mwateland@crookston.org
Maureen Wateland, Ecclesial Notary
rgiannonatti@crookston.org
Reathel Giannonatti, JD, Moderator of the Tribunal
jrichards@crookston.org
Fr. Joseph Richards, JCL, Judicial Vicar
Msgr. Michael Foltz, JCL, Adjutant Judicial Vicar
dbaumgartner@crookston.org
Msgr. David Baumgartner, JCL, Defender of the Bond
Before you fill out your application for a marriage study, please read the following Frequently
Asked Questions brochure and then proceed to the application.
If you have entered into a second marriage, or if you have married without seeking the
proper dispensation from the Catholic Church and are seeking to have your marriage
convalidated, please contact your pastor after reading the Frequently Asked Questions
brochure related to Convalidations (commonly referred to as “blessing your marriage”)
These documents must be attached
to/submitted with your application:
•
Divorce Decree
•
Marriage Certificate
•
Baptismal Certificate of the
Catholic party.
Marriage and convalidation in the Catholic Church requires
formal marriage preparation. Please see your pastor about proper
marriage preparation.
If you are entering a second marriage subsequent to obtaining a
declaration of nullity, there may be some professional or pastoral
counselling requirements that must be met prior to the convalidation.
Again, see your pastor related to freedom to marry in the Catholic
Church.
Welcome to the Tribunal home page of the Diocese of Crookston.
We are here to assist you with:
•
your marriage study in anticipation of obtaining a Declaration
of Nullity (Annulment)
•
convalidation of your current marriage
(commonly referred to as “blessing your marriage”)
•
other legal issues subject to Canon Law in the Catholic Church
Annulment
Convalidation
There are no fees
for Tribunal services.
Your civil divorce
must be final before
you begin the
annulment process.
There are three types
of annulment cases:
- Formal (most common)
- Ligamen (prior bond)
- Lack of Form
(improper ceremony)
A date for a second
marriage may not
be set until a
declaration of nullity
(annulment) has been
completed.
Tribunal Staff of the Diocese of Crookston
Application
Annulment FAQ
Packet for Respondents
Packet for Petitioners
Office of the Tribunal
Diocese of Crookston
1200 Memorial Drive
PO Box 610
Crookston MN 56716
p: 218/281-4533
f: 218/281-3822
Please Note
Packets
Ligamen:
A ligamen case is an annulment case that proceeds on the grounds that there
was a valid marriage (a prior bond) that precludes a person from being in a
second valid marriage. This type of case is documentary in nature and can
be proven by the accumulation of documents. Necessary documents are
marriage certificates and affidavits attesting that the former spouse was
alive at the time of the second marriage and that the first spouse’s first spouse
was not a baptized Catholic.
Examples: Mike, a Lutheran, married Hilda, a Lutheran in 1975. They divorced
in 1980. Mike then married Graciela, a baptized Catholic in 1985, in front of
a Justice of the Peace. They would like to have their marriage convalidated
so that Graciela can receive the sacraments. Mike was not free to marry (to
receive convalidation), as he had a prior bond to Hilda which had not been
annuled. The Tribunal would proceed on the basis of an impedicment known
as a prior bond or ligamen.
Formal Cases examine the consent given by the parties to a marriage and/or the
ability of each party to live out that marital consent. In these cases, the parties
exchanged consent observing the proper formatlitys of Church or civil law. The
question to be examined is whether or not a deficiency in consent and/or incapacity
to exchange valid consent kept an indissoluble bond from coming into existence.
Since marriage enjoys the favor of the law, the presumption of the validity of the
marriage in question stands until the contrary is proven through the formal case
process.
