Tribunal

Also see:

• Frequently Asked Questions about the Tribunal
• The Catholic Church and Marriage
• TÒA-ÁN (Vietnamese)
• CÁC VỤ HÔN NHÂN VÀ TIẾN HÀNH TÒA ÁN (Vietnamese)

What does the Dallas Tribunal Do?

The Dallas Tribunal does the following:

• Reviews, processes, and adjudicates petitions for invalidity of marriage (annulments). 
• Grants dispensations and permissions for the celebration of marriage in the Catholic Church.
• Performs canonical research for clergy and laity upon request.
• Processes clergy petitions for reduction to the lay state.
• Presents information sessions to inform the public of the work of the Tribunal.
• Offers workshops for clergy and lay ministers concerning the adjudication of matrimonial cases, marriage preparation, prenuptial paperwork processing, and sacramental record keeping.

The majority of the Dallas Tribunal’s work revolves around:

• The “annulment process” as a response to requests by those who have divorced to investigate whether their former marriages fulfilled the Church’s theological and canonical understanding of marriage.
• Dispensations and permissions for celebration of marriage in the Catholic Church.

Tribunal Documents (PDF)

• Marriage Forms - Texas Catholic Conference site
  
  

• Ecumenical Guidelines
• New! Educational Opportunities - Tribunal - As of May 7, 2013
• Handbook for Sacramental Records
• Matrimonial Cases and the Tribunal Process
• Marriage Nullity Process
• Marriage Readiness Assessors
• Marriage Readiness Assessor Release Form

Tribunal Contacts