Multimillion Dollar Class Action Suit Leveled Against California Archdiocese

‘Wedding Guests Who Attended Ceremonies Where Marriages Later Annulled Want Their Gifts Back’

Wedding Bliss: Plaintiffs says they want married couples to work harder or send back their gifts.

VESTAVIA HILLS, CALIF.– In a first-of-its-kind class action law suit, a group of plaintiffs have filed suit against the Archdiocese of Vestavia in California for “blatant disregard for the sacrament of marriage” and enabling married couples to bilk consumers out thousands of dollars in gift certificates, household items, hotel lodging, food and gas.

“Frankly, our clients are tired of forking over money to Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond for cappuccino machines and Panini makers for wedding gifts, only to find out a few years – and in some cases only a few months later – that according to the Archdiocese of Vestavia, that it was all, well, pretend,” said Bob Pappas, an attorney with Pappas, Pappas and Jones in Santa Monica, Calif. “All we are saying is that if you aren’t really married, you don’t need that $80 clothes hamper anymore, so send it back to my client.”

Some of the claims go back several years. “I bought my brother, Frank, and his wife, Roberta, an All-Clad skillet 25-years ago when they got married,” said Fred O’Malley, a draftsman and parishioner at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Church in Santa Monica. “Now they are telling me that after 35 years of marriage and seven children, that their marriage isn’t valid? Well, I’m betting my lifetime warranty with All-Clad is still valid, and my lawyers are taking that bet, too.”

Plaintiffs include not only former wedding guests, but former members of wedding parties, too, including Angela Stratton, who attends Christ the King Church in Los Angeles. “My husband and I practiced NFP, were open to children, and talked about our golden years pretty frequently,” she said. “Then, a few years into the marriage, he decides it is all harder than he thought it would be, abandons me, and the Archdiocese declares our marriage invalid.”

“I couldn’t even get him to go to Retrovaille,” said Stratton. “which is funny, since he didn’t have any problems going to the all expense paid honeymoon at Sandals in Jamaica four years before, which I paid for, by the way.”

“If I can’t have him back, I can at least be reimbursed so I can take one of my friends to Jamaica this summer,” Stratton said. “If the Archdiocese won’t give me justice, maybe my lawyer can.”
Some critics have asked why the plaintiffs are suing the Archdiocese and not the individuals who were involved in the marriages that went defunct. “It’s simple, the Archdiocese is aiding in the breakdown of marriages,” said Pappas. “The current pope and the one prior both said there are too many annulments in the United States. In addition to stating that there needs to be more education for couples prior to marriage, Pope Benedict XVI also said more needs to be done to help married couples stay together once they are married, a statement which is ignored or glossed over by a lot of people. How many priests, brothers or nuns in this Archdiocese encouraged people to seek annulments, rather than encourage them to work things out? How many tribunals examined their consciences and looked at the evidence prayerfully?”

Crispin Henry, who has spend over $2,000 on food processors, coffee makers, mixers, Holiday Inn Express lodging and gas for Catholic weddings in which the marriages were later annulled, said he has gotten a lot of criticism for participating in the law suit. “A lot of my conservative friends act like I am trying to milk a sacred cow,” Henry said. “But why is it that these same people can criticize priests and bishops over bad liturgy or their unorthodox prolife stands, but if I criticize these same people over what I believe is annulment abuse, I am a heretic? If members of the clergy care so little for the liturgy or what the Church says about prolife issues, could it also be possible that these same clergy may not hold the indissolubility of marriage in very high esteem? ”

“An annulment isn’t a sacrament, by the way,” Henry added. “If a priest dresses as a clown and hears your confession, it’s valid. If he says mass and lets balloons float up to the ceiling, the mass is valid, even though everyone would rightly complain about both of those things. However, if this same bozo sits on an annulment tribunal and hands out defective consent annulments all day long, no one questions his orthodoxy in the slightest.”

O’Malley said winning this lawsuit is really important to him and the health of his own marriage. “I am invited to four Catholic weddings this month,” he said. “How many more times am I going to be victimized, and how many more times is my wife going to drag me to Williams Sonoma to pick out the perfect coffee bean grinder? If this lawsuit is successful, I hope not that many more times.”

Kelli Morrisey, one of the plaintiffs and a parishioner at St. Thomas More Church in Vestavia Hills, said, “I just want the court to acknowledge that I attended a really boring wedding ceremony in good faith, thinking I witnessed a valid ceremony take place, when I was actually just duped. And, I really, really want to be reimbursed for the Martha Stewart Living magazine subscription I bought for the happy couple 10 years ago."

For Third Year, "Ashes" Named Favorite Catholic Sacrament

For the third year, ashes comes in tops as favorite Catholic sacrament.

BOSTON -- For the third year in a row, the ashes received during the Ash Wednesday service was listed in an ABC-News/Washington Post poll as most Roman Catholic's favorite sacrament, topping both communion and baptism.

"There is just something about receiving those ashes that makes me feel, well alive," said Katie Stanbury, a lobbyist with Phelps/Dawson Public Relations. "I miss mass quite a bit, but I never, ever miss this service."

