“I am delighted to welcome you to the Diocese of Cleveland,” Bishop Edward Malesic told about 400 members of the Canon Law Society of America who gathered here Oct. 10-13 for their 84th annual convention. It was the first time since 1990 that the CLSA had met in Cleveland. In May, the diocese hosted a joint meeting of the Eastern Regional Conference of Canonists and the Midwest Canon Law Society. The bishop, a canon lawyer himself, said he was happy to reconnect with some old friends at the convention.
He addressed the CLSA briefly at its opening session Oct. 10 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. Representatives from across the country were on hand, as well as canonists from Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
Since the group last met in Cleveland, the bishop said much has changed in the Code of Canon Law, Church and the diocese.
“What has not changed over the last 32 years is that the Church in Cleveland, as elsewhere, continues to give witness to the faith brought to these shores by immigrants from many different backgrounds, as it gives glory to God preaches the Gospel and saves souls,” he said.
“There is much to see and do in this wonderful city,” the bishop told the visitors, encouraging them to take advantage of the city’s rich cultural life including restaurants, sporting venues, the parks, lakefront and theater district – the largest outside of New York City.
He also provided the group with a snapshot of the diocese, which is observing its 175th anniversary, noting it consists of eight counties with more than 613,000 Catholics, 185 parishes, two seminaries and 108 Catholic schools with an enrollment of 38,000 students.
“We have one of the largest Catholic Charities’ ministries in the country,” he added.
The bishop also told the group about the diocese’s connection to El Salvador, where it has operated a mission since 1964. “I had the pleasure of visiting the mission earlier this year,” he said. Bishop Malesic also told them that two of the American churchwomen who were murdered in 1980 in El Salvador during the country’s civil war were from the diocese.
And he invited them to visit the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, a short walk from the hotel. “You can see where my future home will be,” he quipped, referring to Resurrection Chapel where many of the former diocesan bishops are buried.
“Northeastern Ohio is a beautiful place and a well-kept secret,” he said.
The group stopped for evening prayer before Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota delivered his address.
Attendees could browse through vendor exhibits, attend daily Mass, enjoy fellowship and some sightseeing in addition to the scheduled convention sessions.
Speakers’ topics included gender identity, lack of faith/marriage invalidity, sacramental record-keeping, sanctity, holiness and canonization, vulnerable persons and the law, issues related to baptism, technology for governance, outdoor weddings and canonical guidance for Latin clergy and laity serving Eastern Catholics.
The new members of the board of governors were installed during a liturgy celebrated by Bishop Malesic on Oct. 12, prior to the banquet.
In his homily at the Oct. 12 Mass, the bishop reiterated his happiness that the CLSA gathered for its meeting in Cleveland once again. “I hope your meetings have been fruitful, your friendships have been renewed and you have been lifted up in the work you do on behalf of the Church and God’s people.”
Reflecting on his own experience as a canonist, Bishop Malesic said he was hesitant to study canon law. But he admits he was “blessed beyond my wildest expectations by the professors who taught me, my fellow students who sat beside me and helped me, the priests and lay persons who have worked with me at the (three) tribunals I have been associated with and I have benefited from pondering the law – divine and human – in my own spiritual life. Yes, the law can be and should be grounded in the Spirit and the wisdom that flows from God, who is the foundation of all good law.”
He told the group he appreciates what they do as canon lawyers, teachers of the law, practitioners of the law and those who simply appreciate the law. “I have been enriched in my life as a disciple of Jesus by the work you do and the faith that is behind it. You inspire me.”
Reflecting on the readings, he noted that according to St. Paul “if we live in the spirit, we no longer have need of the law. That would put canon lawyers out of work.” Also, he said Jesus is not happy with the Pharisees and scholars of the law who use it as a weapon that “pays no attention to judgment (their own or before God) or the love of God. He says, ‘Woe to you scholars of the law.’”
Elsewhere in the Scriptures, Jesus said Peter would go fishing for souls, not drive them away and he asked the leaders of his Church to resemble shepherds who seek out and rescue the lost sheep. “I know you are people who desire to fulfill the highest law of the Church and that you place the salvation of souls first in all you do. We do this because first, we love God, and second, we love our neighbor – even those who cause us the greatest trouble and concern.”
The bishop said he prays for the canonists as they do some demanding work that sometimes includes some heavy canonical lifting. “Know that I appreciate all you do for me as a bishop and all you do for us as a Church.”
He also reminded the group that as the approach the alter to receive the gift of God, they should offer themselves as a gift to God in return, noting they are about to be blessed with the sacramental presence of Jesus/ “May we leave here as effective signs of his love for the world. For love, we are told, will cover a multitude of sins, including our own.”
The bishop congratulated the new officers who were installed and those who left office after serving the group in leadership roles. “May God bless us, make our work fruitful and be good to those we love,” he said.
The conference was hosted by the diocesan Secretariat for Canonical Services, led by Father Gary Yanus. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost, who oversees the diocesan Office for Worship, coordinated the liturgy and music was provided by the Schola Cantorum from The Lyceum School in South Euclid, under the direction of Joseph Kucel, choir director, and Luke Macik, headmaster.