Don't assume that life in a Catholic community was synonymous with life everywhere. Divorce was legally difficult before the advent of "no fault" divorces, before which one partner had to prove misconduct (infidelity, criminality, for a man, failure to support or abandonment). Couples who really wanted to divorce sometimes would agree to have one be the designated at fault person, and in my high school class ('69) there were very few kids with divorced parents. As soon as no fault became available my parents divorced, summer of '69, and while it was difficult within our extended family, there was no scandal.