Hi - I'm wondering if anyone who has divorced and petitioned the Church for an annulment, how long it took, how difficult is the process and if you were successful? Thanks so much for any input.

In my diocese it cost $600, took 11 months, and required a 20-page questionnaire. Plus I had to supply contact information for 6 witnesses, and I believe the diocese needed answers from 3 of them, on a 6-8 page form. Those details will depend on the diocese. But in all cases, an affirmative decision has to be reviewed automatically by another diocese, adding another 4-6 weeks. Bear in mind that their focus will be on the time leading up to the wedding ceremony. It's not really about what happened leading to the divorce. You have to couch the application in terms of something being wrong from the very beginning.

If you might someday want to get re-married in the Church, start now and not when you get serious with somebody else. It seems to take at least a year everywhere.

If you don't want to get re-married in the Church, it's probably not worth it. The annulment doesn't do anything else for you. There are lots of Catholics and ex-Catholics opposed to annulments, too.

Whichever, best of luck.