November 6, 2009
Mary Gen Blittschau
Woman has served as judge in diocesan Tribunal for 20 years
Mary Gen Blittschau has served as judge and assistant to the judicial vicar in the diocesan Tribunal. She says she sees her work not as a job or career but as a vocation. (Message photo by Mary Ann Hughes) Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
The strong deep faith of her parents was planted like a seed when Mary Gen Blittschau was a child, and over the years it has grown and flourished in her.
For the last 20 years, she has cherished that faith as she has served as judge and assistant to the judicial vicar in the diocesan Tribunal. She says she sees her work not as a job or career but as a vocation.
Her mother’s brother was Bishop Joseph A. McNichols, an auxiliary bishop to Cardinal John Carberry in St. Louis who later served as the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill.
“We had a small close family,” she says, “and I grew up learning about the Church.” Even as a young girl, she wanted to learn as much as possible about her faith.
She studied English and theology at St. Louis University, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. She then applied for admission to St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada, to study canon law.
Until the early 1980s, Tribunal judges had been priests. That changed in 1983 when Pope John Paul II promulgated a revised code of canon law, updating the code from 1917. “I picked up a copy, read it, and found it fascinating — that these were the laws of the universal Church.
“I decided at that point to study cannon law,” she said
She was a pioneer. At the time, “it was a rarity to have a lay woman who was not a nun going into this field.” And when she completed her studies — at age 25 — she was told she was the youngest canon lawyer in the world. She is also the first lay person to be appointed to hold an ecclesiastical office in the Diocese of Evansville as judge.
Twenty years ago, diploma in hand, she began to investigate dioceses in the Midwest, and made the decision to work in Evansville. “I had known Bishop Gettelfinger,” she said. Archbishop Edward O’Meara of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and her uncle, Bishop McNicholas, were both auxiliary bishops and friends in St. Louis; then Msgr. Gettelfinger worked as a top assistant to the archbishop as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia.
“My family came to know and become friends of Msgr. Gettelfinger when we visited Archbishop O’Meara.”
Father Ken Walker is the diocesan Judicial Vicar and Vicar for Canonical Matters. “He has been a wonderful mentor, and a devoted priest with whom to work,” Mary Gen said. “He is a very approachable person who has a deep respect for the law of the Church and a genuine concern for the people we serve.”
Her 20 years in the Tribunal have “flown by,” she says.
Regarding the cases, “not everyone who petitions for a Declaration of Nullity is able to receive one. Many factors go into whether or not they may receive an affirmative decision.
“Solid grounds must be present as well as a few witnesses to testify to the severity of the problems. With the revision of the Code of Canon Law, psychological grounds for nullity were introduced which captured the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.”
Ultimately, the Tribunal “must stand — first and foremost — to uphold the dignity and sanctity of marriage since the Church strongly teaches the indissolubility of marriage.”
Each case that she works on “has its own unique set of circumstances and is evaluated on its own merits,” she said, adding, “we pray that we are effective ministers in the Tribunal of canonical equity which is justice tempered with mercy.”
In her work, she says she “hears some very sad situations.
“I try to be a compassionate person and see our Lord in those people whom we serve in this important ministry. From the time that I was a young girl, my parents taught me to look for the very best in other people, and this has been my guiding principle as I have sought to serve the Lord in this work.
“I enjoy learning about my faith and the teachings of the Church.” Ultimately, in her work she refers to the last canon in the Code of Cannon Law which states, in part: the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law in the Church, is to be kept before one’s eyes. “This is what is most important for all of us.”
It’s also important to “have a deep faith and a love for the Church.”
As she has watched people go through the annulment process she has found that “they find it very helpful in doing an in-depth reflection regarding their background and in understanding why things happened as they did — with hindsight.”
She enjoys assisting people “with a variety of questions about the faith. Not only do I deal with people who are filing for the possibility of a Declaration of Nullity, but I also frequently assist priests, deacons and lay pastoral ministers regarding a variety of questions about the faith.
“It’s a joy to assist the clergy and the lay ministers in their desire to resolve a particular issue.
“Father Walker and I take seriously our responsibility to keep up with the developing nuances and jurisprudence since the Code was promulgated in 1983. I am committed to Tribunal ministry as my life’s calling. Our hope is always that we reach out to the people in the name of the Lord.”