Navigating the Annulment Process

The Catholic Church understands marriage to be a permanent and exclusive partnership between a man and a woman for the giving and receiving of love and the procreation and education of children.

Those who have been baptized also receive the sacrament of matrimony, when they marry validly.

The Church believes every valid, sacramental marriage that has been consummated is indissoluble.  This is the law of God according to evidence found in the Old Testament, the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the writings of St. Paul, and centuries of Christian Tradition.

Although not every marriage is a sacrament, every marriage (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, non-believer, etc.) is presumed to be a valid marriage. The good of all concerned (spouses, children, in-laws, society, the Church, etc.) demands this presumption.

How is an annulment possible? In every presumption the opposite can be true. If sufficient evidence can be shown that a particular marriage is invalid, the original presumption no longer holds true. Therefore, when it can be proven a specific marriage is not valid, not a sacrament or not consummated, there is a possibility the Church will declare it to be invalid.

For more information, please visit the Diocese of Jefferson City Tribunal Office page.