officially the start of hard work

I thought that getting a Certificate of Freedom to Marry would be as easy as applying for a re-entry permit in Thailand (you just line up for it at the Immigration Department). After 2 consecutive Sundays of running after Fr. Martin, it seems like this Certificate is as difficult as teaching a Thai adult to speak English!

Fr. Martin insists that the church in the Philippines (in my case, Mary The Queen) should look for proof from the church where I was baptized, since I can only get one baptismal certificate (for marriage purposes) in my lifetime -- and that he, or my parish here in Bangkok, cannot prove that I did not get married during the 2 years I've been here unless I show him that baptismal certificate as well.

*Thought bubble: You have to be kidding!*

I asked him if there is ANY other way around that process since Mary The Queen is really strict about the requirements. He said that the best he can do for me is to use the Certificate of Non-marriage for Non-Catholics, which basically has one person who knows me testifying that I did not get married in Thailand, and that he will just sign over it. Ok so that was a relatively easy one to do -- I knew volunteering to teach for Sunday School would pay off somehow hehe.
BUT it's for non-catholics... which definitely does not apply to me -- besides the fact that I am handing it over to a CATHOLIC church.

That was 2 Sundays ago. Last Sunday, I got the Non-Catholic form, got my friend P to sign it, and waited patiently for Fr. Martin to finish his Junior High class lecture. With an accomplished form in tow, I asked him what I was going to do next. He gave me a puzzled look that seemed like he thought I was really nuts for trying to get a certificate -- and told me that maybe he should just draft a letter saying that P knows me and solemnly swears that I am not married, co-signed by him.

Hmm, in short he'll copy the form and take out the masthead that says "for Non-Catholics".

Argh, it's better than nothing -- let's see how this goes. If his letter of sorts doesn't work, then I'll draft a letter that says the church registry doesn't have my name in their list of marriages from June 2001 to the present -- maybe that's an even better alternative.

Hay, we'll see. Argh, all that fuss for one piece of paper... and it's only the beginning.

On a lighter note... it's SEPTEMBER! One whole year to our church wedding (that doesn't even have a definite date yikes!), and 2 months til I see Aldo again in Manila!