This week, I'm headed to Cleveland... not because I'm a Browns fan. In fact, I have no idea if there is anything to see or do in Cleveland at all! But every year I attend the Canon Law Society of America Convention, which is held in various cities around the country, and this year it's in Cleveland.
As you know, I have a degree in Canon Law (Catholic Church Law), and this Convention is a good way to keep my knowledge up to speed. Canon Law is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the world. It has its roots in ancient Roman Law. Canon Law exists to regulate the good things we find in the Church according to justice. In other words, God gave the Church the sacraments and her hierarchical structure so that His salvation might reach the ends of the earth. And Canon Law helps regulate such things. For instance, it establishes the term of a pastor, what it takes to validly confer the sacrament of Confirmation, and the process to investigate the validity/nullity of a marriage, among many other things. In fact, it is marriage annulments that I work most closely with. I am a judge for our diocesan tribunal, and I receive annulment cases in the mail periodically to evaluate and judge (the marriage nullity process is not an administrative one, where the bishop gives a stamp of approval, but rather a judicial one, where an "investigation" is carried out and a determination is made by a judge based on the evidence proffered). Exciting stuff! :)
Among the docket items for this year's convention are a keynote address on Monday by Bishop Robert Barron, "Dealing with Antagonistic Respondents" on Tuesday, "Outdoor Weddings" on Wednesday, and "Reform and Renewal in the Holy See" on Thursday. Please pray for me that I might serve the Church at least somewhat competently in these matters!
This week, I'm headed to Cleveland... not because I'm a Browns fan. In fact, I have no idea if there is anything to see or do in Cleveland at all! But every year I attend the Canon Law Society of America Convention, which is held in various cities around the country, and this year it's in Cleveland.