Post # 1
Member
2 posts
Wannabee
I was married to a man that had been divorced, so I never had my wedding in a Catholic Church. Though he was going to ask his ex-wife for an annulment , he never went through it and we ended up marrying outside the Catholic Church . Now I am engaged to my soul mate, a man I have known since we were teens and he is wonderful. I want for us to have that wedding that we both well deserve. I have all my sacraments and my fiance has his. Now the difficult task is getting my ex husband to ok his chuch to give us a copy of his baptism in order for me to get an annulment from that marriage. He is very elusive and hard to get a hold of. I was married to someone who was controlling, etc…. I don’t know how the Church is going to me this annulment and feel very much on the outside. I wanted to get married this year, but with this ordeal I don’t know when we will be able to marry. Our parents are much older and I though I could get married this year.. Help.
Post # 3
Member
563 posts
Busy bee
Well I have been there and done that. My first marriage was not done in the catholic church. We quickly separated and divorced. Fiance and I are both Roman Catholic. The Diosce here is pretty strict but once they took my statment (read that as I had to fill out a booklet about my past), a copy of my sacraments, a copy of my old marriage license and finally 2 witness who swore to God everything I was saying was true, I put it all together with a $50 check (there fee for verifying everything) and about 6 weeks later I got my release letter and Fiance and I will be getting married in a Roman Catholic Church!
Post # 4
Member
4 posts
Wannabee
If either of you was a Catholic at the time of marriage, and you didn’t marry in the Church, the marriage was not valid. Therefore, as the previous poster said, it’s a pretty straight-forward and easy process (as opposed to other annulments) and is called a “Lack of Form” case.
Post # 5
Member
2104 posts
Buzzing bee
GFPchicken is correct–your first marriage wasn’t valid in the church, so it should be a fairly quick and easy process…contact your priest or diocescan Family Life office.
Post # 6
Member
476 posts
Helper bee
http://catholicweddinghelp.com/questions/divorce.htm
Can we get married in the Catholic Church if one of us is divorced?
No, unless the previous marriage is found to be not valid or the former spouse has died (Canon 1085).
The marriage covenant is sealed by God, and the Church does not have the authority to dissolve it (see Catechism #1639-1640); the Church bases this on the teaching of Jesus (see Mark 10:6-12).
Check with your Parish– My girlfriend (Catholic) was married in a backyard ceremony to someone who had been baptized in the Trinity, but was not Catholic in a nondenomenational ceremony and she DID have to have an annulment. They married in February and separated in September. Several of us had to complete the interrogatories and submit them, and she had to have at least two meetings with her church tribunal. Her annulment was granted, but it was not a simple process and took about a year and a half. Her ex-husband did not cooperate with the investigation but did verify that had been baptized. The rest was done through our (and her) sworn statements.
Good luck!
Post # 7
Member
1729 posts
Bumble bee
@gardenlover1: Any interest in the Episcopal Church? Hopefully everything works out swimmingly with getting your annulment, but in the off chance that it doesn’t—the Episcopal Church might be a great option for you. Most Catholics find the Episcopal Church very similar to what they’re used to, although more lenient on things like marriage. That’s why we call it “Catholic Light”.
Post # 8
Member
95 posts
Worker bee
It sounds like your first marriage was in a Christian Church, just not a Catholic one. If you were married civilly (justice of the peace) with no dispensation from the Catholic Church, you would qualify for a Lack of Form case. If you were married in a Christian ceremony, you have to go through the annulment process. Since you first husband was divorce (not annulled), he was not free to marry in the eyes of the church. Therefore you should get an annulment but you have to go through the annulment process.