Question corner Q: My husband and I got a divorce because my husband had an affair. Why doesn’t the church agree with me that it was his fault and grant my annulment? Why is my church siding with him? (New York) A: I’m very sorry you went through such a painful experience. But with respect […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Openness to children has multiple meanings
Question corner Q: As a divorced, over-50 Catholic man with an annulment, I met a Catholic woman my age with the same history of divorce and annulment. After dating for a while we began to talk about marriage and went to see our priest. He asked if we were open to the idea of having […]
Mary and Tom Duddy: Reliance on God uplifts long-married couples
The married life This weekend our parish will honor couples who have been married for 50 years or more. They will be recognized at the Saturday evening Mass with a special blessing, followed by a dinner in the parish center. What a great witness these couples are to us. I have been thinking about what […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Jewish marriages are valid in Catholic Church’s eyes
Question corner Q: In a recent article, you quoted the Code of Canon Law for what constitutes a valid nonsacramental marriage. I’m not sure if you know this, but the Jewish marriage document — the ketubah — is essentially a prenuptial agreement that outlines the protections the spouses are to receive should either one initiate […]
Amid highs and lows, marriage is a ‘beautiful gift from God’
By Jennifer Rector Hawaii Catholic Herald While a bride makes her way down the aisle, each step brings her closer to life with her groom. Neither knows what the future will bring, yet they confidently take the plunge of figuring it out together. As they say their vows, one after the other, they promise to […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Death ends marriage, but not love
Question corner Q: I have a question about the vocation of marriage. I’m very moved by the examples of widowed family and friends who continue to be very devoted to their deceased spouse, praying for them daily and visiting their graves often. Often they speak of looking forward to seeing their spouse again in heaven. […]
Greg Erlandson: Marriage is hard, but it’s worth it
Commentary I must have skipped the chapter in my “how to parent” instruction manual where it talked about weddings. Not my wedding, of course, but all the weddings of my kids, the friends of my kids and the kids of my friends. For me, the year 2024 is turning into a banner year for nuptials, […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Clarifying rules on marriage, intinction
Question corner Q: A divorced, annulled Catholic friend of mine recently got engaged to another divorced Catholic, who said her previous marriage was ruled “lacks proper form” by the church. What does this mean? Are they able to marry in the Catholic Church? (Indiana) A: Even as a canon lawyer, it’s impossible to draw firm […]
Marriages within church continue to decline
Local and national observers cite changes within society and the COVID-19 pandemic By Jennifer Rector Hawaii Catholic Herald A recent study shows that across the country, fewer and fewer adults are getting married — including within the Catholic Church. In Hawaii, statistics confirm that fewer Catholics are getting married within the Diocese of Honolulu every […]
Dating crisis fuels Catholic marriage vocation collapse
By Rachel Hoover OSV News Among Catholics, the sacrament of matrimony is in freefall. Over 50 years between 1969 and 2019, Catholic marriages declined 69% even as the Catholic population increased by nearly 20 million, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. In 2021, as U.S. Catholics largely emerged from the […]