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Priscila Mathias wrote:

Hello,

I was married civilly but never in the Catholic Church. I have since divorced and am currently engaged to be married.

I have been told by several people that since the Church never recognized my marriage, I would not have to get an annulment but I wanted to be sure.

  • Do I need to obtain an annulment prior to marrying in the Catholic Church?

Thank you for your assistance.

Priscila

  { If I was married civilly (not in the Church), do I need an annulment before marrying in the Church? }

Eric replied:

Hi, Priscila —

We need more information to answer your question.

If you were a Catholic — meaning baptized as a Catholic or received into the Church, without having subsequently formally renounced the faith — at the time of your civil marriage, that marriage is invalid.

You do need to go through some paperwork to establish your marriage was null (that is to say, you need, in popular parlance, to apply for an annulment) but it is pretty much just procedural and should take just a short time.

Eric

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