Expert: Tom Schott - 8/31/2008

Question
Good day to you!
I have a question and I hope that I make it as clear as possible. : )

I am a non-practicing, baptized Catholic (if there is such a thing). My mother is not Catholic and, when I was a child, never felt comfortable enough to take me to church. I believe in the ways of the Catholic Church but even now, I do not attend mass. I am recently engaged to a wonderful man. He is Polish and recently divorced from his wife of a year. They were married in a Catholic Church in Poland and moved here to California where she met someone else, left and divorced him. I met him after their divorce and we are now engaged to get married. My question is, is it at all still possible for the two of us to get married in a Catholic Church? If so, due to our time constraints because of the Immigration Laws (filing a Fiancé Visa takes 8-10 months and then when he gets here we only have 3 months to get married) would we have time enough to ensure that we could get married in a Catholic Church together? Is there anything he can do while in Poland to help ensure this? If not, after we are married is there anything we can do? Just a note, we do plan on regularly attending mass after he joins me here in California. : )

Thank you in advance for your help. Anything is greatly appreciated!

~Jade

Answer
Jade,

The short answer is yes, you can still be married in the church. But your fiancee will have to get his first marriage annulled by the Church before that can happen. While he is in Poland, he can and should take steps immediately to begin this process. I don't know how long it takes there, but here it's usually 9 months to a year. If that is not sufficient time, after you're married, you could be still married in the church under the same conditions as above: annulment of his first marriage.