Non-Catholic Marriage

[Jazel]

I was married to a non-Catholic in a non-Catholic ceremony. Am I even considered married by the Church? My first marriage which ended in divorce (because of me) was also to a non-Catholic in a non-Catholic ceremony. Do I need to seek an annulment for that, or did that one not “count” either?

And yes, I’ll be speaking to a Priest this weekend about this and many other subjects as I seek to return to my faith - just thought I’d see what the consensus was here among the folk

-Jim

 

[1ke]

Let’s see if we have the facts straight:

(1) You are baptized Catholic, but have not been practicing the Catholic faith (you wrote you were “returning”)

(2) You have been married and divorced twice. These marriages were not in the Catholic Church.

(3) You did not complete Catholic marriage preparation with a priest, nor did you receive a dispensation from canonical form for either of these marriages.

If (1) - (3) above are valid assumptions then:

(A) Neither of your previous two attempts at marriage were valid in the Catholic Church

(B) Marriages which lack canonical form do not go through a full Tribunal process for a decree of nullity (annulment). They are what are known as “documentary cases.” There is paperwork involved, and the priest will guide you through it.

I am glad are returning to a full practice of the Catholic faith! You might also want to seek counseling with your priest or a Catholic counselor regarding why your prior marriages failed and how you can change your patterns of behavior.

 

[Jazel]

Let’s see if we have the facts straight:

(1) You are baptized Catholic, but have not been practicing the Catholic faith (you wrote you were “returning”)

(2) You have been married and divorced twice. These marriages were not in the Catholic Church.

(3) You did not complete Catholic marriage preparation with a priest, nor did you receive a dispensation from canonical form for either of these marriages.

If (1) - (3) above are valid assumptions then:

(A) Neither of your previous two attempts at marriage were valid in the Catholic Church

(B) Marriages which lack canonical form do not go through a full Tribunal process for a decree of nullity (annulment). They are what are known as “documentary cases.” There is paperwork involved, and the priest will guide you through it.

I am glad are returning to a full practice of the Catholic faith! You might also want to seek counseling with your priest or a Catholic counselor regarding why your prior marriages failed and how you can change your patterns of behavior.

Well, actually, I’ve only been divorced the once. I am currently married to a non-Catholic. I realize now I didn’t word that very well in my OP. Is my current marriage considered valid in the church? (no Priest, non-Catholic ceremony) And thank you for your answer.

And believe you me, I will definitely be talking to a Priest or Counselor about myself and the hows and whys of my first (and God willing, Only) divorce.

-Jim

 

[jmcrae]

Well, actually, I’ve only been divorced the once. I am currently married to a non-Catholic. I realize now I didn’t word that very well in my OP. Is my current marriage considered valid in the church? (no Priest, non-Catholic ceremony) And thank you for your answer.

And believe you me, I will definitely be talking to a Priest or Counselor about myself and the hows and whys of my first (and God willing, Only) divorce.

-Jim

You will be asked to seek a Declaration of Nullity for the first marriage. From the surface appearance, it seems as if this will be a “slam dunk” as they say on the sports channel. But make sure to dot all your "i"s and cross all your "t"s. The Marriage Tribunal will assist you with this. Answer all of their questions truthfully, and all will go well.

Once a Declaration of Nullity has been obtained for the first marriage, you will then be free to marry the second person in the Church, assuming the situation is actually what it appears to be. (This is sometimes called a “marriage validation.”) You will want to do that as soon as possible.

CAVEAT: If the advice you are given by your own priest and/or your own Marriage Tribunal differs, please follow their advice, and not mine, for the sake of your soul.

Welcome back!

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

Well, actually, I’ve only been divorced the once. I am currently married to a non-Catholic. I realize now I didn’t word that very well in my OP. Is my current marriage considered valid in the church? (no Priest, non-Catholic ceremony) And thank you for your answer.

And believe you me, I will definitely be talking to a Priest or Counselor about myself and the hows and whys of my first (and God willing, Only) divorce.

-Jim

Definitely the right answer is to talk to a priest. I can post a couple of quotes from canon law to help you out with info while you wait for your meeting. Is the non-Catholic baptized? If so, here is one quote that can help answer your question:

Can. 1124 Without express permission of the competent authority, a marriage is prohibited between two baptized persons of whom one is baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it after baptism and has not defected from it by a formal act and the other of whom is enrolled in a Church or ecclesial community not in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Can. 1125 The local ordinary can grant a permission of this kind if there is a just and reasonable cause. He is not to grant it unless the following conditions have been fulfilled:
1/ the Catholic party is to declare that he or she is prepared to remove dangers of defecting from the faith and is to make a sincere promise to do all in his or her power so that all offspring are baptized and brought up in the Catholic Church;
2/ the other party is to be informed at an appropriate time about the promises which the Catholic party is to make, in such a way that it is certain that he or she is truly aware of the promise and obligation of the Catholic party;
3/ both parties are to be instructed about the purposes and essential properties of marriage which neither of the contracting parties is to exclude.
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P41.HTM

 

[1ke]

Well, actually, I’ve only been divorced the once. I am currently married to a non-Catholic. I realize now I didn’t word that very well in my OP. Is my current marriage considered valid in the church? (no Priest, non-Catholic ceremony) And thank you for your answer.

No. You are not validly married in the Church. You will need to do the paperwork for your first marriage.

Then you and your current spouse will need to complete premarital counseling and a premarital investigation to convalidate your current marriage, which will include permission from the bishop to marry a non-Catholic. Does your current spouse have any prior marriages?

I noticed in your other post you talked about getting a vasectomy. A permanent intention against children could be an impediment to a valid marriage in the Church. A vasectomy would certainly be evidence of that! Again, I encourage you to talk to a priest about everything-- seems you’ve been away a long time and have non-Catholic thinking influencing you. Contraception is grave matter. I urge you to learn natural family planning.