|
Hi, Nancy —
Thank you for your kind words. How
wonderful that you want to return
to the Church! Truly the grace of
God is at work in your life.
You cannot yet receive the sacraments.
If you are presently civilly married,
you will need to get that marriage
convalidated, or blessed.
This is because your marriage is
not valid and you are not considered
married in the Church. That will
require obtaining a declaration of
nullity, otherwise known as an (annulment)
for your husband from every prior
marriage as well as for yourself. If your Methodist marriage was outside
the Catholic Church (without a
dispensation, in other words), then
you can use an expedited documentary
process. Your husband's entry into the Church would
be more difficult.
Since you are not married in the
eyes of the Church, you will not
be able to return to the sacraments
unless you stop living as husband
and wife until the annulments are
obtained and the marriage is convalidated.
Talk to your local Catholic priest
who can guide you through this; then
you can receive Confession and be
thereby reconciled back to the Church.
If he permits it (there is an issue
with potential scandal you'd have
to resolve with him), you can return
to receiving Communion.
It is a difficult process, to be
sure, but there is grace in it for
those who accept this cross and follow
it willingly.
May the Lord grant
you to strength to do what your conscience
is calling you to do!
Eric
|
