’t required in every case. When the Tribunal finds for nullity, they can place requirements on either or both former spouses.
 
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