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Hi, Holly —
You probably won't be able to marry
in the spring unless all the previous
spouses are dead.
If either former spouse is alive
then you need to seek an annulment.
An annulment is granted if there
was some kind of pre-existing impediment
to the marriage. They are granted
fairly easily, but they are not a
sure thing.
The Church has
to determine if your previous marriage
was valid. Once the annulment is
granted then you can entertain the
idea of marriage. Until then, you are
still married to your respective
spouses in the eyes of God and His
Church. The annulment process takes
about a year and then you'll have
to go through pre-Cana to prepare
you for marriage.
Matrimony is a Sacrament, it's not
just religious ritual for the sake
of the couple. Therefore Catholics
have no other option but to marry
according to the norms set forth
by Holy Mother Church. Were you to
marry outside the Church and without
an annulment, you would be entering
a state of adultery and bigamy, both
of which are mortal sins. You would
no longer be able to receive the
Eucharist.
Those are the hard facts. Forgive
me for being so blunt but the tone
of your question implies that any
church is the same, so long as you
can have some religious ceremony
for your wedding day.
The Church is the Body of Christ.
She transmits the teachings of Our
Lord. She's not in the business of
providing rituals on demand, like
some kind of catering service.
You are Catholic and that's wonderful
but if you are Catholic, your concern
should be doing this the right way.
Being a Catholic means believing
what the Church teaches in the area
of faith and morals. As Catholics,
we believe that Marriage is forever
so until the Church can determine
whether a valid marriage took place,
we can't consider another marriage.
We shouldn't really be dating, let
alone, doing anything else.
If you are looking to do the right
thing, you need to start the annulment
process and wait to be properly married
in the Church. If not, your actions
will put you out of full communion
with the Church and you will endanger
your soul by entering a state of
ongoing mortal sin.
John
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