Annulments

Did you know?

A common situation for many:
      1. Are you a divorced Catholic who would like to remarry?
      2. Are you a Catholic who was married in a civil ceremony, rather than in the Catholic Church?  
      3. Would you like to have your civil marriage blessed (validated) by the Church?
  

1. The Catholic Church  teaches that marriage is a community of life and love, an enduring and exclusive partnership between a man and a woman for the giving and receiving of love and for the procreation and education of children. 
2. According to Church teaching, every valid marriage between two baptized Christians is a sacrament. 
3. If neither or only one person is baptized , then the marriage is not a sacramental marriage, but it is recognized as a sacred bond and is valid.
4. The Church teaches that certain elements must be present in order for a marriage to be valid.  Some of these elements would be: 

• Maturity
• A personal commitment to marriage and to the other party
• Emotional stability
• Belief that marriage is a lifelong and faithful union with openness to children 

5. For a marriage to be declared invalid in the eyes of the Church, a basic element must be missing from the very beginning of the union.

1. An annulment is a declaration by the Catholic Church that after careful investigation by the Marriage Tribunal, flaws were discovered in the relationship that prevented it from becoming a marriage. 
2. An annulment has no legal binding on civil matters nor does it render the children illegitimate.
3. An annulment is for the spiritual aspects of the marriage.

1. An Annulment Advocate is a layperson trained by the Tribunal that represents the person seeking the annulment and safeguards his or her rights in the annulment process. 
2. The Advocate will assist you in the filing of your petition with the Tribunal.

If you are interested in learning more about the annulment process or would like to petition the Tribunal of the Diocese of Palm Beach for the annulment of your marriage; please contact the Annulment Advocate for St. Anastasia Cindy Noelke in the Parish Office.