How do I find out if my marriage really was annulled?

[Pattycat]

I had a very brief marriage 35 years ago in the Catholic Church in the state of Colorado. Within a year, a divorce was filed in Las Vegas, Nevada. We did not keep in touch afterwards going very separate ways. I did hear “through the grapevine” details, long forgotten, that my former husband had the marriage annulled in the Church. Having recently returned to Mass and my roots in the Church, it would be wonderful to learn the marriage had been annulled so that I could once again partake in Communion. I just have no idea how to go about finding out. Any help would most certainly be appreciated.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

It is very unlikely that your marriage would have been annulled by the Church without your knowledge. As a general rule, both spouses must be informed of the annulment proceedings undertaken by a marriage tribunal so that they may have the opportunity to defend their marriage bond. Only in very exceptional cases, such as when one spouse is considered a danger to the other spouse’s life, can an annulment proceed without duly notifying both spouses.

That said, if an annulment was granted to your husband by the Church, it likely would have been granted in the diocese in which your husband was residing at the time he petitioned for the annulment. If you know which diocese that might be, you can contact that diocese and request assistance in finding out if an annulment was granted by the local diocesan marriage tribunal.

**Recommended reading:

**Annulments: What You Need to Know by Jimmy Akin
Annulments and the Catholic Church by Edward Peters