I came to this forum because I am in a similar situation. My fiance was a lapsed Catholic and is now planning to re-enter the Church. He and his now ex-wife had a child out of wedlock. He married her in July 2012 so that he could join the Air Force and retain rights to his daughter. If one is sworn into the military as a single/divorced parent, they have no rights whatsoever to their dependents. So, essentially, he married her for her paperwork and had no intention of staying married from the beginning. It’s a vicious thing, but he truly felt he was choosing the lesser of two evils. He desperately loves his daughter, and he wants to be sure she ensured all of the benefits the military provides.
Now we wish to be married, and we have looked into the annulment process because I am Catholic. He has NOT been confirmed (I guess his parents never got to that back in the day), so I wonder how long this process may take. If he goes to confession and receives the Sacrament of Confirmation, if I understand correctly, he is fully received back into the Church. Does that affect the annulment process at all? I can’t stand the thought of it being over 2 years before we are able to wed over 7 months of being married, which was altogether miserable. They didn’t live together, her name never changed, and they never really even saw each other. It was just a piece of paper.
Oh, and I have never been married. I think that’s probably significant. Please help! I cannot and will not marry him without the Church’s blessing, but my heart deflates at the thought of such a lengthy deferment.
THANK YOU, and the Shalom of Christ with all of you!