It wasn’t until the Code of 1983 when the church officially recognized and encouraged lay people to become canon lawyers. | Photo courtesy of The Associated Press.

ROME: Twenty-six-year old Jenna Cooper sits among nearly 250 priests-to-be gathered for Mass at the church inside in the Pontifical North American College in Vatican City. With her lacy, black veil — a sign of devotion to God — Cooper breaks the pattern of young men bearing crisp white collars sitting pew after pew. It’s one of the few weekly occasions the public is invited to join for service at the college and, on a recent sunny spring day, Cooper came to visit one of the seminarians for Sunday service and brunch.

Cooper’s presence among a mostly male group is one she’s grown accustomed to this year. The Archdiocese of New York and Cardinal Timothy Dolan sent her to Rome last fall to study canon law at another pontifical university, Santa Croce. She is one of two women in a class of about 35. The other woman is a Chilean lawyer and the rest are mostly priests from around the world. While it was Vatican II in the 1960s that opened the doors for women to become canon lawyers, the field still tends to be dominated by men.

Brief History of Canon Law

Canon law is made up of 1,752 ever-adapting codes that serves as an objective regulator for the church and has historically been a subject studied by priests. It wasn’t until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) that highlighted the important role lay people in the Church that people who weren’t priests had the opportunity to participate in legal matters of the church.

In the 1920s, the first layman became a canon lawyer and in 1969, Clara Henning, became the first female canon lawyer. While more women began entering the field, it wasn’t until the Code of 1983 that allowed lay people to be canon law judges. By 2009, Italy appointed its first woman canon law judge from the diocese of Turin, Italy.

Filling the Gaps

Every diocese in the world has a tribunal that exists as the judicial branch of the church to review ecclesiastic matters including marriage nullity, removal of a pastor and church property issues. And in recent years, New York’s tribunal has been short-staffed by about a third due to budgetary constraints.

Rev. William Elder, who is currently transitioning from his position as judicial vicar (head judge) of New York’s archdiocesan tribunal to a higher position in the appeals court, said, “We’re barely holding on at the moment with the staff we have, so we’re still hoping to train more canon lawyers.” In the meantime, community priests and lay people help in the office.

Elder sought out lay people who could take pressure off priests who have experienced a shortage in vocations in the last few decades and are needed to perform sacramental tasks in parishes. “If you send a priest to study, he can’t be administering the sacraments,” Cooper said. “In other words, sending me was the best use of human resources.” Elder noted, he’s also hoping to send a few more priests to canon law school on behalf of the diocese because some positions in the tribunal, like judicial vicar, can only be filled by priests.

At the time, Cooper led the religious education program for first through eighth graders at Holy Rosary Parish in Greenwood Lake, N.Y. She had always had an interest in canon law since she was a teenager, but because of her close connection with the Rev. Luke Sweeny, director of men’s vocations at the diocese, and the Rev. Bart Daly, the liaison between the Cardinal and consecrated virgins, she was at the top of their list for a recommendation to study in Rome. Cooper was on board right away. “They certainly didn’t have to twist my arm to go to Rome,” she said.

There are 37 schools with canon law programs in the world and only one in the United States, at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Though Washington is a lot closer to home for Cooper, the high cost of tuition in Rome (roughly $5,000) made it financially smarter than Washington (where tuition runs about $35,000 a year).

Cooper is the first woman the Archdiocese of New York has sent to Rome to study canon law. In fact the notion was so new to the diocese that finding suitable housing was a challenge at first. “The judicial vicar was ready to send me, but it was contingent to finding a place to live,” she said. “Since I’m a consecrated virgin and try to live a certain way, roommate selection is important.”

It was finally recommended that Cooper live in a convent for American sisters studying everything from spiritual counseling to theology in Rome called Domus Guadalupe. Even this sort of housing was a relatively new concept as it was only formed in 1998.

This minor hiccup delayed the diocese’s final decision to send Cooper to Rome, leaving her only a month to take a few crash courses in Italian. But by August, she was off to Rome on a three-year mission to earn her J.C.L—licentiate degree in canon law.

