Hi again, thank you for all of your honest answers about marriage and divorse in the church.
My two previous marriages were not in the church, the first one was a rent a minister type of guy who did the cermony in his garage and the second was a woman minister in the "I do Chaple" I was very young the first time, just turned 18 and the second time I was pregnant and wanted it done right away quickly..only I lost the baby two months after the marriage because of my husbands actions (which I won't get into..I left him)
My question is I am 31 and I have been with my new fiance for 9 years and have a child together. We want to be married and I want to do it the right way this time. Will I need the anulments because my previous marriages were not recognised by the church, or will I still have to get the annulments...and how long does that take? Has anyone been through this type of situation before?
2007-08-01 06:17:29 · 6 answers · asked by Kiki's Treasure 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The previous responders who said you don't need to get your first two marriages annulled are wrong. Canon Law says they MUST be annulled if you wish to marry again. (If you don't wish to marry again, only your second marriage would have to be annulled for you to start receiving the sacraments again.)
Yes, you'll still need the annulments, but it sounds like they won't be hard to get.
Call your priest. Explain to him that you really want to be properly married to your current fiance, but you need to acquire decrees of nullity for two previous marriages. You will start with the first. You will need to have documentation like the marriage license, the marriage certificate and things like that, plus whatever forms the priest gives you to fill out. The fee will cover the cost of canon lawyers and investigators to look into this marriage.
The "rent a minister" might not be recognized by the Catholic Church and therefore might get you an immediate "lack of canonical form." If not, being "very young" and not properly instructed/prepared for marriage is sometimes grounds for declaring the marriage to be non-sacramental.
Likewise, the Church probably will not recognize the authority of the female minister at the "I do Chapel," which is usually a justice of the peace thing. If that doesn't work, getting married in a rush because of pregnancy is typically grounds for a decree of nullity.
At any rate, I think you are in pretty good shape, but each case is decided individually, so nobody can say absolutely.
The amount of time it will take depends on how busy the tribunal is in your diocese. Only a priest in your diocese can give you an estimate of how long that takes, but decrees based on "lack of canonical form" usually are much quicker -- a few months, perhaps, and you can only do one at a time because if the first marriage is deemed valid, the second is automatically invalid.
Honestly the best thing you can do is talk to a priest. Don't worry --they want to help you make it right as much as you do.
Oh, and don't forget, if your finance has any previous marriages, they would also need to be annulled, even if he's not Catholic.
2007-08-01 06:48:56 · answer #1 · answered by sparki777 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
OK
You will have to have both marriages annulled. and it is done one at a time.
First of all talk to your priest, he will be able to help you with all of this in more detail.
But basically, if you were catholic at the time of your first marriage and did not have that marriage recoginized by the catholic church, then it won't be a problem getting it annulled. You didn't follow proper form to be married so it wasn't a valid marriage to begin with. Same for the second marriage.
If you were not catholic when you got married the first time, then you will have to go into more detail. You will have some paperwork to fill out.... and it will be very personal and very emotional. once the first marriage is annulled then you will have to do the second one.
As for how long, it just depends on your diocese and how many annullements they are working on....
AGAIN TALK TO YOUR PRIEST!!!!
I know that some people are telling you that you don't have to have your other marriages annulled, but you do. I have been there and done that.... the best advice is TALK TO YOUR PRIEST!
2007-08-01 06:27:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't need annulments from the church but you might want to check the legal obligations that might still be in effect. I'm sorry for your past experiences and hope this new one turns out the way you hope. However I have to say, the right way would have been to get married BEFORE living together and having a child.
2007-08-01 06:29:59 · answer #3 · answered by drivn2excelchery 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If the previous marriages were not in the church, they were not recognized by the church and so therefore no annulments are needed. Sorry to hear about your past life I hope your future will be much brighter for you.
2007-08-01 06:24:52 · answer #4 · answered by Animal Girl 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You have nothing to annul in the eyes of the Church.
Only if you'd been married by a priest would you have to get annulments.
You might have to go to the sacrament of penance about the living-together thing, but that's all.
Good luck! Prayers are with you!
2007-08-01 06:20:49 · answer #5 · answered by Acorn 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
THE LAST ANSWERER IS QUITE CORRECT
2007-08-01 06:31:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