Married to a divorced Protestant

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While I was away from the chruch I married a divorced Protestant. Her family was very devout and wanted her to get married in the family church (to which she is a member). Now I have begun to rediscover my faith and have returned to the Catholic Church. I wish to recieve communion, but feel that since I wasn’t married in a Catholic Church I am no longer able to recieve. I want to ask my wife to get her first marriage annulled. Her first marriage was also to a Catholic in a Protestant Church, which I believe could be grounds for an annullment. Others have told me that the Catholic Church doesn’t recogonize the initial validity of the first marraige (a Catholic marrying outside the church) so no annullment is needed and I could get the our marriage convalidated. Which is correct?
 
From the information you have provided, it appears that the first marriage was in fact invalid, but it requires a declaration of nullity determined by the church tribunal to know that for certainty. If your wife is willing to cooperate, I would strongly suggest you have her seek an annulment from that first marriage. It should be relatively easy, although you’ll have a fee to pay to process the paperwork.

Once that is done, your parish priest can walk you through what is necessary to have your marriage blessed in the Church. At that point, you’re home free to return to communion.

In the meantime, there is another way of returning to communion, but it requires that you and your wife live as brother and sister until your marriage is blessed in the Church.

Good luck and God Bless,

CARose
 
Will we need to get my wife’s first husband involved? He left her and left no manner of contact. He was believed to be living in CA, but she was never able to locate him. When they were getting divorced she wasn’t able to get him served because of this and had to publish her divorce request in CA newspapers in order to inform him.
 
It is not always necessary to contact the other party, especially when seeking an annulment based on nullity of form (i.e. it wasn’t a Catholic wedding). Speak to your priest about this, but I think in situations where it is impossible to contact the other spouse, a case can still go forward.
 
You will need to know what parish the first husband was baptized in, so that a copy of his baptismal certificate can be obtained. I don’t know if knowing the diocese is sufficient.

In any event, you need to talk to your priest to get the ball rolling, so that is your next step.
 
Does anyone know any good resources that explain a Catholic annulment to a non-Catholic?
 
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Does anyone know any good resources that explain a Catholic annulment to a non-Catholic?
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Your priest will have all the information you need. You’re not the first guy with this problem. God love ya! Welcome home!
 
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Does anyone know any good resources that explain a Catholic annulment to a non-Catholic?
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There are some really good books out there…

Marriage, Divorce & Nullity: A Guide to the Annulment Process in the Catholic Church
by Bishop Geoffrey Robinson

Annulments and the Catholic Church
Edward Peters here on Catholic Answers:
Annulments and the Catholic Church

There are probably others. You can also Google on the subject and find some online answers…
 
This Catholic Update article, Ten Questions on Annulment is a quick read. In particular, question 3, “How can you require an intended spouse who is not a Catholic to endure this annulment process?” addresses the emotional side of annulments that other write-ups often gloss over:
Such a requirement often represents an unpleasant challenge to Protestant, Jewish or nonbelieving persons who wish to marry a Catholic after the civil termination of a previous marriage. They may have no difficulty with remarriage after divorce and even feel resentful about the prospects of a Roman Catholic formal annulment procedure.
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I would never try to explain or resolve this thorny and emotional issue over the telephone, but only face-to-face. The explanations above may help to clarify the issue, but negative feelings often remain. After hearing their often painful stories and explaining the Church’s procedures, I offer a comment along these lines: “The only reason you would go through this process is out of love for your prospective marriage partner. Without the annulment, marriage in the Church is not validly possible. This is a prospect that will trouble your intended spouse now and in the future. For you to complete the procedure would be a great act of self-giving love.”
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This seems particularly appropriate to answer your question.

from the article provided by Catholic2003
7 Joe, a lifelong Catholic, had a miserable first marriage that ended in divorce. He now seeks to marry Joannah, who is Catholic too, but has never married. They are deeply in love and want a Catholic wedding. What if Joe’s previous marriage was “outside the Church,” say, by a justice of the peace?
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The Church requires that a baptized Roman Catholic marry before one of its representatives, usually a priest or deacon, unless special permission was granted otherwise. When a Catholic does not observe this requirement and marries “out of the Church,” and eventually divorces, the annulment process involves two steps.

The first is securing the Catholic’s baptismal record, a copy of an official document indicating the location of the marriage and the person who performed the ceremony, and the divorce papers. The second is completing a relatively brief form that seeks the above information and asks a few additional questions about circumstances concerning the celebration of the marriage.

This form and the supporting documents showing who witnessed the wedding are sent to the bishop’s office or, more specifically, his diocesan marriage tribunal. It ordinarily processes the application in a few days and returns the petitioner an annulment or declaration of nullity based on the “lack of canonical form.” The individual is now free to pursue subsequent marriage within the Church.**
 
Update: My wife and I had our convalidation on Saturday, Th anks to everyone on these forums for your support through the whole process.🙂
 
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Update: My wife and I had our convalidation on Saturday, Th anks to everyone on these forums for your support through the whole process.🙂
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Congratulations and thanks for the update. It is nice to hear a positive outcome.
 
Congratulations! I’m glad everything worked out so well. May God bless your marriage abundantly.
 
Congrats! That was a short one, only took you from May '05 through September '06. Nicely played, whatever tribunal did it!
 
Congratulations! I am so happy for you, that your wife was willing to cooperate with you in this and that her annulment was returned. It’s great that you have now had your marriage convalidated!

Now you can enjoy both the Eucharist and your marriage!! 🙂

How did your wife handle it when you first approached her regarding the need for an annulment?

Know that you are blessed to have come through this to this end.

Congrats again!

CARose
 
When I first approached her with it she was against it. From her objections I figured it was a case of confusion with what annulment and convalidation mean. I had to read up on the whole process, I attended a seminar on the annulment process given in my diocese, and I was able explain the entire process to her and calm her concerns. After a few discussions she came around and understood what I wanted. Ironically, it was the fact that I wasn’t taking communion which convinced her.
 
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