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Expert: Fr. Timothy Johnson - 12/14/2007


Question
I'm trying to find answers on the procedure of an annulment.  My fiance was married for 5 years because he thought it was the right thing to do because there was a child involved, eventually he got a divorce.  We want to get married in the church but have it be recognized in the eye of the Catholic Church.  Any advice?

Answer
Hi, Jill:
Thanks for the question.
The procedure, as it pertains to individual Catholics such as yourself and fiancee, takes place on the level of the Local Parish.  You will have to present your needs and circumstances to the Pastor or his assistants at the Local Parish.  They will be able to provide you with the forms necessary to get filled-in to get the process started.  If it is a bigger kind of Parish with a lot of resources, they may even be able to provide you with a sponsor for your cause to help you get it expedited.  Each Diocese has a Marriage Tribunal Office, and it is at that next level up that the Parish works through the Pastor and Staff.
Always bear in mind, of course, that not every case is guaranteed a decree of nullity, or the granting of an annulment.  This is not simply a process for rubber-stamping and granting legitimacy to a divorce and remarriage - it is the forensic analysis of a previous marriage that might be demonstrated to have never been truly valid with sacramental force from the beginning for some reason.
I wish you the best in this endeavor.

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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