Early Devotion to the Church

Cooper has canon law to thank for the discovery of her life’s devotion to the church. “Canon law actually introduced me to consecrated virginity,” she said, “When I was 19, I was thinking about becoming a nun to devote my life to God and so Father Luke Sweeney Xeroxed a copy of the different rules of religious orders in canon law.” She found consecrated virginity under Canon 604:

§1. Similar to these forms of consecrated life is the order of virgins, who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church.

By 23, Cooper was initiated as consecrated virgin, meaning she takes makes many of the same promises as a nun (she wears a wedding ring as a bride of Christ), but must maintain her own upkeep. Her work is centered on the diocese, directly under the bishop, rather than a religious community with a distinct founder. Though this option of religious life dates back to the Middle Ages, making it older than sisterhood, many young women don’t know about it.

Cooper is one of about 215 consecrated virgins in the United States and 3,000 worldwide, according to the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins. “I’m freer to interact with the rest of the world. I can go home any time. Some nuns go home every three years,” she said.

Now, Cooper walks past a statue of St. Agnes, a consecrated virgin, who was martyred in Piazza Novona, a bustling square booming with artists, cafes and restaurants, every day on her way to school.

Canon Law Abroad

“It’s not like Harvard Law with 20 spots and 200 applicants. Most people are recommended and just send in their transcripts and a one page application. It’s not really competitive to get in, but its demanding to stay in,” Cooper said. Most students come in with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy or theology and a master’s in theology.

Silvana Usandivaras, who’s been a canon law judge for 10 years at the tribunal at the Archdiocese of New York and previously practiced civil law in both Argentina and New York, said canon law is accessed differently outside the U.S. “You could open a phone book and call a canon law firm in Argentina,” she said, “You would just go to an office and pay there, but in the U.S. you call the tribunal. There’s more career versatility abroad.”

Living in Italy

Katie Godfrey, 25, is two years ahead of Cooper in the program and came from Indiana to study at Santa Croce at her own expense. Since arriving to Italy, she said her spirituality has been “softened” and her perception of canon law has changed. “Coming to Rome, I was very much approaching canon law as a science, but it’s really an art form and a philosophy rather than a trade like civil law,” Godfrey said, “It’s a creative attempt to serve the human person and that’s a bit more enticing.” While Godfrey is a practicing Catholic, she doesn’t plan on entering a religious vocation like Cooper and many of her classmates — she is engaged to a man she met in Rome.

Though Godfrey’s class has a record-high of seven women in her class of about 30, she said she finds it encouraging to learn in an environment with so many level-headed holy men. “Have priests as classmates creates a, not a masculine culture, but a more paternal culture,” she said.

Both Cooper and Godfrey have become almost fully proficient in Italian and Latin since arriving to Rome. All their classes are in Italian and many of the texts are in Latin, the official language of the church. “To survive, you have to communicate. It’s not only a judicial culture, but a convergence of all cultures and the church,” Godfrey said, “To find at the end of the day you know five languages is really wild. It’s an adventure from every angle.”

“Since I found out so late I was going to study here, I didn’t have a lot of time to learn Italian,” Cooper said, “The classes themselves aren’t easy, but taking them in Italian makes them exhausting.

Canon law students at Santa Croce have earned the reputation of enduring the most rigorous courses. However, between it all, Cooper finds time to pray seven times a day as part of her commitment to her consecration. “The program would be harder if I wasn’t praying. You need all the help you can get,” she said laughing, “It’s very humbling to be here.”

Rose, who is on a two-day pilgrimmage to San Giovanni Rotondo, clutches a framed picture of her daughter Michelle. | Photo by Teresa Mahoney.

Rose leaned over the bannister in front of the blinding yellow Padre Pio shrine into a pile of letters and coins. She was reaching for the framed photo of her daughter, Michelle, which she had placed there while she ate lunch at a nearby pizzeria.

