What is Marriage?
The Church’s understanding is marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman which establishes a partnership for life. Marriage is a vocation which fosters the good of the spouses and naturally leads to the procreation and education of children. Marriage is a sacrament, as St. Paul taught in Ephesians Chapter 5.
A number of elements must come together for the Sacrament of Marriage to occur. The first is the “Canonical Form” of marriage: A Catholic must ordinarily be married within a Catholic church and before a priest or deacon and two witnesses. These requirements for the Canonical Form of marriage applies only to Catholic parties. However, the Church recognizes the marriage of two persons who are not Catholic, even if they did not marry in a church ceremony or religious service, because the Church honors God’s plan for marriage, which applies to everyone, not just Catholics.  
For a sacramental marriage to occur, the couple must also freely and knowingly choose to enter marriage as the Church understands marriage. The couple must understand what marriage is and they must intend their marriage to be a lifelong partnership which is open to children. They must intend fidelity and the mutual good of one another. They must also have the physical and psychological ability to follow through on these intentions. When all of the above factors are brought together, a sacramental, indissoluble union is established by God.

What if a Catholic is married outside of the Catholic Church?
A Catholic who was married outside of Canonical Form (without a dispensation) is legally married however their marriage is not recognized as a valid Catholic marriage. Therefore, the parties are not free to participate in the full sacramental life of the Church. Although there can be exceptions, in general this means a Catholic whose marriage took place in a civil or other church setting (without permission from the Church) may not partake of the sacraments, including the reception of Holy Communion and reconciliation. The Church encourages these couples to seek a convalidation of their marriage so they may return to a full sacramental life.
For more information, click here or contact the Church Office, 813-689-4900. 

The Church accepts that in many cases it is necessary to use the civil divorce procedure to legally protect oneself and to obtain a fair and equitable solution on such matters as child custody, maintenance, and property division. A civil divorce however, from the Church’s perspective, does not provide freedom to remarry outside of the Church.
Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the covenant, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce is harmful because it introduces disorder into the family and into society. The disorder brings grave harm to the deserted spouse, to children traumatized by the separation of their parents and often torn between them, and because of its contagious effect which makes it truly a plague on society. (CCC 2385)
It can happen that one of the spouses is the innocent victim of a divorce decreed by civil law; this spouse therefore has not contravened the moral law. There is a considerable difference between a spouse who has sincerely tried to be faithful to the Sacrament of Marriage and is unjustly abandoned, and one who through his own grave fault destroys a canonically valid marriage. (CCC 2386)
Therefore, divorce alone does not necessarily separate a Catholic from reception of the sacraments. Divorce itself does not hinder a Catholic’s participation in the Catholic Church. A divorced Catholic may be free to receive the sacraments, beginning with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A priest will offer counsel for returning to a full sacramental life.

What about Catholics who are divorced and remarried?
No one likes the word “adultery,” but that’s what results when people decide on their own, or with wrong counsel, to remarry civilly with no annulment of their prior marriage(s). It may not feel like adultery, especially when the first marriage was difficult and this time it is not. But truth is not about our feelings. Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Mt 5:17)—and to help us desire to live within it.
If a Catholic is divorced and remarried without a Decree of Nullity (and the former spouse is still living) or if the present spouse was previously married and has not received a Decree of Nullity from a Tribunal, there is a problem. In such circumstances, the Catholic party may not partake of the sacraments, including the reception of Holy Communion.
Whether they realize it or not, those in these “irregular” situations have set themselves outside full communion with the Church. They are still beloved members of God’s family and welcome/required to attend Mass, but there has been a grave violation of marriage that must be addressed. Thus, they are required to refrain from receiving the sacraments until they can remedy their situation. And the Church wants to help them.
It is our hope that the annulment process will be a time for healing and closure. The annulment process is not extremely difficult, abstract, or scary. It does have a great deal of weight and importance, though. For those who are divorced and wish to remarry in the Catholic Church so to fully participate in the sacramental life of the Church, a Declaration of Nullity is required. If granted, it means that your previous union lacked something basic from the beginning, and as a result, it was not binding according to the Catholic Church.
If you or your current spouse is divorced, and you are currently married outside of the Catholic Church, or you are planning to remarry, please consider seeking the healing that an investigation for a Decree of Nullity can bring to you and which will enable you to return to a full participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Contact the Church Office at 813-689-4900. 
 
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information about what a Declaration of Nullity is, why the Church requires it, and what you can expect of the process, click here. 

Divorce and Remarriage in the Catholic Church

For more information on the Church’s teachings about marriage, divorce, a Declaration of Nullity, and remarriage in the Catholic Church, click here.

• A Marriage program that helps couples restore their marriage and rebuild a loving relationship.
• A Christian marriage program, Catholic in origin, where couples of all faiths or no faith background are encouraged to attend.
• Primarily a practical program to improve communication, build stronger marriages, and help couples reconnect.
• Presenters are not trained marriage counselors, but rather couples sharing their personal stories of marital struggles and the tools they used to rediscover their love.
• For more information: https://www.helpourmarriage.org/