Chorbishop John Faris: Ecumenical Initiatives? Deus lo vult

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 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.
This year’s recipient of the Role of Law Award was ordained a priest of the Maronite Church in 1976. After being awarded a doctorate in Eastern canon law by the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in 1980, he served in the administration of the Eparchy of Saint Maron for sixteen years in several offices, the last being Protosyncellus (Vicar General). In 1991, he was ordained a chorbishop of the Maronite Church. He worked at the Catholic Near East Welfare Association from 1996 to 2009. In 2009, he was appointed pastor of Saint Louis Gonzaga Church in Utica, New York.
Our honoree this year has served in a wide variety of ministries in the Catholic Church. He has lectured at the Catholic University of America for more than a decade. He has written a commentary on the structures and governance of the Eastern Catholic Churches as well as numerous articles on the Eastern Churches, Eastern canon law, and ecumenism. He has served in the past as consultor of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops Conference Liaison Committee for Latin and Eastern Church Affairs.
In the field of ecumenism, the recipient of this year’s Role of Law Award is currently a member of the Catholic delegation of the Joint Working Group, a liaison body of the Holy See and the World Council of Churches. He also serves on the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation and the United States Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation. He has been deeply involved for many years with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher. For his work on behalf of Christians in the Holy Land, he was recently awarded the Golden Palm, the highest honor given by the Order.
Our honoree has generously served the Canon Law Society of America. He is a past-president of the Society. He currently is the chair of the Research and Development Committee and a member of the Governance Committee and Publications Committee. He has served in the past as chair of the Eastern Law Committee and as Consultor. He was also chair of the ad hoc committee responsible for the preparation of the most recent English translation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
Tonight we honor a friend, a colleague, an educator, a pastor, and a fellow canonist. He is truly a Catholic who breathes with both lungs of the Church. It my privilege to present the 2011 Role of Law Award, on behalf of the Canon Law Society of America and the Board of Governors, to Chorbishop John D. Faris.