Marriage in turmoil

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Ellen_Mary

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I don’t know if anyone can offer advice or help. But prayers would be very welcomed. I feel trapped by my marriage. I have recently returned to the Church. I am disabled and I have been married to my 2nd husband for 7 years since 2006.

I was married previously 1986 (outside of church) and divorced and annulled in 1993. My first husband left when our daughter was 10 months old. My current husband was also previously married. His first marriage was in Catholic Church and ended when his wife left him and their two small children. He married again and this marriage only lasted a week as this wife tried to kill him. (Apparently she had mental health issues, was medicated but stopped her medication on the day of their wedding)

In the beginning we had a good married life, in all aspects. I lost my lovely dad 7 months before we married, and I lost my darling mum 9 months after we married. Losing my mum nearly killed me and I still feel the loss deeply. My husband was supportive at the time, but I found more and more that he was just being deceitful and secretive. I felt so unworthy and so unlovable.

I was depressed after losing my mum but even worse just 3 months after losing my mum my daughter who was 15 and a virgin was drugged and raped by a man that she knew. She kept it a secret from me as I wasn’t in a good place after losing my mum, and that truly breaks my heart. My daughter went off the rails and she and my husband had a rough relationship. I just felt torn, I always stood up for my daughter with him, but he just kept putting us down. I have always tried to work on our marriage, as I didn’t go into it lightly, but my husband doesn’t seem to care.

I discovered my husband was having a ‘text’ affair in 2009. By this I mean he was exchanging text messages up to 30 a day some days, and also phone calls with another woman. I found out because she text his phone and I saw it. He lied and I knew he lied, but he kept lying for over 8 months. I found a way to read his texts online and set it up. I again gave him chances to come clean but he denied all suspicions. So I showed him the proof, and he cried and said she was just a friend, but they were declaring each other their soul mates, and he called her ‘his future wife’. He promised he would stop. This carried on for over a year.

I had instinct that it was going on but he denied it again, this went on for at least a year. Then by chance he rang me one day, so I answered. I don’t know how but his ‘real’ phone rang me while he was talking on his secret second phone. I heard him tell her he loved her, and heard him laughing he was so happy! I confronted him when he came back and he denied it as he did before but eventually he admitted it. Again tears and again he begged for another chance. He said this was another woman, but I don’t know after all the times of lying previously.

I owned my own house when we met, and now we have sold that and bought this house together. I feel this is what he wanted as he didn’t have any security but now he has. He stopped being intimate with me and just stopped showing any affection or love at all. During this time we sold my house and moved into the country. If I see his mobile phone now its wiped of text messages and call log is wiped. I ask him why he just offers a lame excuse.

About 10 days ago he got a call and he said he didn’t know who it was; his mobile wasn’t working properly so he asked me to look at it. While I was doing that it rang, and a woman asked for my husband, I said who is it? She said ‘who are you’ and I replied, I’m his wife. I heard her gasp and pass the phone over, and then a man said ‘who are you’ I again replied I’m his wife, and he kept saying No you can’t be, you’re not his wife over and over. The man wouldn’t say who he was. I hung up and my husband was very angry at me for speaking to the man. I replied I’ve done nothing wrong! This man then rang at least 8-10 times and I spoke to the caller about 3 times. Each time was like the first, he didn’t say who he was, but he did say my husband was a b*****d and that he (the man) loved my husband! My husband says he has no idea who the caller was or what it was about.

As I recently returned to Church I went to confession and my priest gave me the phone number of a marriage councillor, as I want to be able to receive communion, but at the moment I don’t until I sort out my husband’s previous marriages, and have our marriage validated so I can go to communion. My husband and I live without any sexual contact and have for around 3 half years. Due to everything that’s gone on I feel trapped. I want to return to communion but my husband (who is a lapsed Catholic) doesn’t want to attend Church. I asked my husband for confirmation that his previous marriages were divorced, and to my horror he said he can’t remember if he got divorced from his previous wives!! He told me that his second wife had died before we married but now I’m thinking what if he lied and married me bigamously.

Can you please pray for me, I feel so trapped and feel that I can’t trust anything my husband says or does? I hate living like this. Thank you for taking time to read all this, and I’m sorry to have gone on for so long.
 
I forgot to add that in 2011 I again found out he was having a ‘text’ affair and I told him to leave… My aunt had just died the day before and he talked me around to letting him stay until after the funeral. I eventually agreed (STUPID decision) and after the funeral we just kept plodding on. I also forgot to mention that my husband is addicted to porn and masterbation which he does most days.

