August 7, 2011 — My sister Hanka’s wedding

Dear William (and Daniel, Catherine, Michael & Baby Girl Y) (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Today, my sister Hanka’s wedding:

December 26, 1982: Hanka's & Peter's Wedding -- Pawel, Hanka & Tom

December 26, 1982: Hanka's & Peter's Wedding -- Patty, Tom, Pawel & Krysia

Unfortunately, their marriage did not last — it ended in divorce. Then, Hanka sought, and was successful in obtaining an Annulment from the Catholic Church.

William — In the Roman Catholic Church, annulment is a canonical procedure according to the Church’s Canon Law whereby an ecclesial tribunal judges whether the bond of matrimony in a particular case was entered into validly. The Church presumes that a marriage is valid until proven otherwise. Annulment is not the ecclesial equivalent of a divorce. A “Declaration of Nullity” is not a dissolution of an existing marriage, but rather a determination that a marriage was not entered into validly. An annulment has no civil consequence.