The Church of England believes that marriage should always be undertaken with the intention of permanence.  However, it recognises that, sadly, some marriages do fail.  Under certain circumstances, the Church accepts that a divorced person may marry again in church.

If either of you has previously been divorced, or been in a civil partnership, and you would like to enquire about getting married at St Leonard’s, then please contact the Vicar, the Rev’d Canon David Rogers, on 01527 63976.   He will explain how we approach marriage after divorce or civil partnership in this parish, and will arrange an interview with you both to talk to you confidentially about the circumstances of the unsuccessful marriage and the basis of your hopes for the future.   It will be necessary for you to bring the Decree Absolute to the interview, in order to prove that a previous marriage has been dissolved.   A decision will then be made as to whether a church wedding will be possible here at St Leonard’s.

This will all sound formidable.   We do realise that however far back in the past the dissolution of a marriage lies, the feelings about it can be raw and difficult to share. The clergy approach the interview sensitively and openly, wanting to be as fair and encouraging as possible to you as a couple, but also true to our responsibility for ensuring that the high ideal of marriage is upheld in society.