My beautiful daughter is now 21 and doing well. We went to the police when she found out this man had also drugged and raped a friend of hers, after he did the same to my daughter. Unfortunately the police didn’t/couldn’t do anything as it was historic. My daughter and her friend found he’d raped 3 other girls, but they were too scared to go to the police, and wouldnt tell their parents. My daughter developed mental health issues and was seen as a out patient at a mental health hospital. She had councelling and I’m so proud of her she is doing fantastic. She has resumed her education doing an open university degree in psychology and criminology while working part time.

I have no proof that my husband has ‘met’ and had a physical relationship with any of these women or man. But I have no proof that he didnt either. Its just such a mess and I pray for him asking Our Lord to help him.
 
WOW! First of all you are in my thoughts. Secondly I need a moment to process all of this. The “good” news is that if he is not divorced from his previous wives your marriage isn’t legal, which means you can walk away unscathed legally.

Emotionally, I would pray but also plan to leave, this is deception on top of deception. Now you have proof that he may or may not be in a homosexual relationship outside your marriage. I think you are smart not to be having sex with him right now.

seek LEGAL council, don’t let anyone tell you to solely rely on spiritual/emotional council you should cover ALL your basis.

I’m at a loss. Praying for you…
 
Ellen Mary;10629644 said:
but at the moment I don’t until I sort out my husband’s previous marriages, and have our marriage validated so I can go to communion.

My husband and I live without any sexual contact and have for around 3 half years. Due to everything that’s gone on I feel trapped. I want to return to communion but my husband (who is a lapsed Catholic) doesn’t want to attend Church. I asked my husband for confirmation that his previous marriages were divorced, and to my horror he said he can’t remember if he got divorced from his previous wives!! He told me that his second wife had died before we married but now I’m thinking what if he lied and married me bigamously.

Can you please pray for me, I feel so trapped and feel that I can’t trust anything my husband says or does? I hate living like this. Thank you for taking time to read all this, and I’m sorry to have gone on for so long.

I will definitely pray for you, I am so sorry for the pain you are going through! :hug1:

When I was reading through your post the bolded part especially stuck out to me. If you are not currently validly married to this man then there is absolutely no way you should even begin to consider becoming validly married to him. Period. The whole situation you have just described in your post is not a healthy one, and, given your husbands infidelity and lack of true contrition for such it is extremely unlikely that you would even be able to be married validly due to lack of true consent on his part. Not that you should ever dream of getting into a marriage to a man like this. It sounds like you are trying to convalidate the marriage so that you can receive communion, but you also say that you are not intimate with your husband. If you go to confession and you and your husband live as brother and sister, then there is absolutely no reason why you can’t receive communion. You should not be trying to convalidate this relationship. That is just a recipe for disastor. As I said, I will pray for you, but please please drop any idea of trying to convalidate this marriage, it is not the right solution in this case.
 
I will definitely pray for you, I am so sorry for the pain you are going through! :hug1:

When I was reading through your post the bolded part especially stuck out to me. If you are not currently validly married to this man then there is absolutely no way you should even begin to consider becoming validly married to him. Period. The whole situation you have just described in your post is not a healthy one, and, given your husbands infidelity and lack of true contrition for such it is extremely unlikely that you would even be able to be married validly due to lack of true consent on his part. Not that you should ever dream of getting into a marriage to a man like this. It sounds like you are trying to convalidate the marriage so that you can receive communion, but you also say that you are not intimate with your husband. If you go to confession and you and your husband live as brother and sister, then there is absolutely no reason why you can’t receive communion. You should not be trying to convalidate this relationship. That is just a recipe for disastor. As I said, I will pray for you, but please please drop any idea of trying to convalidate this marriage, it is not the right solution in this case.
Thank you for your reply. I hoped the fact that we live as brother and sister might mean that I could recieve communion so to hear that is good. I was only trying to validate the marriage in order to recieve communion so that would be the best outcome. As a result I of what my husband said about his earlier marriages, I sat and realised that if we’re not actually married, it would be a relief and I would definately NOT agree to marry legally. I feel so hurt by him that the idea of going through with a second wedding (if the first does turn out to be bigamous) fills me with horror.

Thank you both so much for your comments. I’m in UK so I dont know what legal issues would arise from this marriage if it was bigamous with regards to my home. This house is now in his name as well as mine (we sold my house to buy this one) and I wouldnt be able to afford to sell it and give him 50% and buy another house as there wouldn’t be enough money left.
 
Oh My Goodness! You have so many problems and all I can do is keep you in my prayers that you find a way out of this situation. God Bless.
 
