The Annulment Decision Came In The Mail Today (Pt 1)

The Coat of Arms on the envelope told me this was official.

I reached into the mailbox and took out an unusually large number of envelopes of various shapes and sizes. Back to school time was here, and for a single mom of five boys, that means a crazy amount of paperwork.

But as I sorted through the material, one envelope caught my attention. It was a plain, innocent looking white envelope of standard business size.

Only the red stamp of our Archdiocesan headquarters made it stand out.

     I guessed that I held the result of our annulment in my hand.

The envelope was addressed to me using my maiden name, something the Archdiocese had done in all correspondence since the case was opened, something I still disagree with. I cannot understand why the church eliminates the married name, denying the marriage before the investigation even begins. 

Why would the church revert to pre-Sacrament practices before it was proven that the Sacrament had not occurred?

I prefer to Hope that a Sacrament did occur and work from that point than to assume it did not and work from whatever vague spot that places us.

Whatever the reason, seeing my maiden name simply stated on the outside of the envelope no longer held the sting it once had.

Today, I am neither my premarital self nor my married self, so neither name truly belongs to me.

Is it possible for Catholics to be Born Again?

To read the rest of what happened when I received the letter about my annulment, please go to Single Mom Smiling.   God Bless...