In front of the commission of three professors (the moderator of the thesis and the first and second co-supervisors) together with the audience made up of my confreres, fellow Tanzanians, friends and colleagues, on 14 June 2024, at the Urbaniana University in Rome, I defended my thesis in Canon Law entitled ‘The duration of a religious parish priest in the office: A study of the relationship between cann. 522 and 682.’
By Thomas Mushi *
On the occasion, I briefly presented the results of my academic research starting from the motivations, exposition of the problem, the methods used and the conclusion remarks in terms of proposals for improving the pastoral commitment of religious priests in the parishes when it is undertaken by the religious institutes in different parts of the world. In fact, the theme of the research falls on the juridical, pastoral but also missionary aspects because it is based on the missio ad gentes, which, it is also the charism of our beloved Institute, Missioni Consolata.
Specifically, this research-study has led us to the awareness that the case of religious parish priests, although having distant origins in the history of the Church, was clearly addressed and organized only in the Codes of 1917 and 1983. Firmly, the current Code of Canon Law, from can. 673 to can. 675 speaks of the apostolate of institutes of consecrated life, in which the charisms of religious institutes are considered as an essential element that positively enriches the spiritual life of the Church. The participation of these institutes and religious in pastoral care also includes the entrustment of the offices of pastoral care. In this regard, the Code expressly prescribes (cf. can. 681) that there must be a written agreement between the local Ordinaries and the competent religious superiors in the assignment of specific works and the ecclesial offices, including that of the parish priest.
This study focuses mainly on the question of the duration of religious parish priests in the office. The underlying reason is that the time factor can affect the office holder in various ways depending on the type of appointment. It can be for a fixed period of time or for an indefinite time. According to the current Code, the provision ad vitam is less frequent than the appointment ad tempus determinatum. The office of the religious parish priest is conferred and ceases according to the norm of can. 682 §§1-2. This involves the issuing of an administrative act, i.e. a decree for both appointment and removal.
The discussion (defence) on this thesis went very well. The remarks and comments of the commission were positive with regard to this academic work. I achieved good results and met the expectations both from the public and from the commission itself which gave a positive evaluation of my research, and the results exposed. As we know, we are human and therefore human errors both in the part of the Italian language and in the content were noted and explained. And for this reason, taking into consideration, the corrections made by the commission and their positive proposals for improving the writing of my thesis, I worked on it with dedication and care in view of the last stage which is the publication of the thesis itself.
Our General Superior, Fr. James Bhola Lengarini, did not hesitate to give his beautiful preface to the thesis in which he insists that all the members of our institute leaf through the thesis for its useful contents for efficiency in pastoral care in parishes, in relations with the local Ordinaries and with the superiors of the circumscriptions.
In his own words he insists by saying: “Ultimately, the tenure of a religious parish priest is a key element in the smooth functioning of Ecclesial life, ensuring that the ministry is carried out with dedication and attention to the spiritual needs of the faithful.”
And he concludes with a direct invitation to all the members of our religious and missionary family: “I recommend to all religious superiors to read this thesis in order to understand better how to present a religious priest to the local Bishop who appoints a parish priest, and what all these relationships and procedures mean in juridical terms and applications when considering the duration of office.”
I published my thesis on the occasion of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4, 2024, pure coincidence, but very beautiful for the memory it leaves in my mind that celebrating the great religious saint, founder of a religious congregation that also does the mission of the care of souls, left me very satisfied as the date of publication of this work which will serve as a tool in the mission of the care of souls with the aim of improving and doing it with the efficiency it deserves.I wish you all a nice reading.
* Father Thomas Leon Mushi, IMC, missionary in Kenya.
