Why Canon Law?

The purpose of this Blog is to talk about law, canon law, and Catholic things from my perspective of law and canon law. If you are a canon lawyer, you probably will not like it.  I am gearing this to the folks in the pews and maybe a few who are interested in getting into one in a Catholic Church.  I have never held any job or office or position in the Catholic Church that actually pays. I found the best part of that is that the Church could never fire me and so never had a financial leverage over me. That was always important to me. I have done a lot of work on cases for different bishops, religious orders, dioceses and individuals, but never drew down a salary in any diocese.  I hung up my shingle the day I passed the PA Bar exam, on the first try! So, in my civil practice, where I have also never worked for anyone but my clients, I have found that professional non-affiliation works just fine for me.  I hope it does for you too.

Canon Law 101 Blog

Patricia M. Dugan Patricia M. Dugan

Holy See Hope for Parishes?

There is a positive, coming out of the Holy See on the closing of parishes.  It is no longer easy for a Bishop to close a parish because it is getting poorer every week, or because of the priest shortage, or because there just are not enough parishioners to form a true community. 

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The Irish Queen
Patricia M. Dugan Patricia M. Dugan

The Irish Queen

Outside of the Irish, not many know much about Our Lady of Knock. She appeared on a rainy night, in the small village of Knock in the wild West of Ireland.

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Patricia M. Dugan Patricia M. Dugan

Parish Closures are Killing the Catholic Church

The Instruction from the Holy See on Parishes was published on July 20, 2020.  Before I read it, I had an initial thought based on my experience.  The first time I served as an Advocate (lawyer) for a parish fighting merger was in 2004. 

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