One of the main roles of the Brentwood Tribunal Office is to process annulment applications. Annulments are internal procedures of the Catholic Church, and have no standing in civil law in the United Kingdom. The granting of a declaration of nullity allows a divorced Catholic to re-marry in the Catholic Church, or for a Catholic to marry a divorced non-Catholic. In some circumstances, it allows for someone to seek reception into the Catholic Church.
Cases are prepared and judged by the Brentwood Tribunal Office. Should there be an appeal against the decision, the case can be forwarded to our appeal court in Westminster.
It should be stressed that there is no guarantee an annulment will be granted. The presumption is that a marriage is valid, and the grounds on which the enquiry is based must be supported by testimony from other sources if they are to be proven. The appeal court for Brentwood is the Westminster Metropolitan Tribunal, and ultimately the Roman Rota.
There are several different processes which may be applicable, depending on an individual’s circumstances. If you feel the Tribunal Office may be able to help you, please contact us directly, or through your Parish Priest.
All initial queries from priests, parishioners, or any interested party, can be dealt with by post, email or telephone.
Please note that there are two incoming phone lines into the Tribunal Office so, if the voicemail is on, please do leave a message as we may be on the other line, or dealing with queries.
Office Hours – Monday – Friday, 9.30am -1pm, 2pm -5pm (by appointment only)
Staff
| Judicial Vicar | Rt Rev Mgr Gordon Read, MA, BD, JCL |
|---|---|
| Instructing Judge | Mrs Karen Avery |
| Chancery & Tribunal Administrator | Miss Michaela Pearce |
| Tribunal Judge | Rt Rev Mgr Gordon Read, MA, BD, JCL |
| Tribunal Judge | Rev Canon Paul Bruxby, JCL |
| Tribunal Judge | Rev Canon John Harvey, BA(Div), JCL, MCL, KHS |
| Defender of the Bond | Mr Michael L'Estrange |
| Advocate | Rev Pius Collins, o.praem. STB, MA, JCL |
| Chancery & Tribunal Assistant | Mrs Sharon Morgan |