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Surprised By Canon Law: 150 Questions Laypeople Ask About Canon Law

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Usually you need true inspiration to read a book with the word Law in the title. Something like a gun to your head maybe. But that is not the case here. No problem at all reading this. Up front, let me confess that I truly love Q&As. They make me feel so smart on those few occasions when I already knew the answer they tell me. Along the way, you can usually learn a lot. This book is a treasure trove for the learning along the way. Can your child be baptized at home? Do I need an imprimatur for that new novel I wrote? Is my parish pastor supposed to be taking all of those vacations? The list goes on and on. These questions are truly informative for anyone with any interest in the Catholic Faith. The Questions are divided in a way that makes total sense, but I just kept picking it up whenever I saw it on the table, and randomly read where the pages opened. I was never disappointed. Can you really have an enjoyable, even fun, law book? A religious one no less? This book answers yes. Do not miss the end where they ask You to send Them more questions, just in case they do another volume. Get those questions in! I want another one!

Canonist Pete Vere sheds light not only on the Church's Code of Canon Law, but demonstrates its relevance to individual's lives in this easy-to-read question and answer format book.

The Code of Canon Law was first issued in 1917, and later revised in 1983. Just as civil law governs our public entities, canon law governs how the Church operates.

As a former Evangelical Lutheran, I found the book very interesting. By reading how the Church approaches particular circumstances one can more easily understand why the Church teaches the things that it does and come to appreciate the Church's consistency.

Catholics and non-Catholics will find it helpful for answering such common questions as:

- Is it okay to have one godparent?
- Who may serve as a child's baptismal sponsor?
- What is required of a godparent?
- Who can use the title of Catholic?
- Can the priesthood be taken away from a priest?
- May a layperson give a homily?
- Why doesn't the Church butt out of the government's making of public policy?

With or without knowing it, canon law affects your daily life as a Catholic. Vere explains how. He provides lucid explanations of canon law, and offers responses to situations that lay Catholics often find themselves in. He also informs Catholics of their rights and responsibilities, and explains how canon law extends privileges to non-Catholics, especially with regard to marriage, divorce, annulments and remarriage. In the case of divorced, non-Catholics, for example, the Church must investigate whether the previous marriage was valid.

Those privileges also extend in the case of funerals. Canon 1183, paragraph 3, for example, permits a funeral in the Catholic Church for a baptized non-Catholic whose own minister is not available.

If you'd like to know more about the responsibilities of laypeople, priests, or bishops, you'll find Surprised by Canon Law a fascinating book.

Professor Emeritus, Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada
Unfortunately canon law is one of the most misunderstood and consequently least appreciated aspects of the Catholic Church. This is true not only for non-Catholics, but also for many Catholics, including many of the clergy. In a word, many do not like canon law because they do not really know anything about it, or have gross misconceptions.
Pete Vere and Michael Truman have attempted to put to rest such misgivings. I hasten to add that they are most successful in fulfilling their goal. This is not a text book of canon law, nor a reference book for canonists. The authors present 150 questions that ordinary Catholics may have concerning canon law, and then answer them in a clear fashion that is easily understood by the man or the woman on the street or the faithful in the pew. On every page of this short work their love for the Church radiates as they explain in simple language her legislation which reflects that "the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one's eyes." (Can. 1752)

Surprised By Canon Law: 150 Questions Catholics Ask About Canon Law, co-authored by canon law experts Pete Vere and Michael Trueman provides non-specialist general readers, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, a sound and practical guide to the oldest code extent in Christianity. The straightforward question-and-answer format addresses many issues and concerns regarding Catholic canon law today, such as "Can I attend and be a member of any parish I like?" (quick answer: "nobody is going to stop you"), "Can a living or non-Catholic person have a Mass offered for him or her?" (while once this would have been an issue, today there is no longer any prohibition against such), and "What is the annulment process?" (It is a judicial process in which the Church examines the presumption of validity of a particular marriage). An excellent primer and introduction to the rules and procedures the Catholic Church sets for both worship and daily living.