Originally from Cameroon, Rose, who didn’t give her last name, was visiting Padre Pio’s shrine to gather blessings for her daughter’s success at business school in London. Rose kissed her hand and touched the base of the shrine, whispered a prayer under her breath and genuflected. Her short stature made it difficult to retrieve the portrait from the scattered pit; she asked for my assistance and carried the photo away with her.

She will stay in San Giovanni Rotondo for two days and return home to France, her residence for over 20 years.

San Rafaelle Articoli Religiosi souvenir shop was one of the first to open 45 years ago in front of the old church in San Gioavanni Rotondo. It moved down to its current storefront down the street and competes with nearly two dozen other vendors. | Photo by Teresa Mahoney.

The legacy of a saint has inspired the founding of a hospital with over a thousand beds, the construction of a mega church with over 6,500 seats and a flurry of new residential developments that have together expanded San Giovanni Rotondo. But Padre Pio of Pietrelcina also created a new faith-fueled economy in this small town in southern Italy, which though home to only 26,000 inhabitants, has become the pilgrimage site for over four million believers each year.

Rodolfo San Raffaele has seen this evolution since his family opened a small souvenir shop in 1967. Originally from Africa, his father moved to Rome after the Second World War, where he crossed paths with the budding saint. His father was originally skeptical of Pio as he was unfamiliar with Catholic customs. But on a business trip to San Giovanni Rotondo several years later, Pio greeted him with a kiss on the hand. Somehow, Pio remembered who he was from their original encounter.

They remained friends until the day Rodolfo’s father died.

“Padre Pio put his hand on my head and said to me, ‘Worry not for your father, because your father is in heaven with God,’” San Raffaele said of his most powerful moment with the venerable priest. After his father’s death, he looked to Pio for guidance. “This makes me grande happy. Grande happy.”

Rodolfo San Rafaelle (right) and his wife (left) at their small souvenir shop in San Giovanni Rotondo. | Photo by Teresa Mahoney.

In the 45 years since, Rodolfo has continued to run the Chiosco San Raffaele Articoli Religiosi shop alongside his wife, selling Italian-crafted rosaries, Padre Pio sculptures, photo frames, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, talismans, icons and other trinkets. The store used to be right across the town’s main square from its original church, but in 1968, the year San Raffaele’s mother and Padre Pio died, the store relocated down the street, where it has since been in competition with an increasing number of vendors.

“There were only three or four shops back then,” he says. “Now it is difficult.”

Over two-dozen shops within a one-block radius alone have capitalized on Pio’s stature since his death and canonization in 2004, selling many similar souvenirs that have challenged San Raffaele to stay competitive.

San Raffaele, brushing back his silvered hair, says, “I’m not young anymore,” explaining the physical exhaustion of running the shop. “Maybe next year we’ll close.”

Check out this video of Rodolfo San Raffaele, speaking about his first-hand encounters with Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, after his parents died. (Produced by Teresa Mahoney.)

There’s something about the number three that’s followed me during this religious journey. During our last dinner in Rome at the Lay Center, a Jesuit priest reminded us, with his three-pronged presentation on interfaith dialogue, that Jesuits love things in threes. I was well-aware of this fact having attended Catholic schools most of my life, ending with college at a Jesuit University. But I think this trip highlighted that an affinity for threes had indeed rubbed off on me.

1) My first “dispatch” (review of the day) was on day three

2) I subconsciously divided my dispatch into three sections and had a subsection about pizza with three parts.

3) And most memorably, I was part of a group that earned the nickname, “The Terrible Trio.”

Myself, Anam Siddiq and Trinna Leong, were serial photographers. While not one cobblestone alley or stained-glass window was left undocumented, we often fell to the tail of the group having to run, sometimes sprint, to catch up.  On our first night, a small search party (Brandon and Nathan) was sent looking for us when the beauty of Rome paralyzed our feet and sent our fingers into epileptic shock. But as the days went by, the picture-taking lag became contagious. One at a time, we spread the illness, and soon developed a reputation.

