Divorced & remarried while not Catholic

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Tasmaniac

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I was married about 7 years before becoming Catholic. Several years after I became Catholic my non-Christian wife left & divorced me after she became involved with another man while we were still together. I later stopped attending Mass because I felt guilty about being divorced & just felt I didn’t belong any more. About 5 years later I got involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses & remarried a JW woman while I was one of them. I was a JW for 20 years but left the JW’s about a year ago as I could no longer accept many of their beliefs.
I am considering returning to Catholicism & was wondering how my remarriage is viewed by the Church. My initial marriage wasn’t in the church as my 1st wife & I were both agnostic at the time & my 2nd marriage was performed in a JW Kingdom Hall. Would I be ineligible to receive the Eurcharist?
 
You should speak with a priest about what you might need to do or not do regarding your former marriages. You should not date nor enter into another relationship until you know and understand your circumstances. Only a Priest and or a Tribunal decision can determine that.

Since you are no longer in a relationship - if you desire to be reconciled with the Church and seriously begin living your faith - you should seek reconciliation for your sins through confession. Once that is accomplished - like all of us who fall into temptation, sin, feel remorse, seek repentance - you should be able to approach the Eucharist.

It is not the divorce that makes one unable to receive our Lord - but sin. Like any sins a person might commit that caused the breakdown of a marriage, any sins committed actually … For divorced Catholic persons - who have remarried outside the Church without a decision on the marriage that ended - they are prevented from receiving the Eucharist.

Also keep in mind - the Church presumes most non-Catholics are validly married - even if they are married by a Justice of the Peace. The Church would have presumed your first marriage was valid even though you were not Catholic … the second marriage would be presumed invalid - first because you as a Catholic [and you may have not considered yourself a Catholic but the Church would have] would have married outside the Church - second because they would have presumed your first marriage was valid.

I will pray for you - especially that this awakening of faith is sincere and permanent - and that you find the peace of Christ come alive in your life.
 
Tasmaniac said:
I am considering returning to Catholicism & was wondering how my remarriage is viewed by the Church. My initial marriage wasn’t in the church as my 1st wife & I were both agnostic at the time & my 2nd marriage was performed in a JW Kingdom Hall. Would I be ineligible to receive the Eurcharist?
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I would encourage you to talk to your local Catholic pastor. You are likely to get well meaning but inaccurate information on a public forum. As to when and whether you can resume the sacramental life, also something to discuss with your pastor.

Regarding your first marriage, you married each other and neither of you were Catholics at that time. Therefore, whether you married “in the church” or not is irrelevant. You were not bound to do so. This marriage would be presumed valid unless you can show a reason it was not.

It seems both your first and your current wife may be unbaptized individuals. The baptismal status of your first wife may open the avenue of Petrine Privilege to you if that marriage is a valid marriage.

That is all for you to discuss with the local pastor. One step at a time. First tell your pastor of your desire to return to the church and make a good confession. Tell him of your marriage situation, he will guide you.
 
YADA said:
You should speak with a priest about what you might need to do or not do regarding your former marriages. You should not date nor enter into another relationship until you know and understand your circumstances. Only a Priest and or a Tribunal decision can determine that.
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I believe the OP is currently in a marriage. Not twice divorced, just once divorced and remarried civilly.
 
Tasmaniac said:
I was married about 7 years before becoming Catholic… My initial marriage wasn’t in the church as my 1st wife & I were both agnostic at the time… Several years after I became Catholic my non-Christian wife left & divorced me…
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When you became Catholic, was your marriage convalidated or blessed by the Church?
About 5 years later I got involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses & remarried a JW woman while I was one of them… I am considering returning to Catholicism & was wondering how my remarriage is viewed by the Church. & my 2nd marriage was performed in a JW Kingdom Hall. Would I be ineligible to receive the Eucharist?
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Your first marriage might well be considered a valid marriage by the Church, which would be an issue for your second marriage. There may be options available to you, a decree of nullity or Petrine Privilege. You should talk to a good Catholic pastor about this.

