Below is a brief explanation of why the Church believes as It does about marriage. Our Coordinator will walk you through the entire process.
To begin the annulment process, please contact:
Martha Canedo
Procurator Advocate for the Diocese of Dallas
972-279-6155 ext. 119 [email protected]
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 Christ gave us 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 whether it was sacramental.
You do not have to be Catholic to live 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 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 Martha for further information and to help you in this process.
What about Confidentiality?
All of the evidence that is gathered is confidential. If the Respondent, your ex-spouse, does choose to participate in the case, then they are informed of the "grounds," which 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 the file, you must 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 the file, and you are not to take notes; you can read and discuss with your Advocate and/or a Tribunal employee what the material in file means. NO evidence obtained in an annulment may be used in any continuing civil actions.
If your ex-spouse does not live in the Dallas area, the case can be reviewed at the Tribunal where that individual 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 purely a religious matter.