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getting remarried

area0814area0814
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in Catholic Weddings
Hey ladies! This is going to be my first wedding but my fiance has already been married. He did not get married in a church or have a catholic ceremony. I was wondering if anyone knew the rules about him getting remarried in a catholic church. I keep hearing different things. that he wont have to get an anolment because his ceremony wasnt in a church but sometimes I hear he does! Im so confused, thanksss!! xo
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Re: getting remarried

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    Tuneful_BrideTuneful_Bride member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Best thing to do is speak to your priest ASAP. If he was married by a clergy member, even if it wasn't in a church or in a Catholic setting, he will likely need an annulment. If it was before a JOP or nonordained person, he will probably not need an annulment.
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    Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    he'll need an anullment, but the good news is that it shouldnt take too long since the marriage was not valid to begin with.  a friend of mine only had to pay a small fee (1 or 2 hundred) and fill out a piece of paper.
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    agapecarrieagapecarrie member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    It actually depends on whether your fiance is Catholic or not. If he wasn't at the time of his first marriage, then he wasn't bound by canon law and the church presumes all marriages to be valid until proven otherwise. The church believes that marriages by non-catholics are valid, and if both are baptized, sacramental, even if they don't marry in a church. This marriage would need to get declared null by the tribunal before a date can be set. If he was a Catholic at the time of his first marriage, then he was bound by canon law and needed to follow the Church's guidelines for marriage. He would get an easier "defect of form" statement.Either way, talk to the priest at your parish and he can set you on the right path.
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    ootmother2ootmother2 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    If your FI is Christian and had a Christian ceremony, he will need an annullment.  Not that difficult though.   If he is not Christian and had only a civil marriage, it's mere formality to get the documents.If he is not Christion but had a religious wedding in a non christian temple, mosque, he will need an annullment.It's gets pretty complicated, just call your priests and he will help you get things rolling.
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    drod58drod58 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am getting married by the church (or convalidation) at my 25th anniversary.  We are married only by the judge and we both are catholic.  This is his first marriage and it is my second.  My first marriage was also by the judge.  When we met with the priest he said that I need an annulment of my first marriage and I paid $100 for the paperwork.  I had to give the priest copy of my first marriage certificate and copy of the divorce papers.  Also, he asked for a copy of my current marriage certificate.I submitted all the papers to the priest in August 2008 and we had our next meeting in May 2009 and he said that everything was good to go.  I don't know exactly how long it took the annulment process.
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    Sydney.O.RutledgeSydney.O.Rutledge
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    edited December 2011
    I think agapecarrie has the most accurate response.  It is easiest if FI is Catholic and married outside a Catholic Church.It may be easier in some cases if FI is not Christian and married secularly, but that has not been my experience.  I'm pretty sure that ANY other marriage is presumed valid and requires a "full" annulment.Talk to your priest.  If you have trouble getting a meeting with him, find the tribunal on the website for your diocese and give them a call.
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    Leah&Christian09Leah&Christian09 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My H was in the exact same position. He JOPed with some girl so she wouldn't get deported. They divorced 6 months later. He had to get an annullment as to form. It was a simpler form of the annullment and only took 6 months. Start talking to your priest ASAP. They won't schedule your wedding or really talk to you about it until the annullment process is complete.
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    ffmaidffmaid
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    edited December 2011
    Talk to your priest. Depends on if he was married civil only or religious of any sort ect.
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    PyroWolfePyroWolfe member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    The priest you choose will be able to answer all those questions for you. Also, keep in mind that every church- even when it's the same faith- has different rules to follow. So just because one priest says "xyz" doesn't mean that another priest down the road will have the same requirements.
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    ootmother2ootmother2 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    ditto pyroMy church was quite lenient, others may not be quite so.As I said before, your priest is your best guide.
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    Equine OsmosisEquine Osmosis member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I did this and according to my experience it was extremely simple. If he's baptized Catholic then it will be very simple. It's a "lack of form" paper and I needed to provide names and addresses of 3 "witnesses" who knew I did not have a Catholic wedding. I paid $40 and the diocese sent out forms to each of my three witnesses for them to fill out. It took all of 2 weeks. They said that the time frame depends on how busy they are but the deacon who does this at my parish said he's never seen one take longer than about 2 months. Like pp said- keep in mind they won't continue with your wedding plans until they know both of you are free to marry in the church so better to do this sooner rather than later.
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    girllennongirllennon member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My DH is Catholic and was married before and the first ceremony was performed outside the church by a notary. According to our priest, he didn't need an annulment b/c the ceremony wasn't performed by any clergy, so therefore, the the marriage is not recognized by the church. We were able to have a full nuptial mass without running into any problems, so make sure you ask plenty of questions to clarify since annulments can take a long time to process (from what I've heard).
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