Taking Canon HIstory Law and found the material insightful with regard to the complexities of Canon Law
Thanks

When an average Catholic hears the term "Canon Law", what image comes to mind? A stuffy code, perhaps reminiscent of the Old Law of the Pharisees that obsessed over every aspect of everyday life for the Israelites? Or perhaps one is reminded of the Spanish Inquistion, or expecting the Church to be poised to excommunicate someone for a slight infraction of an obscure rule. Fortunately, this book lays such concerns to rest. In clear language, authors Pete Vere and Michael Trueman, both canon lawyers, explain what canon law is and isn't, what it covers and what it leaves alone, and that most of all it isn't a burden to be feared and loathed.
The book begins by explaining the different types of law, and which one is covered by the Church's Code of Canon Law. Last revised in 1983, this code helps with day-to-day workings within the Church. Surprised By Canon Law answers questions such as whether a non-Catholic can have a Catholic funeral(yes), may a layman say a homily(no), and is it all right to have a single godparent(yes). Sensitive topics such as divorce and remarriage, sacraments for severely disabled Christians, and abortion are handled clearly and without harshness. The difference between heresy and schism is laid out, with concise definitions and explanations as to how to avoid falling into one or both. This book also clears up any confusion about the difference between what is valid or illicit; a bishop that was validly ordained but then excommunicated for a schismatic act may still validly ordain priests, but his and their sacraments, though also valid, are illicit.
Easy to read and reference, with a well laid-out format and index, Surprised By Canon Law should be in every Catholic household. Its 150 answers are eminently useful, and could help when confronted by someone angry or confused over the Church's policies. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking to be more firmly grounded in the Catholic faith. It may also prove most helpful when discussing the Church with those of other faiths. Most of all, this book demonstrates that far from a crushing burden, canon law is simply a framework within which the Church may live and breathe, and address the problems of our current age.

Not only is this book a comprehensive look at several common questions related to Canon Law, it is written in an engaging and coherent fashion. The book carries the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur and features a foreword by Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid. The book covers a broad variety of topics that will interest most Catholics and inquirers. The authors conclude the book by inviting additional questions. An interesting and helpful resource...

This book is a goldmine! Thank you Pete Vere and Michael Trueman for doing the hard work for us. I run a catholic ministry and this is such a great resource because these questions often come up and when dealing with so many people as I do it is great to have the answers right at my fingertips! very informative yet simple to understand!

... But Didn't Know Who to Ask"

Wonder no more. Messrs. Vere and Trueman have written a crisp, orthodox set of answers to questions commonly asked by curious Catholics.

Questions concerning whether laypersons may give homilies (they can't), what can be done about Catholic instructors teaching "questionable" topics, whether First Confession must precede First Communion (it must), and what is required of a godparent are all given thoughtful responses.

Worth noting is the language and style used by the authors. Canon law is often perceived by laypersons to be inscrutable and "off-limits" to all but priests, bishops and canon lawyers. But Vere and Trueman show how canon law really exists to guide the faithful, and their jargon-free responses don't require anything more than curiosity to understand them.

They also provide a link to their website for readers to submit additional questions, so "Surprised by Canon Law 2" is not out of the question.

Congratulations also to Servant Books for producing a slim, handsome little book. Gone are the days when "authentically Catholic" was synonymous with "looks cheap".

Then get this book.

Both interested Catholics and curious non-Catholics ask questions about the Church, but often the questions they ask don't deal with doctrine or sacred Scripture. Instead, they concern the procedural and practical aspects of Church life. People wonder whether a non-Catholic is permitted to receive Holy Communion under any circumstances; whether a priest can write and use his own prayers in celebrating Mass; and what's involved in the "annulment" process.

All of these issues involve church law, but most educated Catholics don't know where to look for the answers. In this book, Pete Vere and Michael Trueman have brought their gifts of organization and clarity to the subject. Their 150 questions and answers, based on the Church's canon law and liturgical law, get to the point, while also explaining the Church's intention behind each point of law. Each of them has as its purpose "the supreme law", which is "the salvation of souls."