Thomas C Burke Publishing Co Table of Contents

Foreword

For years, I have been searching for an easy- to-read booklet that would serve anyone who has been civilly divorced and is seeking to receive a Declaration of Invalidity1 through the Catholic Church. After my diligent search, I decided to write this booklet. I have made this attempt to serve the People of God by writing a simple and accurate description of the various approaches to petitioning the Catholic Church for a Declaration of Invalidity for marriage. It has been my practice to use this booklet in the following manner: (1) During an initial visit, I listen to the stories of how that person met his/her spouse as well as other related stories of importance. (2) Near the end of our visit, I hand them this booklet and ask them to read the preface and the chapter(s) related to the Declaration of Invalidity that (I think) best applies to their marriage situation. I clearly realize that the fate of the petition for a Declaration of Invalidity resides with the person seeking it. (3) Therefore, I invite the

person to contact me (after reading these particular parts of this booklet) if they want to pursue the matter.
With the aid of this booklet, I have had many more pleasant pastoral encounters with people by staying far away from the technical aspects of a Declaration of Invalidity. Now, I am able to be more fully present to each person. During any subsequent meeting(s), I am confident that we will be able to speak intelligently with each other about the expectations of the Catholic Church with regard to the person pursuing a Declaration of Invalidity (and, if desired, celebrating the Catholic Sacrament of Matrimony).
Realizing that there are other, more detailed, works on this subject, I have included a bibliography for those who want to read more about seeking a Declaration of Invalidity. I humbly defer to the knowledge provided by these learned authors.

1When a person is seeking to have the Catholic Church investigate his/her marriage, he/she often refers to this process as the "annulment process." However, what they are seeking from the Catholic Church is a Declaration of Invalidity for their marriage. Therefore, aside from the title of this booklet, I will not use the slang term "annulment."