Marriage
Annulments
The Catholic Church
teaches that marriage is a sacrament, in which the man and the woman are joined
in union with God our Father. The
marriage relationship, when entered fully by both man and woman is similar to
the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church. It is permanent and life
long. If the annulment process
determines at the time of the marriage, limiting factors where present that
prohibited a permanent and sacramental marriage, the marriage may be found null
and void.
The annulment process
evaluates the conditions of the marriage and determines if the man and the
woman were freely and with full knowledge, entering into a life long Christian
commitment. If the process determines that
circumstances where present that made the marriage null and void sacramentally,
then the Church will grant an annulment.
According to Church law, a person may not receive any further Sacraments if they are presently in an invalid marriage. This would apply to those that are married and have any previous marriages that have not been annulled. All previous marriages must be annulled before the Church will recognize and validate an existing marriage; this includes any previous marriages your spouse may have had, even if your spouse does not wish to join the Catholic Church.
If an annulment is
needed and not completed by Easter, the RCIA participant will have the
opportunity to complete their sacraments of initiation (Baptism, if needed;
Confirmation, and Eucharist) just as soon as the annulment is complete. If they so wish, they can wait until the
next Easter Vigil and receive the sacraments at that time.
The majority of
annulments are granted. It can be a
long process, so, if you believe this applies to you, please contact the RCIA
Director as soon as possible.
If you have any
further questions, please contact the RCIA Director. If you would like to begin the annulment process, please contact
the parish office at 817-284-4811.