I'm catholic, married for a little over two years and recently divorced. I'm probably going to start the annulment process. Any advice, feedback?

Thanks,
Llama

Hi Llama,
I am Catholic too and received an annulment this year with suprisingly little effort on my part. My exh was not Catholic, we were not married in the Church, and our marriage was never blessed. Because of these three factors I was given an annulment on the grounds of "Lack of Form".

I had to give the priest a certified copy of the marriage certificate, my baptismal certificate, and my divorce decree. The priest asked for a copy of my exh's baptismal certificate. My ex wouldn't cooperate on this issue but the priest said it really didn't matter. One week after I turned in the papers the priest called me to say he had the final annulment papers in his office.

Here in Columbus Ohio the process was free. I have had other people tell me they have paid over $1000.00 for an annulemnt.

Good luck in your quest. My parish priest made me feel so welcome and loved in my return to the fold that I have found a new appreciation and respect for our faith that I never had when I was young. Take care, Lisa

Hi llama! I usually post on the GQII board, but visit here often because I am beginning to realize that this is where I will most likely end up. I, too, am Catholic and will need to seek an annulment.

WH obtained an annulment prior to our marrying. It took 18 months and was pretty intense with regard to the who, what's and wherefore's. I would be happy to answer any questions that I can...post away!

Regards,

Brit's Brat/BS-41
WH-43
DS-11 months today!
Status: After Plan A-ing out the ying yang, Love Bank is empty and I am contemplating next steps....

I guess my biggest question is this:

First, I don't have a forwarding address for XH. He has moved to a different city (don't know where). I do have an address for his mom where he has his mail forwarded to.

Okay, my question: Can he stop or cause me trouble in getting the annulment? I know if he doesn't respond, etc. that I can still get it.

My priest said I should have no trouble getting one. I would think my XH would want one too especially if he ever marries a Catholic girl again. He was baptized Catholic, but that's it. He has never received any sacraments except for marriage.

I don't want to "bash" my XH in any way, although in retrospect, I feel he didn't fully understand the receiving of a "sacrament" when we were actually married.

Any feedback or advice you have to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Llama

Hi -
I am in the process of getting an annulment. I started the process in March. I answered a million questions about my marriage. It came out to be 20 typed pages. I think it was a healing thing for me, as I realized that although I wasn't the perfect wife, I did everything I could to fulfill my vows and to keep my family together. As I reflected on the questions, it also helped me to realize I wasn't to blame for my husband's infidelity and eventual abandonment.

My ex husband refused to cooperate with the proceedings. My priest says that shouldn't effect the outcome, but encouraged me to list extra witnesses because of that. It is ironic that my ex H wouldn't cooperate, as I became Catholic when I married him so that we could be the same faith.

I dreaded starting the process, but am very glad I did. His repeated infidelity makes me fairly certain I will be granted an annulment. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions. Oh yes, and it cost me $500 to cover administration costs. They do stress that they don't want cost to be a reason you don't do it, though.

Krista

I don't think your ex can "stop" you from obtaining and annulment unless he responds in a way that would cause the Marriage Tribunal to say that a sacramental marriage actually existed. The best thing you can do to avoid this is to make sure that your answers to the questions weave in examples of why the requirements for a sacramental marriage were not present. I have a book that explains all of this, but am at work and can't rememember it's name. I will look for it tonight and post the name of the book.

Brit's Brat/BS-41
WH-43
DS-11 months
Status: Back up the rollercoaster.