For more detailed information, please visit here or contact the parish office to make a confidential appointment to answer your questions and provide guidance.

As Jesus said, "So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder." (Mt 19:6)

What are the differences between Divorce and Annulment?
Many people seem to misunderstand Catholic annulment. In the Catholic Church, annulment is a result of the great value we place on marriage. Annulment upholds, rather than undercuts, the Catholic teaching on the sanctity and permanence of marriage.

Divorce says that you were once married, but now you aren't. Divorce is a matter of civil law.
A divorce is effective as of the date of the divorce decree. Before that, the couple was still married.
Annulment says you were never truly married in the first place. Something necessary for a valid marriage was missing. Annulment is a matter of Church law. A declaration of nullity affects the period of time starting from the original date of the wedding ceremony and that he couple was never married.

Marriage. To understand Catholic annulment, you have to understand marriage. The marriage between a man and a woman in the Catholic Church is a Sacrament. It's both a sign of the love between Christ and his Church, and also a participation in that love.

Catholics believe that marriage is permanent, "till death do us part." This teaching comes from Christ, as recorded in Scripture (See Mt 5:31-32 and 19:3-9, Mk 10:2-12, Lk 16:18).

Marriage, as God intended, includes vows reflecting what we promise our spouse:

1. Fidelity
2. Indissolubility (permanence)
3. Openness to children

For a marriage to be valid — something that "God has joined together" — a couple needs to:

1. Be able to exchange consent, and do so freely and unconditionally
2. Consent to fidelity, indissolubility, and openness to children
3. Not have any impediments to marriage (see below)
4. Follow the sacrament properly

If all four of the above requirements are met, then the marriage itself is valid. If not, the marriage is invalid. That's why we say that the Sacrament of Marriage is indissoluble. And even Catholic annulment can't dissolve a valid marriage, annulment simply states that a true, Sacramental Marriage was never created in the first place — therefore it was never valid.

The Church understands that the world isn't perfect. After all, we call it the "fallen world", as a result of our original sin. It means that things don't always follow God's original plan, and may not turn out the way they should — even in valid marriages.

Annulment for an Invalid Marriage. Catholic annulment declares that a couple didn't have one or more components necessary for a valid marriage, therefore a Catholic annulment simply declares that to be the case. God did not create the unbreakable bond between them because the Sacrament of Marriage was not fulfilled.

The term "annulment" is actually a little misleading. It sounds like the Church is actively canceling, or nullifying, the marriage. The proper term for Catholic annulment is "declaration of nullity": the Church declares that the marriage never was valid in the first place.

Separation. The Catholic Church does not say that a couple should always stay in a failed marriage. Yes, we strongly encourage people to try to reconcile things, especially if children are involved. But there are times when it is necessary to separate for serious reasons, and even seek civil divorce. This is especially true in cases where one spouse is abusing another.

But that does not change the fact that the couple is still married. God has joined them together, and that bond cannot be broken.

Don't think Catholic annulment affects the bond of a valid marriage! Nothing can break that bond, "as long as you both shall live."

Does annulment make our children illegitimate? Absolutely not! Children of a marriage that's determined to be invalid by a Catholic annulment, are still legitimate. (Code of Canon Law, canon 1137)

Remember, that when a couple marries, they assume the marriage is valid and was entered into in good faith. Children conceived under this assumption of a valid marriage, are considered to be legitimate. This fact does not change even if the marriage is later found to be not valid.

In the United States, Catholic annulment does not affect any state civil laws. It is unrelated to civil concerns such as illegitimacy, child custody, alimony, visitation rights, or division of property.

Status in the Catholic Church. Couples tend to seek a Catholic annulment when there is a need to clarify their status within the Church. This often happens after a civil divorce, when one person wants to remarry.
 

For more detailed information, please visit here or contact the parish office to make a confidential appointment to answer your questions and provide guidance.