Surprised by Canon Law: More Questions Catholics Ask About Canon Law (Paperback)

~ (Author), Michael Trueman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Servant Books (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867167491
• ISBN-13: 978-0867167498
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #472,803 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Church's Internal Structure, March 14, 2008

By	Carol Blank (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

As a sequel to their first book, Surprised by Canon Law, the authors address topics not covered in the earlier work, such as sacred times and places and parish life. They also tackle areas of canon law not included in the code, such as liturgical law, principles and norms on ecumenism, the structure of Vatican offices, and canonization of saints. The sacred times and places chapter covers holy days of obligation, sacramentals, and denial of church funerals. The Roman Curia chapter explains the purposes of that body and lists the offices. It closes with an answer to the question "To what Vatican office would I write if I have a complaint about the Church?" The authors list and briefly describe 10 offices, three of which deal with marriage. On the parish level, chapter four questions relate to removing and transferring of pastors and parish mergers, a topic of special interest across the U.S. today.

Like its predecessor, this is an informative and immensely readable book. Yet the authors remind us in the conclusion that the 200-plus questions in the two volumes address only a small portion of the Code of Canon Law. Further, they explain, canon law evolves. "As Catholics we should never forget that the law was made for us, and not we for the law," they write. "Who knows what organic development to the Church's internal legal structure we will see in the future?" Volume 3 anyone?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truely Surprised by Great Selection of Questions, February 21, 2008

By	Nancy Carpentier Brown (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Surprised by Canon Law 2 was a bit of a surprise to me. I didn't really think that it would contain any surprises. I thought that I was a fairly well informed Catholic who knew pretty much about the Church.

So, I surprised myself by sitting down to read this book, and discover that there was something I didn't know: I really was supposed to abstain from meat on Fridays. Not just Fridays during Lent (as I had thought)--but every Friday. I have acquaintances who recently decided to abstain from meat on all Fridays and I thought they were just bringing back an archaic practice, for fun, I guess: I didn't know why.

So, since I found this out on page 6, I decided I'd better read on and find out what else I didn't know.

From the beginning to the end, Surprised by Canon Law 2 contains many great questions and equally great answers. I found interesting reading all the way through. At the very end of the book, I discovered answers to questions I'd recently been asked about ecumenism, so that was very handy.

Questions in this second book are particularly relevant to the faithful in my area, where churches are being reorganized and merged. How do parishes merge? What happens to parish bank accounts and property in a merger? and How does a new parish get a name? were just some of the interesting questions found in this volume.

Anyone who had questions regarding church life, parish life, priestly life, consecrated persons life, the conference of bishops, the canonization of saints, or the election of a pope should find this book quite interesting, even if prior to this, you didn't even know you wondered about Canon Law.

Surprised by Canon Law Volume 2: More Questions Catholics Ask About Canon Law is surprisingly interesting reading. Buy it together with Surprised By Canon Law: 150 Questions Laypeople Ask About Canon Law and you will know much more than your friends about Canon Law.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended to Catholics everywhere, May 7, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

How does the canon law of the catholic church apply in today's world - how does it apply to everyday American Catholics? The second volume of "Surprised by Canon Law: More Questions Catholics Ask About Canon Law" believes it may be more than most believe. Seeking to inform Catholics more about the religion that they may have lost touch with, informing them on various topics like elections to papacy and sainthood, excommunication, funerals, and more. "Surprised by Canon Law: More Questions Ask About Canon Law" is highly recommended to Catholics everywhere and for community library collections on religion with a focus on Catholicism.