CANON LAW SOCIETY OF AMERICA

The Canon Law Society of America (CLSA) is a professional association, dedicated to the promotion of both the study and the application of canon law in the Catholic Church. It was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the District of Columbia on Feb. 13, 1981. It actively promotes canonical and pastoral approaches to significant issues within the Catholic Church, both the Latin or Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. After Vatican Council II, the society offered its services to dioceses in the United States for the revitalization and proper application of church law.

HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

History. A group of canonists in the United States established the CLSA on Nov. 12, 1939 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC during the early days of World War II. The Reverend William Doheny was elected the first president and the Reverend Clement Bastnagel became the first general secretary. Other notable presidents include John Cardinal Krol (1948); John Cardinal Carrberry (1955); Archbishop John Quinn (1957); and Adam Cardinal Maida (1968). Sister Lucy Vazquez became the society's first female president in 1990. The archives of the CLSA are available for research at the University of Notre Dame Archives, South Bend, Indiana.

Structure. The CLSA organizes its activities through an annual general meeting of the society, at which time it elects officers and determines resolutions for future study and activity by the society. A Board of Governors that oversees the operations of the CLSA is composed of elected officers: president, vice-president who is president-elect, a secretary, a treasurer, and seven consultors, one of whom is ex officio the immediate past president.

The society organizes its study and activities around three types of committees. There are constitutional committees created by the CLSA Constitution. Ongoing committees are a second type whose members carry out tasks deemed essential to the ongoing life of the society. A third type is the project committee created for a specific task.

An executive coordinator, appointed from the active membership of the society by the Board of Governors for a three-year term of service, serves the membership and the Board of Governors under the direction of the president and the Board of Governors. Created in 1965, the Office of Executive Coordinator assists the operations of the society on a daily basis. The executive's task is the general implementation of the board's policies and decisions, as well as the fulfillment of specific duties as mentioned in the bylaws of the society. A listing of executives includes Paul Boyle, CP (1965–1967); Thoms J. Lynch (1968–1972); Donald E. Heinschel (1973–1979); James H. Provost (1980–1985); Edward G. Pfnausch (1986–1990); James M. Carr (1991); Patrick Cogan, SA (1992–1998); and Arthur J. Espelage, OFM (1999–).

Membership. The CLSA's membership includes men and women in 43 countries. Membership in the Canon Law Society of America is open to interested persons who wish to collaborate in the promotion of the pastoral ministry of the Church within the context of its legal/canonical structures. Membership of non-Catholic persons is also welcomed.

ACTIVITIES

Annual general meeting. In an effort to promote a better understanding of church law and its pastoral application, the society convenes an annual convention and other symposia. Collaboration with other professional church organizations and learned societies is yet another area of the society's involvements. The minutes of the annual meetings were recorded in The Jurist until 1968. Beginning with the 31st annual convention in 1969, the society has published the complete proceedings in a separate series, CLSA Proceedings.

Role of Law award. Each year since 1973, the Board of Governors chooses a recipient for the CLSA Role of Law Award. The recipient is a member of the society whose life and ministry represent service to the Church through the ministry of law. The criteria used in the nomination and selection process look for embodiment of a pastoral attitude; commitment to research and study; participation in the revision of law; facilitation of dialog and interchange of ideas within the society and with other groups. The first recipient was the Rev. Frederick McManus. Dr. Stephan G. Kuttner, who taught the history of canon law for decades, was the first layperson to receive the Role of Law award in 1978. Other notable recipients include the Reverends Lawrence G. Wrenn (1976); Donald E. Heintschel (1982); Francis G. Morrisey, OMI (1990); Victor Pospishil (1994); Sister Sharon L. Holland, IHM (1999) and the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke (2000).

Publication services. The society developed CLSA Publications as a means to promote greater understanding and application of canon law. The society sponsored and published with permission English translations of the Code of Canon Law (1983) and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (1990), as well as the New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law. Several series of canonical resources appear: Canon Law Digest, CLSA Proceedings, Roman Replies, CLSA Advisory Opinions and the CLSA Newsletter, as well as specialized studies on marriage and tribunal ministry.

Bibliography: r. g. cunningham, ed., Reflections on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary (Washington, DC 1988).

[a. espelage]