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Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 4/29/2008


Question
Father,
I am a divorced, baptized, non-catholic who is engaged to a practicing catholic who's divorce has been annulled by the church.  We would like to marry in the catholic church.  What steps must we take in order to do this?

Answer
Hi, Nancy:
Thanks for the question.
I would say that your first step for getting married eventually in the Catholic Church would be to present yourselves to the local Parish Priest and work thru the process.
As you present your circumstances, exactly what things need to be addressed will come to light; however, these are the theoretical scenarios, based upon the information you have provided.
Since your Catholic fiancee has got an anullment, he ought to be free to marry, though there may be a provision in the anullment for specialized counseling being required before entering into another marriage...
As a baptized non-Catholic previously married there are 3-possibilities that I can see:
1. You had been married to a non-baptized, in which case the marriage could not have been sacramental, and you might seek a Petrine Privelege through Rome to dissolve the non-sacramental union in favor of your Faith.
2. You had been married to a non-practicing Catholic who would have been bound to Canonical Form, but perhaps chose not to observe it, in which case the attempted marriage would have been null and invalid without sacramental force in the Church.  Such a case as this is called a "Lack of Form" petition.
3. You had been married to a baptized non-Catholic; in which case the marriage would need to be taken thru the formal case of the anullment process in the Diocesan Tribunal.

I hope that the local Parish Priest and staff of the Parish will be able to help you through these matters...I wish you the best in everything, and a Blessed Easter!

Fr. Timothy Johnson

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Fr. Timothy Johnson

Expertise

A Traditional Catholic Priest, validly and licitly ordained, incardinated legally and canonically in the Diocese of Fargo, and in good-standing with my Local Ordinary (Bishop) on active assignment at a rural Tri-Parish. I can provide honest and balanced answers to questions on topics pertaining to Traditional Roman Catholicism of the Latin Church (Councils of Trent and Vatican II)and a lot about the Eastern Catholic Churches, including the Sacred Liturgy, Sacred Scripture, Church History, the use of the Latin language, the tradition of Sacred Music, and current events in the Catholic Church from a traditional, historical and balanced perspective.

Experience

I have been ordained a Roman Catholic Priest since June 2001.

Organizations
Knights of Columbus; Church Music Association of America (CMAA)

Education/Credentials
Ordained Priest, 02 JUN 2001; Ordained Deacon, 27 JAN 2001; MA - Dogmatic/Systematic Theology; MDiv - Professional Degree from Seminary; 2-Years formation with Canons Regular of Premontre including studies and experience in Sacred Liturgy, Chant, Latin, Sacraments, Spirituality. BA - Scholastic/Thomistic Philosophy; BA - Liberal Arts; AA - General Studies.

Past/Present Clients
I serve 3-small, rural Parish Communities in Easter North Dakota
I converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1981, at the age of 15. Over the years I have done work as an organist, cantor, and choir director for the Latin Rite (English & Latin) Mass (Liturgy of the Eucharist), and even for the Hours of the Divine Office. I have worked as a cantor for a Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church. Presently my pastoral and administrative duties as a Catholic Priest do not allow me as much time as I used to have to devote to Sacred Music; but for my weekend Masses and Solemnities within my Tri-Parish, I offer High Sung Mass in English. Weekday Mass is typically Low Mass (recited Mass) in English, though on occasion I will offer the "Tridentine Mass" in Latin, which I usually offer on my "Day Off", as well. And now, in light of the "Motu Proprio" by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI placing the extraordinary usage of the Roman Rite back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, I have been offering a regularly scheduled SUN, 2:00 PM Tridentine Latin Mass with a community of the faithful that has a stable existence.

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