Annulments

Annulments:
One of the most misunderstood aspects of Catholic life  

Unlike a divorce, which states that a marriage that once existed no longer does, an annulment is a declaration by the Church that the prior union never had the binding force that characterizes marriage. An annulment does not deny the reality of the wedding or the experience of the spouses during married life but rather says that because something was lacking when the bride and groom spoke their wedding vows, the marriage did not have the binding force that Jesus taught.
 

How could a marriage qualify for an annulment?   

If any of these conditions existed at the time of the wedding, a marriage would qualify for an annulment: 

• If the marriage ceremony was not legally acceptable to the Catholic Church  
• If either spouse was not free to marry. 
• If either spouse was not prepared to understand, accept and fulfill God's plan for married life.
•  If either spouse did not intend, from the outset of marriage, to accept God's plan for married life (e.g., the refusal to have children, or to be faithful, or to marry for life)

 

Who needs a Church annulment?    

Anyone, Catholic or not, who was previously married and whose former spouse is still alive, and who wants to marry someone else in a Catholic ceremony. The Church respects as valid the marriages of persons who are not Catholic. If a divorced person who is not Catholic wants to marry a Catholic, our Church requires proof that the prior marriage never had the binding force that Jesus taught.
 

Is there a cost?  

In the Trenton Diocese, the administrative fee is not less than $50 nor more than $800. The cost depends on the type of case and the expense of preparing it. The fee represents less than half the actual expense because the Bishop funds the balance from donations of the faithful. If someone needs a reduction of the fee or wishes to pay it over time, arrangements can be made.  
 

How long does the process take?

The Tribunal is committed to completing each process in a year or less. The length of the process depends on many factors: e.g., the ease or difficulty in finding proof, the extent of cooperation of the persons who are involved, and the availability of Tribunal staff.
 

Where does one start the process?  

The process should begin with a parish priest, deacon, or approved annulment advocate in one’s home parish.
 

What is the status of children of a marriage after a Church annulment?   

Children become and remain legitimate when or because a wedding ceremony has taken place. They can never lose that legitimacy even after an annulment. No one can use a Church annulment or dissolution to claim he or she no longer has parental relationship with, or obligation toward, the children.
 

Can a wedding date be set for a person who has been previously married?  

In the Diocese of Trenton, a date may not be set until the freedom of a person to marry is established with a death certificate of the prior spouse or a Church annulment of the prior marriage.
 

Does the former spouse have to be contacted?

The Tribunal must inform the former spouse about the process and his/her right to participate in it. The Tribunal does not require former spouses ever to contact one another and does not release the address or telephone number of either spouse to the other. If there is concern that the Tribunal's contact may cause harm, this should be known and discussed ahead of time.

For more information, contact the Diocesan Tribunal:  
          609-406-7411  (Mon-Fri 9:00 am to 4:30 pm)  [email protected]\