Divorce

Divorce

     Divorce seems to be handled in some churches as the "unforgiveable sin."  At St. Joseph's Parish we believe in the regenerative grace of Jesus Christ and the renewing power of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, those who find themselves divorced should not feel that they are unwelcome to take part in the spiritual and sacramental life of the church.  On the contrary, those who are divorced ought to seek out the peace, hope and love they can find in the worship, preaching, teaching and fellowship at St. Joseph's.

     Although we welcome divorced men and women, we do believe in the sanctity of matrimony.  We do hope that every married couple will remain together in their lifetime.  We also hope that couples will use the sacramental, spiritual and practical resources that are available in the church to grow in their Christian faith and in their love for each other.  However, we realize that there can be impediments to marriage that may lead to divorce.

     In order to be remarried in the PNC Church, divorced members are required to complete the church annulment or marriage dissolution process.  There is no guarantee that an annulment or dissolution will be granted.  At least one of the many different grounds must be met and corroborated by the testimony of friends or relatives, who are preferably not immediate family members.  That may sound daunting, but it really is not.  The ex-spouse is not involved at all in the process and only the fiance and those who provide written testimony are a part of it.  And strict confidentiality is kept.

     Unlike the "horror stories" people tend to relate on the topic of church annulments, the process in the PNC Church is the exception.  There are no huge amounts of monies to "donate"  in order to receive permission to remarry and there are no outrageous application fees to pay.

     Presently there is a filing fee of just $100 to the Diocesan Matrimonial Commission and the only other charges are for photocopying the application and necessary documentation and for mailing.  At St. Joseph's the Pastor does not charge nor does he expect any kind of payment for meeting with the applicant and for preparing the application for church annulment or marriage dissolution.

     The Pastor is very sensitive to an applicant who may be wary or anxious about the process.  He is also careful to maintain the kind of sessions and setting one would expect at a counselor's office.  His own attitude and approach is to provide healing from the failed marriage and to build a strong foundation for the new marriage.

     Therefore, the person to whom the applicant is engaged to be married sits in at some of the sessions.  The Pastor will meet with the applicant only as often as it takes to complete the application, which includes a lengthy questionnaire, the testimony of two confidants and various documents.  There will be at least three meeting sessions to arrange.  A copy of the application is available to view and print at the link on the bottom of this page.

     Once the application is completed, it is sent to the Diocesan Bishop for dissemination to the three priests of the Diocesan Matrimonial Commission.  They will review the application and it is possible that they may require more information from the Pastor or the applicant.  They will then render a judgment to the Diocesan Bishop, who will then inform the Pastor if the application for annulment or marriage dissolution is granted.

     The Pastor will advise against completing applications for annulment or dissolution if he does not think any of the grounds can be met.  However, even if the Pastor does believe at least one of the grounds is met, couples should not finalize plans for marriage until the application is completed, reviewed and then decided.  Couples should allow at least three months for a decision.

     As Jesus said, "Whatever you (the Church) bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you (the Church) loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  (Matthew 16:19 and 18:18)  Therefore, it is imperative for the divorced who want to be remarried that they apply for a church annulment or dissolution of the previous marriage(s).  The bond of the previous marriage must be loosed before the new marital bond is made on earth and bound in heaven.