Paul Golden, CM: Role of Law Response 2005

CITATION: ROLE OF LAW AWARD

 Each year the Canon Law Society of America presents its distinguished Role of Law Award to an individual considered to be outstanding in the field of canonical science. The By-Laws of the Society directs the Board of Governors to select a person who demonstrates in his or her life and legal practice the following characteristics:  

 Embodiment of pastoral attitude, commitment to research and study, participation in the development of law, response to needs or practical assistance, facilitation of dialogue and the interchange of ideas within the Society and with other groups.

 These qualifications are merely a concise re-statement of the constitutionally-expressed purposes of the Society.

 The person to whom this award is given is viewed by us as one who embodies all that we, as members of the Society hold dear, as one to whom we can look for guidance and inspiration. Such an official statement alone is, perhaps the greatest honor that can be bestowed on anyone – to be selected by one’s friends and peers as outstanding among them.

 The 2005 honoree is a priest and a religious. He was born in San Francisco, California in 1939, entered the Congregation of the Mission, the Vincentians, in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1965. Active in his religious community, he has served the Vincentians and their ministries in many capacities: as teacher, formation director, college professor and president, and most recently as Founding Director of Vincentian Canonical Services.

 In addition to involvement with his religious community this year’s recipient of the Role of Law Award has been an active member and representative of our Society for over thirty years. He served as Secretary in 1973-74, Vice-President in 1987-88 and President in 1988-89. He has been a presenter at conventions and contributed generously to Roman Replies on a variety of topics of interest to canonists and church leaders.

 This thirty-third recipient of the Role of Law Award is well know to all as a committed churchman imbued with the missionary spirit in the Vincentian tradition, a dedicated teacher, and a person convinced of the pastoral nature of the Church’s law as it is grounded in service to the people of God.

 Tonight we honor a friend, a colleague, an educator, and a fellow canonist. It my privilege  to present the 2005 Role of Law Award, on behalf of the Canon Law Society of America and the Board of Governors, to  Reverend Paul L. Golden of the Congregation  of the Mission.

                                                                                                 Sister Sharon Euart, RSM

                                                                                                 October 5, 2005