Surprised by Canon Law!
150 Questions Catholics Ask about Canon Law
by Pete Vere & Michael Trueman
Forward by Patrick Madrid
For centuries, canon law has been for most Catholics a mysterious and esoteric aspect of Catholicism, […] Not anymore. - Patrick Madrid, Envoy Magazine
Vere and Trueman have made canon law accessible to the average Catholic for the first time. - Karl Keating, Catholic Answers
From time to time, all Catholics have them: nagging questions about church life, often prompted by some personal encounter or challenging situation:
Is a layperson allowed to preach a homily?
Is a pastor required to report to someone regarding parish finances, or is he on his own?
It seems like the parish council is running your parish. Does it have the authority to do so?
Must a child be baptized in a church, or may the baptism take place at home?
Surprised by Canon Law tackles these and many other questions, all of which have been formally addressed by the Roman Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law. The Code-the internal legal system that governs the church's day-to-day workings-deals with far-flung concerns of interest to the person-in-the-pew. This practical guide to the Code provides answers to a range of questions, from "Can the pope resign?" to the more sensitive query "Do you have the right to tell your bishop what the diocese needs?"
In straightforward language the authors discuss the nuts-and-bolts of church life, making canon law accessible to the everyday Catholic.
This volume is readable, interesting, pastoral and completely faithful to Church teaching and discipline. – Fr. Peter Stravinskas, The Catholic Response
I recommend it as a valuable starting point for anyone interested in becoming familiar with canon law. + Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit
To order your copy today, please visit SurprisedbyCanonLaw.com or call 1-800-488-0488.
Thanks for posting our link and logo on the site, Pete!
And thanks for making it alternate browser-friendly!
Congrats, Pete! I can't wait to get a copy!
Not a Catholic myself, but sounds like an interesting read.
Here's one for ya, the local "Franciscan" -- really Reiki -- nuns up on the hill are advertising for a liturgist in the city paper.
I'm not a member of the Catholic Church, but I -would- follow Redemptoris Sacramentum.
Should I apply?
(I suspect that they -wouldn't- hire someone who would follow the teaching of the encyclical, FWIW)
You can certainly apply. At least, canon law doesn't forbid it. Whether the nuns are really permitted to hire you is another question.
The last major Church document on sacred music before the Council did require that at least musicians be Catholics. I don't know whether this has been officially modified since then, but it's not enforced anywhere, AFAIK.
OTOH, the notion of a parish or a single religious house hiring an outside liturgical expert may be so new and uncommon that the law doesn't address it.
We'll see if Pete has an answer.
I agree with Rich. If you are willing to follow Redemptoris Sacramentum, why not apply? As a non-Catholic, you probably stand a better chance of forcing this parish to follow liturgical law! ;-)
I agree with Rich. If you are willing to follow Redemptoris Sacramentum, why not apply? As a non-Catholic, you probably stand a better chance of forcing this parish to follow liturgical law! ;-)
Just called my local Catholic bookstore and told them to order it. We look forward to reading your book.