If you are divorced, you have not been kicked out of the Church. You belong here — at Mass, in this parish, in this family. Divorce alone does not separate anyone from the life of the parish, and healing is possible. If you are divorced and thinking about marrying again, or you have already remarried, the Church has a path for you, and you do not have to walk it alone.
What is an annulment?
An annulment — the Church calls it a declaration of nullity — is the Church’s careful look at a marriage that has ended in civil divorce, asking one question: was something essential missing from the very beginning that kept it from being the permanent bond the Church understands marriage to be? If the diocese’s Tribunal finds that it was, both people are free to marry in the Church.
A few things an annulment is not: it is not a “Catholic divorce,” it does not say the marriage never happened or that the love was not real, and it does not make your children illegitimate — ever. Anyone may ask — Catholic or not, including someone who hopes to marry a Catholic.
How to begin
- Talk with us first. Call the parish office at (717) 232-1003 and ask to speak with a priest. This conversation is private, unhurried, and free — and it is the best first step.
- Reach the diocese’s Tribunal. The Tribunal of the Diocese of Harrisburg guides every case: 717-657-4804, ext. 305. Everything you share with them is confidential.
- Start the paperwork when you are ready. The diocese’s short online form begins the process, and the Tribunal takes it from there.
Begin the annulment process → Comenzar en español →
Learn more
- 12 myths about marriage annulments — worth reading; most fears about annulments are answered here.
- Divorce and remarriage for Catholics (PDF)
- Divorce and remarriage for non-Catholics (PDF)
- The diocese’s Tribunal page — the official source for all of the above.
Whatever your story is, come to Mass. Come as you are. “A bruised reed he will not break.” (Isaiah 42:3)