Reverend John Beal: Role of Law Response 2008

<p>Role of Law Introduction 2008 by Reverend Paul Counce </p> <p> </p> <p>The nominee for the annual Role of Law award is usually introduced only gradually, beginning with early glimpses in infancy and childhood, when none of us – including the awardee – knew that a canonical future was waiting to blossom. The hints then thrown out are crafted to keep the ultimate revelation of the honoree’s identity a mystery until the last moment.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am going to do this in similar manner, yet still a bit differently. It seems to me that we can begin instead with the honoree’s mysterious present, and work backwards. At the present time, this year’s recipient of the Role of Law award proudly represents an institution of higher learning in this country as the official Faculty Representative to the NCAA – the National Collegiate Athletic Association. This has helped our honoree to be unofficial “mascot” of the field hockey and women’s basketball teams. I think you’d agree with me that this is unusual for a canonist!</p> <p> </p> <p>Also unusual is the recipient’s lifestyle: in a dormitory with almost three score undergraduates, as a faculty resident there. This seems a far cry from the quiet, placid environment one normally associates with canonical research among the dusty stacks of the library, doesn’t it?</p> <p> </p> <p>Yet our honoree this evening is scholar in the best sense of the word. The recipient of our award has done more than a lion’s share of research while authoring over 50 major canonical articles and commentaries. The university setting has seen this professor supervise numerous dissertations and theses, too, as well as do editing work for journals and commentaries with which we are all familiar. Of course, the core of any professorial job is teaching, and some 2 undergraduate and 14 graduate courses in canon law taught have marked our awardee’s academic career over the better part of the past two decades.</p> <p> </p> <p>In these critical times as a result of the clergy sex abuse scandals,