Once consent to marriage is exchanged, Church law presumes that the marriage is binding and valid. A declaration of nullity, commonly referred to as an "annulment", is an official declaration of a Catholic tribunal (court) that, according to Church law, a given marriage was not actually valid (and therefore not binding) at the time a couple spoke their marriage vows. In other words, a declaration of nullity overturns the presumption in favor of the validity of the marriage. It says that certain conditions were present at the time the marriage was entered into that made it invalid according to Catholic Church teaching.
A declaration of nullity does not affect the legitimacy of children. The laws of the Church state that children born of a presumed valid union are legitimate. If the marriage is later shown to have been invalid, the status of the children remains unchanged: they are legitimate.
If you are divorced and want to consider the possibility of obtaining an annulment, contact the pastor or pastoral staff member at your parish. They can give you the necessary forms and explain how the process works in our diocese. Also, check out the Website for the Diocese of Pembroke.