Annulments

[vern_humphrey]

I’m instructing a convert in preparation for RCIA. He has been divorced and remarried, and so has his wife. So they both need annulments.

We are a small, isolated parish, without a full-time priest (our priest comes from a town about two hours away.) We have to make do with our own resources in most cases.

My friend wants to talk about the annulment, and I need to be able to be there for him – but I’ve never been associated with the process. He has questions like, “What are the chances of being rejected?” “How long will it take?” “How do we talk about it to our grown children?”

Yes, he will have an advocate, but he needs a friend here.

Can anyone help me, so I can help him?

 

[Christy_Beth]

I went through an annulment, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be. But I’ll try. It took about a year for my annulment to go through. But I don’t know if that’s average or not. Plus, I hadn’t remarried. I’m still not remarried so that wasn’t the reason I did it. I don’t know if that will affect how long it takes. But, if I remember correctly, they won’t be able to take the sacraments until after that because of the remarriage. Once the annulment comes through, they can then have their marriage blessed and there won’t be any impediment to refrain them from getting the sacraments. So, they need to start the annulment process as soon as possible.

 

[deogratias]

No two cases are alike and there are many factors involved. But for general information I might recommend a book called Annulment - your chance to remarry within the Catholic Church by Joseph P Zwack

A step by step guide using the new code of canon law

I believe this is available on Amazon.com

See also

catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0209frs.asp

and

ewtn.com/library/YOUTH/DIVOANNU.TXT

and

you could do a search on Catholic Answers Live for the real audio version of this

Catholic Answers Live interview with Dr Edward Peters, a canon lawyer and author of 100 Answers to Your Questions on Annulments

 

[Deacon_Ed]

vern humphrey:

I’m instructing a convert in preparation for RCIA. He has been divorced and remarried, and so has his wife. So they both need annulments.

We are a small, isolated parish, without a full-time priest (our priest comes from a town about two hours away.) We have to make do with our own resources in most cases.

My friend wants to talk about the annulment, and I need to be able to be there for him – but I’ve never been associated with the process. He has questions like, “What are the chances of being rejected?” “How long will it take?” “How do we talk about it to our grown children?”

Yes, he will have an advocate, but he needs a friend here.

Can anyone help me, so I can help him?

Vern,

The first two questions have no answer. The third one has a simple answer. However, I would suggest that, in addition to the book that has been recommended, you need to put him in contact with the Tribinal (Office of Canonical Services) at the chancery office.

If he would prefer, I would be happy to dialog with him via email. It happens that annulments are my area of specialization in my Latin parish.

Send me a private email if you wish to pursue this.

Deacon Ed

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

vern humphrey:

I’m instructing a convert in preparation for RCIA. He has been divorced and remarried, and so has his wife. So they both need annulments.

We are a small, isolated parish, without a full-time priest (our priest comes from a town about two hours away.) We have to make do with our own resources in most cases.

My friend wants to talk about the annulment, and I need to be able to be there for him – but I’ve never been associated with the process. He has questions like, “What are the chances of being rejected?” “How long will it take?” “How do we talk about it to our grown children?”

Yes, he will have an advocate, but he needs a friend here.

Can anyone help me, so I can help him?

Annulments are difficult processes. It would be best that he speak with the priest when he is there. The questions you posted are best left unanswered, Because no one knows what the chances are, or how long it may take! In many cases there really is no need to talk about it. Since it really does not include them.

 

[mercygate]

Dear Vern,

You are kind to try to help these people but they need professional counsel – at least for the technical questions.

Be there to hold their hand, because they need somebody to do that. But think about it this way: If you were a general practitioner in rural Alabama, and a person came to you with a complicated brain tumor, would you refer the patient to a neurosurgeon in a distant city or do the surgery yourself?

 

[vern_humphrey]

mercygate:

Dear Vern,

You are kind to try to help these people but they need professional counsel – at least for the technical questions.

Be there to hold their hand, because they need somebody to do that. But think about it this way: If you were a general practitioner in rural Alabama, and a person came to you with a complicated brain tumor, would you refer the patient to a neurosurgeon in a distant city or do the surgery yourself?

I want to thank everyone for their answers – and especially for the leads to learn more.

In a small, isolated parish such as ours, we are mostly on our own. Yes, you can talk to the priest – but he has about a hundred miles to drive, and another mass to celebrate in another isolated parish. So he can’t take long.

Yes, my friend could drive to Little Rock and find someone there to talk to – but that’s a three and a half hour drive, and he’d have to take time off from work.

So we are better off doing what we can locally.