Church Canon Law

  • Thread starter Thread starter Montie_Claunch
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Montie_Claunch

Guest
I would like to take a look at church law and I am curious. Does anyone know where I can find it in book form? How long is it? What is it ussually used for? Thanks and God bless.
 
Montie Claunch:
I would like to take a look at church law and I am curious. Does anyone know where I can find it in book form? How long is it? What is it ussually used for? Thanks and God bless.
I know you asked for book form, but just in case anyone else needs this link:

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

If it is just a book with English and Latin facing pages, then it is smaller than the $20 version of the CCC. However, it can come with commentary as well. My copy is from the Canon Law Society of America.
 
Montie Claunch:
I would like to take a look at church law and I am curious. Does anyone know where I can find it in book form? How long is it? What is it ussually used for? Thanks and God bless.
I know you are looking for a book but this website has the entire Code of Canon Law.

www.intratext.com/X/ENG0017.HTM
 
Montie Claunch:
I would like to take a look at church law and I am curious. Does anyone know where I can find it in book form? How long is it? What is it ussually used for? Thanks and God bless.
the full law and commentary is several volumes. There is a one volume reference book to Canon Law. It quite expensive. There are several one volume summaries helpful for lay people. It is used to regulate the disciplinary aspects of the Church–not doctrine–and establish rules for administering the sacraments, preparing and ordaining priests, running religious orders and the like. Each diocese, using canon law, also establishes particular law for the diocese, the day to day logistics of how things work in practice: how people are prepared for sacraments, how sacraments are recorded etc.

It is used by priests, bishops and those whom they delegated to carry out the day to day pastoral tasks of the Church. The average lay person only needs to know canon law when it applies to their situation: the validity of a marriage etc. But the lay person, unless they are a canon lawyer or delegated by the bishop for a specific responsibility, is not qualified to interpret and apply the law. The Tribunal in each diocese is the judge of canon law. they deal mostly with marriages, but also cases involving priestly conduct or anything else that comes under canon law.
 
Montie Claunch:
I would like to take a look at church law and I am curious. Does anyone know where I can find it in book form? How long is it? What is it ussually used for? Thanks and God bless.
There are several introductions to Canon Law like: Supprised by Canon Law, *Canon Law in the hands of the Laity, An Introduction to Canon Law *and *A Concise guide to Canon Law. *There are others that are specific to Canon Law on Marriage, the Catechumenate, Sacraments in general, Ministry in the Church, Etc.

When I teach for RCIA or Adult Faith Formation I will always teach from the Catechism first, with additional material from Magisterial sources and always will bring in a little Canon Law. Because even though Canon Law is not “Doctrine” it will always reflect the Doctrine of the Church. It shows how the Church “walks the talk”, so to speak.
 
Also, many book forms of the CIC have extensive commentary. Some commentary is better than others. I recommend the version “Canon Law: Letter and Spirit.” It seems to take a balanced view of the canons in light of the history of the Church the purpose of the canon, its relation to the previous revision of CIC and does not hold a rigorous view nor an overly lax view of the canons.
 
40.png
awalt:
I have the Pastoral Companion by Huels, if you don’t want to dive into the complete Canon immediately. This was more than detailed enough for my lay needs
I wouldn’t purchase anything written by former priest John Huels. He is an extremely progressive canonist who espouses the notion that canon (and liturgical) laws may be dispensed of if they are not deemed to be “pastoral” by the local community.

According to numerous news articles and this one from the Adoremus Bulletin, John Huels was accused of molesting a seminarian a few years back. Huels was also banned from using the title “Reverend”, and recently requested laicization from the Holy See.

Below is a portion of the Adoremus Bulletin article:
Bland had told authorities of his abuse by Huels in 1994 when Huels, a professor of canon law at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, was made provincial of the Chicago province of the Servite order. Huels stepped down as provincial, but retained his CTU faculty position. Two years later he was hired to teach at Saint Paul’s.

Archbishop Gervais told CNS that when Father Huels was hired six years ago as vice-dean of the canon law department the archbishop had not been informed of “any inappropriate behavior in his [Father Huels’s] past”. The CNS story said that Huels has now admitted his guilt to the archbishop, who said that in June this year “I was made aware of a situation” involving Huels.
 
Where can I find the detail behind Canon Law 766? All I find on the Vatican website is one sentance for the Law, but a group in our parish is using this law and Ecclesiae de mysterio: Interdicasteral Instruction on Certain Questions…" 1997 as justification for lay preaching. Apparently there are conditions outlined in the 766 about the specific instances when lay preaching is allowed during the Sunday Homily. Can someone help me so I will be prepared for our Parish Council meeting tomorrow evening? God Bless You. Sue
 
40.png
Sue:
Where can I find the detail behind Canon Law 766? All I find on the Vatican website is one sentance for the Law, but a group in our parish is using this law and Ecclesiae de mysterio: Interdicasteral Instruction on Certain Questions…" 1997 as justification for lay preaching. Apparently there are conditions outlined in the 766 about the specific instances when lay preaching is allowed during the Sunday Homily. Can someone help me so I will be prepared for our Parish Council meeting tomorrow evening? God Bless You. Sue
Preaching takes several forms. C 766 says Laypersons can be pemitted to preach in churches in cases of necessity or usefullness.

For instance during a parish retreat a layperson my preach with the pastors permission or a Layperson who is conducting a Communion service in the absence of a priest can preach as is also the case of a Liturgy of the Word outside of Mass when a priest or deacon is not available.

Homilies at Mass as part of the Liturgy itself is reserved to priests and deacons. C 767 says that pastors are to see that these norms are followed.

The USCCB document Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly, 1982 should shed more light on this, as would the GIRM.
 
40.png
Sue:
Ecclesiae de mysterio: Interdicasteral Instruction on Certain Questions…" 1997 as justification for lay preaching. Apparently
Lay preaching where? Outside of mass or actually preaching the homily at mass? Lay people are not supposed to do the homily during mass. Not a homily. They can offer a personal testamony in such a way that it is NOT a homily. A homily is a reflection on the readings. AFAIK, they are not supposed to just have the priest sit down every week and have a lay person delegated to say something during that period normally known as the homily just because they want to have lay preaching. This would appear (to me anyway) to be a homily, then.

The homily, therefore, during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, must be reserved to the sacred minister, Priest or Deacon(69) to the exclusion of the non-ordained faithful…All previous norms which may have admitted the non-ordained faithful to preaching the homily during the Holy Eucharist are to be considered abrogated by canon 767, § 1.(72) A form of instruction designed to promote a greater understanding of the liturgy, including personal testimonies, or the celebration of eucharistic liturgies on special occasions (e.g. day of the Seminary, day of the sick etc.) is lawful, of in harmony with liturgical norms, should such be considered objectively opportune as a means of explicating the regular homily preached by the celebrant priest. Nonetheless, these testimonies or explanations may not be such so as to assume a character which could be confused with the homily.is quoted from the document you list above.

It might be okay if say you have a congregation that speaks one language, and you can only get a priest who speaks another. Then a layperson might have some function to explain what the priest said or say in the right language what the gospel that was read was, perhaps, so that the faithful can know which one was read.
Preaching in churches or oratories by the non-ordained faithful can be permitted only as a supply
for sacred ministers or for those particular reasons foreseen by the universal law of the Church or by Conferences of Bishops. It cannot, however, be regarded as an ordinary occurrence nor as an authentic promotion of the laity.

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_con_interdic_doc_15081997_en.html
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top