Fr. Allen Bannion, of St. Peter Claver Church in Boston, said that the Ash Wednesday service is always standing room only. "People just love that service, as well as the one for Palm Sunday. We always have more people there than any other time of year," he said. "Yeah, people come on Sunday for communion, but at these services they get a little something extra. It is sort of like Bonus Days at the Clinique counter, when you not only get the perfume you went in to purchase, but a kick-ass red lipstick, as well. Or so I've been told."

Maggie Oliver, a retired schoolteacher, said her favorite sacraments are baptism and confirmation. "It's a great chance to take some pictures and see relatives I haven't seen in awhile. Oh, plus we all go out to eat afterwards, which is fun," she said.

Other favorite sacraments listed, in order, included: 2) baptism, 3) "that day when we get to bring in our pets for blessings" 4) communion (if viewed as a symbol only) 4) annulment 5) Confirmation and 6) marriage.

According to the poll, Roman Catholics have different interpretations on what the word sacrament means. Responses given included: "a symbol," "something that makes you feel happy, blessed or relieved," "a church function or practice" or "a tradition."

Kenny Daniels said he thinks so much of the Ash Wednesday service that when he arrived late last night, he simply left. "I could have stayed for communion, but I came for the ashes," he said. "So, I just went to Starbuck's instead. Oh well, there's always next year."

Jane Fonda To Celebrate 50th Year Wedding Anniversary

The following is a special guest post from Truemarriage.net.

Jane Fonda (left) is being supported in her latest form of activism by actress and "Monster-in-Law" co-star Jennifer Lopez.

by Truemarriage.net,
special to catholicnews.org

BOCA RATON, FLA. -- Jane Fonda will celebrate her 50^th wedding anniversary on March 1 at the Sempre Aurum resort in Boca Raton, Florida. Accompanying her will be her three husbands, Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden, and Ted Turner.

"Though I have not been married for 50 years, if you add it all up, it is like a 50 year anniversary," said Fonda. " So, we decided to celebrate our years of love together.” The planning continues for the event, and others, who like Fonda, will never be able to celebrate a traditional 50 year wedding anniversary, are invited to attend what will be a weeklong gala. Events are scheduled to take place during the first week of March, 2006.

The celebration has raised concerns with the Center for Traditional Marriage. Mary McEvan, the spokeswoman for the Center stated, “I just don’t think that those who have had three marriages can celebrate a 50^th anniversary. These celebrations have traditionally been for being married to the same person for 50 years.” Other groups have promised to protest the event.

However, Fonda, known for her activism in movies and against the Vietnam War, is not backing down. In fact, she sees this event as a natural outgrowth of her other forms of activism. Fonda said, “Many, many people cannot celebrate a 50^th wedding anniversary because of the cards they have been dealt. This celebration is for the widows and widowers whose spouse was taken from them by circumstances. It is for those who were unable to stay married because of circumstances. It is for those who chose not to stay married because of circumstances. Really, it is about celebrating the diversity of lives that each of us has lived” Besides her former husbands, Fonda has invited a long list of Hollywood stars and politicians to celebrate with her. In addition, her children, stepchildren and others will be part of the celebration.

All three of her former husbands intend on coming to celebrate this wonderful event. Fonda has planned a weeklong wedding anniversary celebration. Roger Vadim said, “I am coming to celebrate what Jane and I had. Jane and I will spend the first 2 days of the event together in memory of our 8 years of life and loving.” Following up those 2 days will be Tom Hayden who was married to Fonda for 17 years. “It was an exciting part of my life and I look back on it and want to celebrate with Jane,” Hayden said. Hayden will spend three days with Fonda.

Finally, Turner, her latest husband (nine years) will have two days to spend with Jane. “I look forward to squeezing as much celebration into those two days as possible,” Turner said. Special events are being planned for each day to be capped by a dinner dance every night. The last night will be a gala celebration.

Fonda invites people from across America and the world to join her. She has started a Foundation, Golden Years for Everyone, as a vehicle for promoting the idea. Said Fonda, “Our parents and grandparents had such stifling ideas about these things. It is important to reach out to everyone for important events like these. Studies show that those who have celebrated 50 year anniversaries are the happiest people and have the most stable families. Everyone should be happy and have stable families.”

Besides her Foundation, Fonda hopes that her message resonates with those, who because of circumstances, miss out on many other important events. She said she hopes that kids who never went to college or finished high school can attend class reunions, and that workers and even those who have never worked can celebrate 25 and 50 years with the company. In addition she said she wants everyone to be able to celebrate birthdays of 50 and 75 and 100, even if they never reach such milestones. "This is not about commitment and achievement, this is about circumstances, this is about celebration," she said.

[On a serious note, THE TRUE MARRIAGE project is working to have civil courts recognize a couple's constitutional right to have a serious religious marriage, and no-fault divorce can't be forced on these couples if it is against their religion. An appeal of a no-fault divorce is in underway in Ohio.� http://www.truemarriage.net/ ]