Greetings in Jesus Christ!
The new edition of the Extraordinary Catholics magazine is out. I spent time yesterday evening reading through many of the articles. Recently, there have been a couple of articles on interjurisdictional canon law and a program at Meister Eckhart Divinity School. I was surprised as I typically think of ISM and Independent Catholicism as antithetical to canon law. It might be tolerated to deal with issues with renegade clergy or to differentiate from Rome, Canterbury and the like. The idea of an interjurisdictional program just seemed strange to me.
The more I thought about it, I do believe it makes a lot of sense. Even as each jurisdiction has their own laws and process, there are certain procedures and ways of approaching the law that would be helpful for everyone. Moreover, when I started looking at the program, I was impressed about a couple of things and repelled by others. I want to share my initial thoughts.
The website for the program is here: https://www.meds-edu.org/subsidiaries/canon-law-school What I really like about the program is that it is designed to be a resource for each jurisdiction. Rather than taking authority from jurisdictions, the program wants to help build up jurisdictions. The website explains: “Inter-Jurisdictional Canon Law invites any denomination to learn this structure and incorporate it into that particular denominational system based on that church’s Code of Canon Law without changing the structure of that church’s particular law.” Most jurisdictions would not be able to build a canon law school or provide extensive training. This program can bring jurisdictions together and assist them to further develop structures.
Moreover, I was looking at some of the assignments here: M.E.D.S. - LCD & JCD Programs (meds-edu.org) I appreciate how each student uses his or her jurisdictions canons as the basis of their research. The program truly appears to be a support for jurisdictions needing to think through issues. I met my share of Independent Sacramental Ministry bishops and some of the stories of troublesome priests never cease to amaze me. Having properly formulated canons can protect the church, the faithful, and the clergy.
Now on the negatives of the program. First, a prospective student must sign up for the doctoral program even if not completing both the JCL and JCD. This makes the program very expensive ($8,000) which many in the ISM cannot afford. Moreover, most individual jurisdictions would not have those financial resources available for clergy and laity to study even if they recognize the need. Moreover, the program itself looks intense with 5-to-10-page papers due every week. I do not think many bi-vocational clergy could swing this type of academic work on top of work, ministry, and family obligations.
I like the idea behind the program, but I question if it will attract many applicants. I am intrigued by some of the books that are used by the program. Maybe ISM communities could have clergy who read the books, share insights with one another, and help strengthen their own and each other’s communities. This could be done at a fraction of the cost of the program and more self-paced. It would lack the academic rigor, but honestly grading rubrics often get in the way of learning. I earned three master's degrees and was working on a Ph.D. and saw how often educational rubrics got in the way of real learning. I have no problem writing 10-page papers, but do I really need to have 10 points marked off because I used the previous edition of the Chicago format?
Sadly, this website is not attracting a discussion on the forum section. I was hoping this website would be a tool for others in the ISM community to have a dialogue and share their stories and insights. I want this to be a place where we can learn from one another. This site attracts views but not the discussion I hoped. We need to continue our education and continue discussing issues that matter.
Peace,
Ben