The Catholic Church upholds the sacrament of marriage and the indissolubility of the marriage vows. At the same time, the Church recognizes that many people suffer the pain of broken marriages. Divorce can bring feelings of pain, guilt, and failure, but it can also bring about healing, forgiveness, hope, and peace.   It was to the people who were hurt, the people who needed help, that Jesus Christ offered His special love and compassion, regardless of their situation.

 

Many people come to the Church seeking reconciliation. Many of them have suffered terribly in their former marriage. They need God’s grace to heal them so that they can go on with their lives and find peace.  The Marriage Tribunal Ministry is here to offer compassionate care and to enable people to be fully reconciled with the Church. The Marriage Tribunal process encourages people to move away from fault-finding (with themselves and the former spouse) and to direct their attention toward healing the pain of divorce. It permits them to step back from the marriage and to identify those factors, conditions, or circumstances which prevented them from establishing a stable, permanent commitment.

 

If you are struggling with the pain of divorce and you would like to learn more about the Tribunal process, the St. Michael Marriage Tribunal Ministry is here to provide assistance, guidance, and support. To learn more, please contact the Coordinator of Marriage Tribunal Ministry, Linda Burns, at 817.510.2759 or Tribunal@smcchurch.org.    Confidentiality is strictly upheld in this process. In this Diocese, there is no fee for this process. St. Michael Marriage Tribunal welcomes people who may be interested in volunteering for this Ministry as well as those who are in need of this ministry. 

 

II Corinthians 5:19-20 “It is all God’s work. For it was God who was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, who gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”