TranslateReasons & Grounds
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Because there are many reasons why a marriage may lack one or more of its basic elements, it is not possible to list and explain them all here. Almost all of them, however, correspond to one or more of the following questions:
- Was the marriage ceremony legally acceptable to the Catholic Church?
- Were both spouses free to marry each other?
- Was each spouse adequately prepared to understand, accept and fulfill the rights and the obligations of marriage?
- Did each spouse intend to accept and fulfill what, in the Church’s tradition, has been taught as the divine plan for marriage?
- Was the marriage physically consummated after the wedding?
- Were both spouses baptized Christians either before or during the marriage?
If someone can honestly answer NO to one or more of these questions as it applies to his or her marriage on the wedding day, then it is possible that some reason or ground exists for church annulment or dissolution.
For more information and further assistance, please contact the Tribunal office.
Office of Canonical Services and Tribunal
Diocesan Pastoral Center
PO Box 5147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
Phone: 609-406-7411
Fax: 609-406-7424
E-mail: tribunal@dioceseoftrenton.org
Español
Servicios de Canónico/ Tribunal
Personas que hablan español: Evelyn Aguiar, Nelida Agosto
Número de contacto: 609-406-7411
Tiempo completo
Each request is as unique as the persons who entered the marriage. While no one can be guaranteed an affirmative decision in advance, a person who thinks his or her marriage was defective from the beginning should be encouraged to request the study of that marriage. Many have already received justice through this process. At times people express the fear of reopening old wounds and hurts by going through a church process of nullity or dissolution. Yet the deeper self-understanding that can come from an honest and searching study of one's broken marriage can heal these wounds and hurts much more profoundly, and provide part of the solid foundation for a lasting and successful marriage in the future.