I agree with previous poster. Why would you want to convalidate your marriage to this man? If you are not validly married in the Church, you are not married. Leave him. Take your daughter, get some family counseling (you and your daughter) and leave.
 
I agree with previous poster. Why would you want to convalidate your marriage to this man? If you are not validly married in the Church, you are not married. Leave him. Take your daughter, get some family counseling (you and your daughter) and leave.
I wanted to get my marriage validated so I could recieve communion. However now I’ve been told that I could recieve communion without doing so, as we live as brother and sister I won’t do it. Thank you for your advice I appreciate it.
 
I don’t know what to say except, I will pray for you, dear sister.

May the Good Lord bless and protect you and keep you and your daughter in his loving care,
and may the Holy Spirit guide you in all you do, and lead you to the kingdom and life eternal.
Sacred Heart of Jesus please hear our prayers.
 
I don’t know what to say except, I will pray for you, dear sister.

May the Good Lord bless and protect you and keep you and your daughter in his loving care,
and may the Holy Spirit guide you in all you do, and lead you to the kingdom and life eternal.
Sacred Heart of Jesus please hear our prayers.
Thank you Georget that means a lot to me more than I can say. Thank you for your kindness.
 
I wanted to get my marriage validated so I could recieve communion.
Sorry I missed that part. What a wonderful desire that is!

You’re probably already aware, but the reason you couldn’t receive Communion in your current irregular marriage situation is because it’s sinful to have marital relations with someone who is not your spouse. Refraining from marital relations (i.e., living as brother and sister) is one way to keep yourself in a state of grace. Another way would be to end your relationship with this man entirely.

God bless.
 
Catholic or not, I would advise you to leave him.
Get the marriage annulled after the civil divorce and start looking out for a nice truly Catholic man who understands what marriage is.

Your present husband has no idea, nor is he willing to learn. And obviously he is not willing to live it.

You will breathe free when he is gone.
Good luck and bless you.
 
Thank you for your reply. I hoped the fact that we live as brother and sister might mean that I could recieve communion so to hear that is good. I was only trying to validate the marriage in order to recieve communion so that would be the best outcome. As a result I of what my husband said about his earlier marriages, I sat and realised that if we’re not actually married, it would be a relief and I would definately NOT agree to marry legally. I feel so hurt by him that the idea of going through with a second wedding (if the first does turn out to be bigamous) fills me with horror.

Thank you both so much for your comments. I’m in UK so I dont know what legal issues would arise from this marriage if it was bigamous with regards to my home. This house is now in his name as well as mine (we sold my house to buy this one) and I wouldnt be able to afford to sell it and give him 50% and buy another house as there wouldn’t be enough money left.
There must be legal aid there in the UK - you can find out if his previous marriages were in fact, dissolved. If there’s one thing I know about the UK - EXCELLENT record-keeping!! Please enlist the help of an attorney or someone in the legal field and find out if this man really is a bigamist or not. You need to know at least that before going any farther. I would think that a legal aid office could also advise you about your house.

And after that, go to your priest and make a full and honest confession, and then you can receive the Eucharist again. In your situation, you need that grace!

If there is any way to kick your husband out of the house, I would do that rather than having you leave him. I know that is not likely to be possible, but do explain to the legal aid people that he has been unfaithful to you and see what can be done about it.

Glad that your daughter has gotten her life together.

You’ll be in my prayers.
 
My goodness. I agree with the prior posts-- if you find that your marriage is not valid, I would not get it validated, as he is clearly not committed to it.

I am praying for you, that you might find the path God means for you to take at this point in your life.
 
Thank you all for your advice, I really do appreciate it. I have today rang the number my priest gave me for marriage commission. I left a message asking them to ring me, then rang them back and asked for them not to ring me! They’ll probably think I’m a nut but I don’t want to have to have a conversation about all of this if my husband is in the room.

I have sent an email explaining why I didn’t want them to ring, and outlining my predicament and asking if its possible to recieve communion whilst living as brother and sister. The poor man will probably have to lay down in a dark room after trying to understand the email :bigyikes: But I wanted to explain fully why I’m in the situation I’m in.

Because I am disabled my husband is my carer, so its not as easy as just leaving him. If I did I’d have no where to go, and he certainly wouldnt leave. This home was bought solely from my house sale and the money I inherited from when my darling mum passed away. I wouldn’t be able to get another home as I’m unable to work anymore. So I think if the marriage and family life commission agree it would be easier to just stay as I am and carry on.

Thank you all so much for caring enough to reply and keeping me in your prayers, that really does mean the world to me.

Thank you and God bless.
 
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