Office of Marriage Tribunal at 601 S. Jefferson Ave., Springfield, MO 65806 US - General Information
| General Information |
The Tribunal of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau is the judicial branch of government in the Diocese. It upholds the canon law of the Catholic Church and promotes the pastoral welfare of the Christian faithful. Tribunal procedures in the United States are purely ecclesiastical in nature and are conducted in accordance with the canon law of the Catholic Church. Church laws allow the petitioner and the respondent access to the acts of the case with certain restrictions. It is the policy of the Tribunal to disclose the acts of the case only to duly authorized persons or other ecclesiastical Tribunals necessary for the resolution of the case. The confidentiality of the acts of the case is essential for the Tribunal to fulfill its responsibilities under the canon law of the Catholic Church. Any materials received by the Diocesan Tribunal become the property of the Tribunal.
It is not possible to give a time frame on how long a particular case will take because there are so many variables. On average, a formal case takes approximately a year to complete. NO NEW MARRIAGE DATE MAY BE SCHEDULED IN ANY CATHOLIC PARISH UNTIL THE ENTIRE PROCESS IS COMPLETE. The Tribunal does attempt to complete cases for those in RCIA prior to Easter of each year as long as all required testimony and documents are provided to the Tribunal at least a couple months before Easter. The Tribunal processes all other cases in the order in which they are ready for a decision.
The Tribunal staff does not pass judgement on people. Our sole aim is to ascertain the validity or invalidity of a marriage. We are, however, concerned that individuals who approach us obtain peace of mind and reconciliation with the Church. It is our prayer that in our compassionate probing for the truth, we may prove to be worthy instruments of the love of Christ.
The Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau generously supports the special ministry of the Tribunal by subsidizing almost 80% of the actual operating costs. We ask Petitioners who avail themselves of our services to pay a fee of $250 for a formal case, $50 for a Ligamen case, and $375 for Privilege of the Faith cases. There is no fee for Lack of Form cases. We would appreciate that Petitioners pay as much of the fee as possible at the time the case is opened with the Tribunal. If the full fee cannot be paid at the time the case is opened, or in installments during the period the case is being processed, the Petitioner can request a partial or full waiver of the fee. Petitioners having serious financial difficulties should ask their Advocate to notify the Tribunal when a partial or full waiver of fees is necessary. Inability to pay all or part of the fee is never a factor affecting the processing of a case or its decision.