By Roberto Aguirre - Florida Catholic
Photographer: ROBERTO AGUIRRE | FC
Father Augustine Mendonca, professor emeritus of canon law at St. Paul University, Ottawa, Canada, left, poses with Father Mathew Thundathil, a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.
Photographer: ROBERTO AGUIRRE | FC
Msgr. George Puthusseril, judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Miami and organizer of the workshop addresses some issues relevant to the tribunals.
LUTZ, Fla. | Canonists from the different dioceses of Florida recently gathered at the Bethany Center here for a workshop on jurisprudence organized by the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami.
The facilitator for the workshop was Father Augustine Mendonça, professor emeritus of canon law at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada.
Father Mendonça, a native of India, has been extensively published in most canonical journals. In addition to his degrees in canon law, he possesses a master’s degree in clinical psychology and another in medical care and religious studies.
He shared his expertise in jurisprudence with the workshop participants. His presentation generated challenging questions which will now benefit tribunal staff members as they work through their daily caseloads.
"I am really glad to be here," said Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally, one of the judges in the Metropolitan Tribunal. "Father Mendonça's expertise in jurisprudence and his ability to apply the law to everyday situations was very helpful.”
"The workshop was very well organized. The cases and general information were of great value to me,” said Father Luis Garcia, who just began working as a case facilitator at the Tribunal. "I learned so much and got to know the other participants in the workshop, with whom I'll be working."
Father Mendonça worked in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and studied at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., before moving to Ottawa. He obtained degrees in canon law from St. Paul University there as well as the Gregorian University in Rome. In 1999, he received the Jean Thorn Canon Law Award of Merit from the Canadian Canon Law Society.
The Metropolitan Tribunal handles issues relating to marriage, such as dispensations and annulments, as well as providing advocates to assist those going through the annulment process.
The judicial vicar — Msgr. George Puthusseril — is the presiding judge of the Metropolitan Tribunal. He is a consultant to the archbishop and coordinates all aspects of archdiocesan administration and services that concern the application and practice of canon law throughout the Archdiocese of Miami. He is assisted in case management and judicial processes by the judges, advocates, notaries, and other professionals of the court.
Every diocese worldwide has a similar tribunal. The Metropolitan Tribunal is the Court of First Instance for cases involving clergy and laity of the Archdiocese of Miami, as well as the Tribunal of Second Instance — or appellate tribunal — for cases adjudicated in the other six dioceses in Florida — that is to say, the Ecclesiastical Province of Miami.
For more information, go to www.tribunal.miamiarch.org.
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Father Augustine Mendonca, second from left, poses with the judges and staff of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami. From left: Father Luis Garcia, Goretti Anthony, Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally, Father Luis Rivero, Father Mathew Thundathil, Father Father Francis Cancro, Msgr. George Puthusseril and Roberto Aguirre.
