Married without an annulment

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My husband had been married twice before he married me. He obtained an annulment from his first wife but not his second. I am not a Catholic but I am a Christian and would be quite willing to convert. We got married in a church of England chapel 30 years ago. My husband goes to mass every week and is very strong in his faith and I know that it worries him sometimes that we are not legally married in the Catholic Church. What will happen when he dies, will he have to renounce me to receive the last rites?
 
My husband had been married twice before he married me. He obtained an annulment from his first wife but not his second. I am not a Catholic but I am a Christian and would be quite willing to convert. We got married in a church of England chapel 30 years ago. My husband goes to mass every week and is very strong in his faith and I know that it worries him sometimes that we are not legally married in the Catholic Church. What will happen when he dies, will he have to renounce me to receive the last rites?
You need to talk to a priest. If his second marriage was not in the Catholic Church, it was not valid anyway. You will never know the answers to these questions until you talk to a priest. You could get this information before you talk to your husband about it so you will know what is needed to do. It would be sooo much better if you could resolve this problem long before either of you die. Counting on the “last Rites” is not good. Many people die instantly. It is worth all the effort you make to get things right by God. Your in my prayers. God Bless, Memaw
 
My husband had been married twice before he married me. He obtained an annulment from his first wife but not his second. I am not a Catholic but I am a Christian and would be quite willing to convert. We got married in a church of England chapel 30 years ago. My husband goes to mass every week and is very strong in his faith and I know that it worries him sometimes that we are not legally married in the Catholic Church. What will happen when he dies, will he have to renounce me to receive the last rites?
Tell your husband that you will be happy to go to the parish priest and discuss your situation. It may turn out to be easier than he imagines to take care of this, and even if it turns out to be more difficult, it will be worth the effort in the end.

Was his second wife a Catholic and were they married in the Church, do you know?

What a blessing that you are willing to convert! 👍 Take it one step at a time and go see the priest ASAP.
 
When we are in heaven we are no longer married to one another. If it is a invalid marriage he can still have the sacraments. However he may have to repent if the marriage is not valid but the is for the sacrament of confession which is between him and God alone.
Don’t worry I am sure you will be fine
 
When we are in heaven we are no longer married to one another. If it is a invalid marriage he can still have the sacraments. However he may have to repent if the marriage is not valid but the is for the sacrament of confession which is between him and God alone.
Don’t worry I am sure you will be fine
None of what you have written is Catholic, I doubt if you are really a Catholic. If he is still married to his former wife, he is definitely NOT to take the sacraments or he will be receiving unworthily. He must apply for an annulment to see if that marriage was valid. If it is judged to have been valid, then his current marriage cannot be, and he cannot receive the sacraments. We go to a priest for confession but we cannot sin and presume that we will receive absolution, as that is a sin of presumption.

Your empty last statement is completely unhelpful.
 
You need to talk to a priest. If his second marriage was not in the Catholic Church, it was not valid anyway. You will never know the answers to these questions until you talk to a priest. …]
This is the best possible advice for you. Chances are that everything can be resolved and both of you can be fully reconciled with the Church’s teaching on marriage, but only a priest can guide you properly through what needs to be done.

If your husband’s first marriage was annulled before his second, and the second was a marriage in the church, then that second marriage will need to be reviewed to see if it might also be able to be annulled. If these conditions weren’t met, the second marriage likely wasn’t valid anyway and can probably be recognized as invalid quite easily.

Assuming that the nullity of his previous marriages can be established, and assuming that you don’t have any previous marriages or other impediments of your own that need to be resolved first, your marriage can then be convalidated and recognized by the Church. Again, your priest can guide you through all of this.

As it stands now, you and your husband are not actually married in the eyes of the church…so both should refrain from receiving the Sacraments. If, God forbid, your husband found himself needing to receive the last rites, he would need to renounce his sin. That’s not renouncing YOU, but could perhaps mean he needs to renounce his presumptive invalid marriage to you (since, in the eyes of the church, he is married to another).

But definitely start getting everything straightened out well before either of you needs the last rites! I work with the RCIA program in my parish (for people, like yourself, considering becoming Catholic) and we deal with these kinds of issues all the time. Be patient, follow the guidance of your priest, and chances are that everything can be resolved and ‘normalized’ in the eyes of the church with regard to your marriage.

God bless!
 
Thank you for your help. I will make an appointment to see a priest. The priest at my husbands old church in Berwick, Father Gallagher died and he always put the fear of God into me. We live in Sale now so hopefully there will be someone there that we can talk to quite openly. Yours Gratefully Veronica
 
None of what you have written is Catholic,
Actually, his statement that there is no marriage in heaven is accurate, and in accordance with Catholic teaching, to the best of my knowledge. In heaven, all people are part of the Church, which is the Bride of Christ. Therefore, there is no need for earthly marriage in heaven. Part of the reason for marriage being a sacrament is that it is a prefiguring of the Mystical Marriage between Christ, the Eternal Bridegroom, and the Church, His Eternal Bride. You are right about the rest of the statements, though 🙂
 
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