Canonical Concerns Revisited

A little over a month ago there was a series of talks on Canon Law and Beacons of Light. Here are my thoughts on some of the things related to that. First, a claim made by the speaker was that the end goal of Beacons of Light is that we will only have one church building in every Family of Parishes in five years. This claim, while based upon some experience of the speaker in other dioceses, does not follow with what the Archbishop has done up to this point. Archbishop Schnurr has made the faithful aware from the beginning that the end goal of Beacons of Light  is one canonical parish, and in many situations (including St. Joseph, PIllar of Families) this would mean multiple church buildings with an overarching umbrella structure. As I have stated before, closing churches is not what my plan or the archdiocese's plan is for Beacons in St. Joseph, Pillar of Families. Becoming one canonical parish does not constitute the closure of Churches, as that is a completely different canonical act. In fact, jurisprudence (the precedence set for how previous legal situations have been dealt with) in Rome shows that they treat parish mergers and parish amalgamations as a fairly normal process in the life of the Church. In contrast, they treat the closure of a church building (relegation to profane use) as a much more serious matter (again, this is not what the plan for any of our churches are). So as long as parishioners are willing to maintain and upkeep a particular church building there is no reason to fear the relegation of any of our four wonderful churches to profane use.

Here are some helpful terms and definitions to clarify these distinctions.

Merger- two or more former parishes unite to become a single new parish; all previous parishes become extinct. A+B+C=D

Amalgamation- one or more former parishes are subsumed into another parish; the subsumed parishes becomes extinct; the parish which absorbed the other(s) becomes larger. A+B+C=C

These two terms are different ways in which multiple parishes become a single canonical entity. These two canonical decrees require a just cause, which is a reasonable motivation that is provided for the decision to be made.  Please also note that the term “extinct” is the legal term used, but it does not mean everything that came before is gone. Each of our four church buildings will still exist and be utilized regularly, each of our four churches would be classified as sacred spaces in canon law, and each community would still be ministered to from those church buildings.  This also includes around the Triduum and Christmas seasons as well.  We are blessed to have so many people that attend these high points in the Church’s year that on a merely practical level, we could never combine to having one Holy Thursday Mass, for example. This process is similar to a bank that becomes part of a larger umbrella organization; each bank still operates locally, but they are part of a larger network of banks under one organizational structure. Or like when a wife takes a new last name after getting married and her last name is no longer her legal last name. That last name goes "extinct" officially but the wife is still a member of the family she grew up in and will still claim her father and mother as her parents. She is now simply part of a new reality that is married life and the family her and her husband will form. 

Relegation to Profane Use- Closing of a church; no longer a sacred space; must be done prior to the alienation of property.

This is NOT what we are discussing in our particular situation. I want each of our current existing church buildings to exist for generations to come. Unlike amalgamation or merger, a decree for Relegation to Profane Use requires a grave cause. A grave cause refers to dire circumstances and rises above “just cause” in a significant way. Again, this is NOT what we are looking at regarding the canonical unification of St. Joseph, Pillar of Families Parishes.

We are not close to even beginning to work on the canonical aspect of Beacons, as we are still early in this process.  But I hope that this gives some clarification and a better understanding of Beacons of Light. Beacons provides us an opportunity to evangelize, cooperate, and deepen our spiritual lives. As members of the Catholic Church we have been integrated into the Mystical Body of Christ which extends across space, time, and parish boundaries. Our identification with the person of Jesus Christ is an identification with His entire body. Meaning that we are connected with the Church throughout the entire world, every soul being purified in purgatory, and every saint dwelling in the heavenly sanctuary.

Thank you to all parents for the courage to bring your children into the world and up in the Catholic Faith. Whatever age your children are they are always welcome at Mass. I ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph on behalf of all parents in my Family of Parishes often.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn