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Home / Offices & Ministries / Marriage Tribunal / Annulments
Annulments
Process
- A person seeking to begin the process must have obtained a civil divorce.
- The process can take up to 18 months to complete.
- There is no cost for an annulment in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
- There are many ministers trained in the Archdiocese (known as Procurator Advocates) to accompany one through the process.
"The Catholic Church presumes that marriages are valid, binding spouses For life. When couples do separate and divorce, (the annulment process) Examines in detail the marriage to determine if, right from the start, some Essential element was missing in the relationship." (Rev. Joseph Champlin, Catholic Update 2002)
Divorced Catholics may consider remarriage following a decree of nullity, commonly known as annulment. An annulment determines that at the time of marriage something was missing in the relationship preventing the marriage from being sacramental. There was a valid, legal and civil marriage, but not a valid sacramental marriage.
The annulment process leads the divorced petitioner to prayerfully and honestly reflect on the marriage to determine if there was something missing right from the start, were there warning signs before the wedding? Were there deep difficulties early on in married life? Did you and your spouse share the same understanding and expectation of marriage?
Many people feel an inner peace and spiritual closure after completing the annulment process.
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