Hi, Christy —

Thanks for your question.

This issue is not whether or not you are divorced, rather it is whether or not you entered into a second marriage. If you are simply divorced there is no impediment to joining the Church.

An annulment would only be required if you want to remarry.

If, on the other hand, you have entered into a second marriage, the first marriage would have be investigated to see if it could be annulled. (To see If it was an invalid marriage.)

Annulments are granted fairly easily but they are not automatic. There must be some kind of pre-existing impediment to the marriage which raises doubts to it's validity.

John

Kristy,

There are a variety of reasons to annul a marriage. Among them is emotional immaturity at the time which precluded either party from understanding the nature of the covenant. That's actually the most the common reason. But there are others:

If your husband was previously married or if he refused to have children, the Church would grant an annulment.

All that said, since you are not married to a second person now, you are free to become a Catholic. Once you've become a Catholic you can deal with the annulment process if it's required.

Becoming a Catholic takes a while. If you are already a Christian, the process is a bit quicker and easier, but you will still need to go a program known as RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). The program last at least six months.

Entering the program does not mean you are making a commitment to enter the Church. It simply means you are discerning whether or not you can accept all that the Church teaches in matters of faith and morals.

It's a period of both learning and discerning.

John

Well,

If you were baptized, you are a Christian on a certain level. However, the question is:

• Do you believe in Jesus Christ, true God and True Man, who suffered and died for your Justification, that you might have eternal life?

If you can answer Yes to that, then you are not only a baptized Christian, but a professing Christian. Then it's just a matter of understanding and accepting the fullness of the Christian faith, which subsists in the Catholic Church.

The next step is to find a good local Parish that has a solid RCIA program. If you need help finding one, let us know where you live and we'll try to help you. Also, if you have any questions about doctrine, we will be more than happy to answer them.

God Bless and welcome home!

John D.

Hi, Kristy —

Just to add to John's comments, depending on where you were baptized, the Church would have to ensure that you received a valid Baptism. A valid baptism, consist of the proper words (what we call, the form) and (matter) water.

If you were baptized in a mainstream Christian denomination, this shouldn't be a problem.

If there is any uncertainty, the person performing your baptism would give you a conditional baptism. 

I don't know if Protestant denominations have Baptismal records or hold on to Baptismal Certificates of its congregation. If they do and you remember where you were baptized, you may be able to ask for your baptismal certificate from the Church you grew up in.

Maybe John or someone else can comment on whether Protestant denominations have Baptismal Certificates.

You may find my Favorites page an encouragement on your spiritual journey:

Mike

Kristy,

If the Church is still in existence, they may have records of the Baptism but it sounds unlikely. That doesn't mean you're not baptized. In fact, it sounds like it was valid. However, if no certificate can be produced, the Church will conditionally baptize you. The formula is almost the same. The priest will simply say something like:

If you've not been baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The reason the Baptism would be conditional is because baptism can only be received once.
You will probably need to go to Confession as well, just in case your Baptism was valid. Then you'll be conditionally baptized before you are confirmed.

That covers all the possibilities, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. The first thing you need to do is talk to a good priest and enter a good RCIA program where you can grow in your faith.

When the time comes, and when you've had a chance to discern whether or not you can accept the authority of the Church; when you've had a chance to learn and understand what the Church teaches, then we can worry about how to cross the T's and dot the I's.

John

No problem.

Remember the choice is yours, not ours.

I say this because sometimes we get visitors to our site who will say:

• Why are you trying to convert people?

My reply is:

I can't convert people and if I did, their baptism would be invalid.

• Why?

The person being baptized has to choose the Catholic Faith; no one else.

Our only goal at AskACatholic.com, as it states in the header of every web page of our site is to clarify misperceptions about the Church.

Your brother Christian,

Mike