Dr. J. Michael Ritty: The Canonical Road Less Taken

Dr. Michael Ritty has devoted his life for more than 30 years to assisting those in need of canonical services. He is one of only a few lay canonists who practice canon law in private practice full time. Join us for this podcast that honors the CLSA's Role of Law Award recipient for 2025.

This is a recording of the ROLA recipient, Dr. Ritty, reading the response that he delivered in person to the attendees at the 2025 CLSA convention in Orlando. 

On October 10, 2022, the Canon Law Society of America (CLSA) welcomed Bishop Robert Barron as the keynote speaker at its annual convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Speaking on synodality, Bishop Barron noted that "one could easily interpret [Pope] Francis’s synodality as a development of the people of God ecclesiology of Lumen gentium and of the communio mysticism of John Paul II, especially if one remains at the level of abstract analysis.  But when we come to the more practical application of the idea, more critical questions emerge. I should like to use three figures—John Henry Newman, Bernard Lonergan, and Augusto del Noce—not so much to criticize the notion of synodality as to make some distinctions that will serve, I hope, to clarify the concept a bit and to hold off potential misunderstandings." The CLSA welcomes anyone wishing to learn more about canon law and the work of the Society to visit its website at clsa.org. 

Jenna Cooper is a canonist who directs the tribunal in the Diocese of Wynona-Rochester in Minnesota. She is also a consecrated virgin. Listen to her recent conversation with Donna Miller, Executive Coordinator of the Canon Law Society of America, as Jenna describes her path to achieving and harmonizing her two vocations.   

Reverend James Coriden may be one of the CLSA's most recognizable and longest standing members. Since joining the Society in 1961, he has been a familiar face and a prophetic voice for thousands of canonists who have come to know him as a teacher, a theologian, and a friend. We are truly blessed to call Father Coriden our brother.  

Each year the Canon Law Society of America presents its distinguished Role of Law Award to an individual considered to be outstanding in the field of canonical science. The By-Laws of the Society directs the Board of Governors to select a person who demonstrates in his or her life and legal practice the following characteristics:   Embodiment of pastoral attitude, commitment to research and study, participation in the development of law, response to needs or practical assistance, facilitation of dialogue and the interchange of ideas within the Society and with other groups.   These qualifications are a concise re-statement of the constitutionally-expressed purposes of the Society.   The person to whom this award is given is viewed by us as one who embodies all that we, as members of the Society hold dear, as one to whom we can look for guidance and inspiration. Such an official statement alone is perhaps the greatest honor that can be bestowed on anyone – to be selected by one’s friends and peers as outstanding among them.   Our recipient this year has the unique honor of being the first (and I think, the only) chaplain to take the DePaul University men’s basketball team to an NCAA Final Four game.   He was ordained a presbyter in 1976. He received a licentiate in canon law in 1977 and earned his doctorate in canon law at the Catholic University of America in 1992. He has taught canon law at DeAndreis Seminary located outside of Chicago, at St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, and Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis. He has served as a judge in the tribunals of the Archdioceses of Chicago, Denver, and St. Louis. He was judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the Tribunal of the Diocese of Memphis.   The recipient is a past president of the CLSA. He was chair of the Religious Law Committee and co-editor of Procedural Handbook for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He also has served as chair of the Committee on Convention Planning and has presented several times at the Annual Convention. He currently serves as a canonical consultant and as an advocate in ecclesiastical proceedings. He continues to advise several institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life.   The 2021 Role of Law Award goes to Vincentian Father Michael Joyce, the Congregation of the Mission.

This is the second episode in our new Member Spotlight podcast series. Dr. David Keene is a student member of the CLSA. His varied career has led him to special opportunities in and service to the Church. Because of his training and expertise as an archaeologist, Dr. Keene has been called upon to assist with the exhumation of the remains of two Servants of God as part of their respective journeys to prospective sainthood. In this podcast, Dr. Keene shares with us his background and why, at an age when many Americans are enjoying retirement, he accepted the challenge to study canon law. 

Dr. Baasam F.M. Shahatit is a member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Petra and Philadelphia in Amman, Jordan. He earned his doctorate in canon law at the Lateran in Rome in 2013. He also holds degrees in philosophy and theology, is a member of the Bible Society of Jordan, and is head of the ecclesiastical court in Amman. In this interview session, Father Shahatit shares with our listeners his observations on the Catholic Church in Jordan and what he wants canonists from other countries to know about being a canonist in a country that is 92% Muslim.  

When the Holy See promulgated the highly-anticipated new text of Book VI of the Code of Canon Law on June 1, 2021, there was a flurry of activity and media attention for several days as canonists and others have sought to wrap their minds around the content and the context. Sixteen days after this momentous event, we are excited to share some initials observations from a canonist who has first-hand knowledge about the inner workings of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Father John Paul Kimes shared his insights into the CDF's Vademecum last July (2020), and now he ventures into the realm of the new Book VI. This podcast is a prelude to the pre-convention workshop that Fr. Kimes and Msgr. John Renken will be presenting this October for the CLSA in San Diego.  We invite you to listen and to submit questions that you might have for the presenters to answer at the pre-convention workshop. For details go to clsa.org.