Annulment Changes Coming Soon. His Holiness, Pope Francis, made news headlines this week with the release of two letters motu proprio (meaning that they were written on his own initiative and not in response to a council, synod or any other event or Church committee) which have the effect of restructuring Church procedures for the process of determining nullity in the case of marriages heretofore thought to be valid.
The net effect of these changes, and the specifics of how they will be implemented are still somewhat unclear, but it seems clear that the Holy Father wishes to make the process more accessible to more of the Faithful, especially those who wish to be free to enter into a subsequent marriage. (N.B. Catholics who divorce do not require an annulment unless they wish to enter into a subsequent marriage. Divorce, in and of itself, does not bar one from the Sacraments, as some mistakenly believe.)
There are two important changes which I would like to note here, because these two will affect the majority of those who petition for an annulment:
1. Under the current procedure, an affirmative decision (of nullity) on the diocesan level must be reviewed by a “court of second instance” (in our case, this is usually in the Archdiocese of St. Louis) in order to be finally approved and published. His Holiness has decreed that, unless the respondent (non-petitioning party) appeals the decision of the first court, a single affirmative decision will suffice. In many places, this will significantly reduce the overall time that it takes to review cases.
2. His Holiness has also asked that the annulment process should be offered free of charge to all parties. Of course, each diocese will determine how the actual costs of each case will be absorbed in the budget (on a diocesan and/or parochial level) but this means that out-of-pocket expenses should not have to be a concern or deterrent for those who would otherwise seek an annulment.
There are a number of other provisions which are to be made in response to the Holy Father’s wishes, including limited types of cases which may be reviewed and decided personally by the local bishop. These are a bit more complicated and will probably not have as great an impact as the two changes listed above, so I will refrain from commenting on them until we have further clarification. If you have further questions on the annulment process or wish to contact me to initiate annulment proceedings, please contact me by telephone at 816-436-0880.
Requesting Mass Intentions for 2016
Many of you are aware of the time-honored tradition of offering a Mass for a specific intention. Most often, these Masses are requested for the repose of the soul of a departed loved one or friend, but they may also be offered for the intentions of a living person as well. The Code of Canon Law regulates the number of stipends which may be received for a single Mass and therefore the number of specific Mass intentions for a given Mass. Similarly, each parish pastor is obligated to offer at least one Mass each Sunday (or Saturday Vigil) and each Holy Day of Obligation “for the People” of his parish. This allows the faithful to request Mass intentions for the other seven Masses offered each week in the parish. The 2015 Mass calendar is completely fully, but we are currently accepting requests for Masses for 2016. Please bear in mind the following guidelines in requesting Mass intentions:
• Mass intentions are open on a first come, first served basis. Unless homebound, one should make the request in person at the parish office. • The customary Mass offering is $10 per Mass.
• No individual may request more than 12 Masses in a calendar year (1 per month).
• While we will attempt to accommodate requests for specific dates, we cannot guarantee dates.
• Mass intentions will be published in the weekly bulletin. They may (or may not) be announced before Mass or in the Prayers of the Faithful.
-Fr. Joseph Totton