Joining the church-remarried?

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belange

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I hope this is in the correct forum. I am currently in RCIA. My previous husband (whom I divorced) died last January. I remarried 33 years ago so I was remarried while he was still alive. I know I do not need an annulment, but does my current marriage need to be convalidated (I think that’s the word) before I can join the church and receive the Eucharist?
Thank you!
 
Hello,

A bit more information is needed. The man you are married to now–what was his baptismal status when you got married? I am presuming that he was free to marry you.

Dan
 
He was baptized Catholic. He had been previously married to a Jewish woman but they divorced. He received his First Communion but was never confirmed. He currently is not a practicing Catholic. Sounds like this could be tricky…
 
belange said:
He was baptized Catholic. He had been previously married to a Jewish woman but they divorced. He received his First Communion but was never confirmed. He currently is not a practicing Catholic. Sounds like this could be tricky…
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Is his previous wife still living? Did they marry in the Church?
 
HIs previous wife is still living. They were married by a Unitarian Universalist minister.
 
belange said:
HIs previous wife is still living. They were married by a Unitarian Universalist minister.
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Then it shouldn’t be tricky. Just some paperwork. 🙂

Unless your husband had dispensation to marry in a Universal Unitarian ceremony (unlikely), his marriage is probably invalid due to lack of form. It’s a very straightforward process to resolve but some documents will be required. It also doesn’t take anywhere near as long as an annulment.

Once that is taken care of, you can have your marriage to him convalidated. The convalidation is needed because at the time you married him, neither or you were free to marry.
 
Corki said:
Then it shouldn’t be tricky. Just some paperwork. 🙂

Unless your husband had dispensation to marry in a Universal Unitarian ceremony (unlikely), his marriage is probably invalid due to lack of form. It’s a very straightforward process to resolve but some documents will be required. It also doesn’t take anywhere near as long as an annulment.

Once that is taken care of, you can have your marriage to him convalidated. The convalidation is needed because at the time you married him, neither or you were free to marry.
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NOTE: they might still call it an “annulment” but as Corki says, this SHOULD be just a matter of paperwork (assuming your husband didn’t have a dispensation or a Radical Sanation).

God Bless.
 
Welcome to the Church!

Yes, your marriage needs to be convalidated, blessed by the Church. If your husband is a baptized Catholic who married outside the Church without a dispensation, this should be an easy matter. Discuss this with your pastor or RCIA director as soon as possible and gather the necessary paperwork for a “lack of form” case.
 
belange said:
HIs previous wife is still living. They were married by a Unitarian Universalist minister.
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Yes, as others have noted, you (the man you are currently, civilly married to, that is) will have to make it evident that both of you are free to marry. After that, you can marry in the Church (most would call it convalidation). You need to bring all of this to the priest in charge of the RCIA program.

Dan
 
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