Mending the Heart. Lisa Duffy

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      “Mending the Heart is an excellent resource! The author takes the reader through step-by-step encouragement while explaining the comprehensive nuts and bolts of the annulment process. She debunks common myths and shows how to look beyond civil court rulings, overcome the crippling pain from the ‘cross of divorce’ to become a better, wiser, and stronger person, and to experience happiness and peace again. The author’s compassionate and practical voice as someone who has keenly experienced the pain of divorce and has been healed through the transforming annulment process is sure to strike a chord with every reader. I highly recommend this book.”

      — Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, EWTN-TV host, pilgrimage host, speaker, and award-winning and best-selling author of more than twenty-five books, including her memoir, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross (www.donnacooperoboyle.com)

      “Lisa Duffy gently holds your hand and accompanies you in the difficult journey of divorce in Mending the Heart: A Catholic Annulment Companion. Lisa concisely and compassionately explains common myths and misconceptions, often perpetuated by secular media, about the annulment process. She explains what the Catholic Church really teaches about marriage, divorce, and annulments. This book is a must read for anyone going through this process!”

      — Mary Lou Rosien, author of The Three Things Divorced Catholics Need to Know and blogger at Catholicmom.com

      “Lisa Duffy offers a compassionate, practical, and deeply personal exploration of the annulment process that proves how truly healing the process can be.”

      — Lorene Hanley Duquin, author of Seeking an Annulment with the Help of Your Catholic Faith

      “Lisa Duffy takes the stressful and sometimes painful process of applying for a declaration of invalidity and makes it easier for the mind — and the heart — to digest. She opens a window to the process and lets in the light of truth and grace. As a canon lawyer, I found it refreshing to read a heartfelt book that covers the truth of the process and gives people hope. Anyone who feels overwhelmed emotionally by the invalidity process should read this book and take heed of its guidance.”

      — Jacqui Rapp, JD, JCL, MCL (kycanonist.com), author of Annulment: 100 Questions and Answers for Catholics

       Mending the Heart

      A Catholic Annulment Companion

      Lisa Duffy

      mending

      the

      Heart

      A Catholic Annulment Companion

       OurSundayVisitor

      www.osv.com Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, Indiana 46750

       Nihil Obstat

      Msgr. Michael Heintz, Ph.D.

       Censor Librorum

       Imprimatur

      

Kevin C. Rhoades

      Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend

      November 11, 2017

      The Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book is free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

      Except where noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible — Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 1965, 1966, 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Where noted, other Scripture citations are from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

      Quotations from papal and other Vatican-generated documents available on vatican.va are copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

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      Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Duffy. Published 2018.

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      Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750; 1-800-348-2440

      ISBN: 978-1-68192-149-5 (Inventory No. T1869)

      eISBN: 978-1-68192-151-8

      LCCN: 2017958842

      Cover design: Chelsea Alt

      Cover art: Shutterstock

      Interior design: Lindsey Riesen

      Interior art: Photos on page 111 courtesy of the contributors.

      Printed in the United States of America

      About the Author

      Lisa Duffy is a Catholic author, speaker, and divorce recovery expert who experienced the tragedy of an unwanted divorce in the early 1990s. She has nearly twenty years of personal experience helping people rebuild their lives after divorce. Author of many books on divorce recovery and a personal divorce recovery coach, she has also instituted the Journey of Hope program for Catholic divorce support groups in parishes across the United States and in Canada. Aside from her dedication to her family, Lisa speaks at conferences, appears on television and radio, coaches one-on-one and in groups, and holds online events. She resides in South Carolina with her husband and three children.

      For all those who have suffered through the devastation of divorce,

      For all the priests, canon lawyers, and parish case assistants who read our painful stories and accompany us through the process with patience and compassion,

      For all the lay people who generously donate their time and care as divorce support group leaders, I dedicate this book to you.

      But mostly, for Jim, who has always been an endless source of wisdom, encouragement, consolation, and support. Thank you for being the best husband in the world.

      Table of Contents

       Introduction

       Chapter One