Local News

Sept. 21, 2006

Priest returns to Valley, takes on work at the tribunal

By Andrew Junker
The Catholic Sun

The Office of the Tribunal — the canonical court of the diocese — welcomed a new lawyer to its ranks Sept. 11.

Fr. Christopher Fraser will be working at the tribunal full-time.

Recognizing the need for another priest in the department, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted asked Fr. Fraser — a young associate pastor who served at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral and St. Andrew the Apostle Parish — to study canon law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“I was surprised to be asked. I had no idea,” Fr. Fraser said, noting that he had no previous legal training or background.

He said the first semester or two was taxing, filled with “trying to learn the legal terminology, vocabulary and concepts.”

“Although it was frustrating at first, like studying a language, after a while it started to click,” Fr. Fraser said. “I’m looking forward to putting it into practice now.”

Fr. Timothy Davern, judicial vicar, described the tribunal as “the legal arm of the Church for its internal legal matters.”

“We are responsible for general legal advice to the bishop’s office or any other offices about Church law. Most of our time is spent processing marriage annulments,” Fr. Davern said.

The tribunal employs a number of lay, deacon and religious canon lawyers both full and part-time. Yet Fr. Davern was the only full-time priest canon lawyer besides Bishop Olmsted.

Beyond learning the Church’s legal code, Fr. Fraser said the greatest lesson of the whole experience was in “loving obedience.”

“I went out of a trusting obedience because I knew the bishop had asked a number of people about who should go,” he said.

Fr. Davern agreed that Fr. Fraser was the right man for the job.

“I think he’s a very talented young man,” the judicial vicar said. “He served successfully in two parishes and we’re just looking forward to having him here to work.”

Fr. Fraser will be a priest in residence at Christ the King Parish in Mesa, where he hopes to engage in pastoral work as much as he can.

“Although my full-time position will be here in the tribunal, I’m really looking forward to being able to do ministerial things” at Christ the King, he said, noting how much he enjoyed pastoral work in the past.

Fr. Christopher Fraser is joining the Office of the Tribunal.