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Annulment Ministry
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Below is a brief explanation of why the Church believes as She does about marriage. It can be very confusing and seem daunting but really it is not that difficult and our Coordinator of Family Life has over 20 years of experience in this matter and will walk you through the entire process.
To begin the annulment process please contact:
Cecilia Jones, Coordinator Family Life;
Procurator Advocate for the Diocese of Dallas
972-596-5505 ext. 4222
cjones@eseton.org
OR You can complete the brief form below and Ms. Jones will contact you as soon as possible.
Once contacted she will assist you in determining which type of case yours is (there are several different types of cases) and in filing an annulment with the Dallas Tribunal.Marriage in the Catholic Church
The Church teaches that marriage is, by God's plan, an enduring and exclusive partnership between a man and a woman for the giving and receiving of love, and for the procreation and education of children.
Marriage is one of the 7 Sacraments given to us by Christ to have a closer relationship with God. An annulment in the Church has NO secular effects, we will always say you were married to your ex-spouse just that it was not a sacrament as our faith defines it. That is the purpose of an annulment in the Catholic Church, to determine if it was sacramental or not.
You do not have to be Catholic to be living in a sacrament so ALL prior bonds, whether your intended is Catholic or not and was married previously must be reviewed by the Tribunal and annulled.
Every first marriage, whether sacramental OR natural-including marriage between non-Catholics - is presumed by the Catholic Church to be valid. However, this presumption is not always correct. Hence, it is the responsibility of the diocesan Tribunal to determine whether or not a specific marriage may be invalid. Please contact Cecilia for further information and to help you in this process.What about Confidentiality?
All of the evidence that is gathered is basically confidential. If the Respondent, your ex-spouse, does choose to participate in the case, then they are informed of the "grounds," that is the basis upon which the invalidity of the marriage is being argued. Both you and your ex-spouse have the right to view personally all of the evidence that is gathered. If either of you chooses to review the evidence in file you are required to come to the Tribunal office, with your Advocate, to review the case in the Tribunal office. You review and sign a confidentiality agreement before you begin, you may not make copies of any material in file and you are not to take notes; you simply can read and discuss with you Advocate and/or a Tribunal employee what the material in file means. NO evidence obtained in an annulment may be used in any civil actions that are continuing. If your ex-spouse does not live in the Dallas area the case can be reviewed at the Tribunal in which that individual now resides. Confidentiality is extremely important and upheld in all annulment cases.
What about my kids? if an annulment is granted what does that do to my children?
An Annulment does not affect the legitimacy of the children of the marriage. Even if an annulment is granted the Church will always recognize the civil/secular, part of that marriage. A Catholic annulment has no legal bearing, it is purly a religious matter.