Remember that from the Catholic point of view, you are still Catholic. You can and should attend Mass and develop a good prayer life while you work on this marriage issue.
 
I was searching around the internet & came across this

If I am divorced can I still receive communion?
If your previous marriage was not annulled and you chose to remarry, then no, because you would be in adulterous relationship and in a state of mortal sin. Otherwise it is perfectly acceptable to receive the Eucharist if you are divorced.
From HERE

Considering this, if I’m considered to be in an adulterous marriage & thus a permanent state of mortal sin then being a Catholic & going to Mass seems a pointless exercise as surely there can be no forgiveness unless I divorce my current wife. Also when I eventually die then there is no hope for me because I will die as an unforgivable mortal sinner. Am I understanding this right?
 
Tasmaniac said:
If I’m considered to be in an adulterous marriage & thus a permanent state of mortal sin then being a Catholic & going to Mass seems a pointless exercise as surely there can be no forgiveness unless I divorce my current wife. Also when I eventually die then there is no hope for me because I will die as an unforgivable mortal sinner. Am I understanding this right?
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Divorce and remarriage is indeed a very serious matter, as Our Lord makes clear in the Gospels. See Matthew, chapter 19 and Mark, chapter 10.

That is why I advised you to talk to a Catholic pastor and explore the possibility of a decree of nullity regarding your first marriage. It is very possible that your first marriage was not valid in the eyes of the Church, and that you can live in a state of grace.
 
If you are in a 2nd marriage without benefit of a prior annulment, you can choose to live as “brother and sister” with your current wife (no sexual relations) while trying to get an annulment.

As far as attending mass without recieving communion:
Every Catholic is obligated to attend Sunday mass and holy days.
Catholics are only obligated to receive the Eucharist once a year during the Easter season.

We go to mass to worship God; if we are in a state of grace and able to receive Him in the Eucharist so much the better. But just because we cannot receive does not mean we don’t attend mass.
 
1ke said:
I believe the OP is currently in a marriage. Not twice divorced, just once divorced and remarried civilly.
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Thank you -Yes, You are correct … it was late last night and I was tired .😊… you should never open the Catholic Answers Forum on your smart phone when you are turning in after a long week … sheesh :rolleyes:

What I said about the second marriage not be valid though because of the first is true … if he is still with his second wife … that would prevent him from receiving the sacraments …

👍 He really needs to heed what I said first … talk to his priest.I am not sure why people are so reluctant to go and openly discuss these things with a priest … that way they get [hopefully] the real truth and information they need.
 
PaulfromIowa said:
When you became Catholic, was your marriage convalidated or blessed by the Church?
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People who are received into the Church do not convalidate their marriage because it is already a valid marriage. Convalidation is for invalid marriages. Non-Catholics marry validly when they marry civilly.
 
Tasmaniac said:
I was searching around the internet & came across this

Considering this, if I’m considered to be in an adulterous marriage & thus a permanent state of mortal sin then being a Catholic & going to Mass seems a pointless exercise as surely there can be no forgiveness unless I divorce my current wife. Also when I eventually die then there is no hope for me because I will die as an unforgivable mortal sinner. Am I understanding this right?
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This is EXACTLY why I suggested NOT taking advice from the internet and instead talking to your pastor.

PLEASE do not despair. Your pastor can help you with your situation and assist you in resuming the sacramental life.

It is NOT true that there are no paths except divorcing your current wife. PLEASE stop reading random internet postings (which may or may not be written by people who actually know what they are talking about) and start by talking with your local pastor.
 
Thanks everyone who took the time to reply. I will talk to our parish priest about it.
 
Tasmaniac said:
Thanks everyone who took the time to reply. I will talk to our parish priest about it.
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That’s the best thing to do! Each individual case is just that - individual and there are things that we can’t take into consideration as may not know. For example was your first wife divorced when she married you? This would be a reason for your first marriage to be invalid.

The one thing I wanted to say is don’t choose a church based on your circumstances! Choose a church based on the truth. If you believe Catholicism to truly be the Church Christ founded, hiding from it isn’t going to change your situation!
 
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