Marriage Tribunal

The Church teaches that the joining of a man and woman in matrimony is a sacred act which when it takes place between two baptized Christians, it is elevated to a sacrament. God established this bond in such a way that a sacramental marriage, once consummated is a permanent, life-long commitment, dissolved only by death.

When a marriage fails, it is the role of the Tribunal, through the Declaration of Nullity Process, (aka Annulment) to determine whether the union, was as the Church understands it, a valid and sacramental marriage. Whether or not the union was celebrated in a Catholic Church, a civil ceremony (that is by a Justice of the Peace) or a ceremony in any religious denomination, anyone who has entered marriage must have their union examined by the Tribunal before entering marriage in the Catholic Church.

For more information, please contact the Tribunal at 506-653-6809 or email tribunal@dioceseofsaintjohn.org