I distinctly remember Aby Sam Thomas’s near-death-experience eyes opening wide when he realized “the group” he thought he was keeping up with was Trinna, Anam and I.  We were lost. Aby, if we’re going down, you’re coming with us.

While I will always remember hearing the Pope’s blessing, visiting some of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world and embracing a ten-day all-carb binge, it was nice to discover that my some things I learned in college have stayed with me. And now, if my memory ever gets blurry, I have the pictures.

This is Pope Benedict XVI's real last name. We learned it's not uncommon for Italians to refer to him in conversation simply as "Ratzinger". | Photo by Teresa Mahoney.

ROME — Three notable things from day three.

1. It’s true what they say. J-Schoolers are everywhere. Even in Rome.

We started our morning at the Pontifical North American College (somewhat of an Ivy League for soon-to-be priests) and met a current seminarian and Columbia Journalism School grad named John Paul Mitchell. He recalled that he had applied for and was admitted to Professor Goldman’s Covering Religion class in 2007, but chose Judith Crist’s Personal and Professional Style seminar instead (note the irony of the professor’s last name…)

Mitchell reassured us that the skills we acquire at the J-School are transferable—John is now the magazine editor of the magazine of the North American College. Lesson: you can’t escape journalism, even in a seminary.

Mitchell gave us a brief tour of the college and mentioned that though the priesthood has been in decline for many years, the seminary is at capacity for the first time since the 1960s, with about 250 seminarians, he said.

We attended mass with the seminarians in the morning and then got a tour of the college, ending with the roof of the building, which showcases a great view of Rome and its surroundings. Brandon Gates said he found his dream stand-up spot for his broadcast story.

2. (Sort of) Close and Personal with the Pope

After getting caught up in the beauty of the view, we realized we were running late for our viewing of the Angelus — the Pope’s multilingual blessing of the people in the Basilica. Since it’s only a 15-minute prayer, we didn’t want to be late. When we arrived, it seemed more like a Ramones revival concert than a Roman blessing. The Pope had a list of groups visiting that he made a special announcement for and segments of the crowd screamed (Columbia J-Schoolers didn’t not hear our name on the list).

Our classmate, Michael Wilner, described the scene as something from the Wizard of Oz: Big building. Small man. Loud echoing voice coming from an indistinct source. However, it was amazing to be so close to a man of authority for over a billion people.

Quotes from the moment:

If I were Pope…with Brandon Gates:

“If was the Pope, I kind of like Anthony as a name,” Brandon said.

“I could see Pious,” Sarah said.

“I was going to say that,” Anne said.

“Well, I wanted to say that but I was trying to be humble,” Brandon said.

“We’ve­ had a black president, it’s time for a black Pope,” Sarah said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, spoke on monastic virtues at San Gregorio Magno al Celio to celebrate the millennium of the monastic community of Camaldoli. | Photo by Teresa Mahoney.

After the Pope, we went to see the “pope” to the Anglicans, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. He spoke on, “Monastic Virtues and Ecumenical Goals — ” a talk that seemed to interest the assembled monks and clergy but had little value to journalists. We headed to dinner at La Pilotta for another pasta dinner. The Rev. John Wauck, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, and the Rev. Owen Keenan, Official of the Vatican Secretariat of State, joined us.

3) Pizza: Rome v. New York

Tonight my classmates Brandon, Anne, Michael, Aby and I decided to get a late night snack near Campo di Fiore and had an experience at VIP pizza, aka Very Italian Pizza. Italians are witty.

Having now experienced both New York and Rome pizza, I would like to share some observations.

 1. Quantity

1.  Roman pizza can be bought by the pound. New York pizza is always the size of your face.

2. Cheese

Roman pizza has less cheese, more of a sauce emphasis. New York pizza has loads of cheese.

3. Crust

Roman pizza has a crunchier crust. New York pizza tends to be thin crust and chewy.

Who wins? The verdict is not in yet. More experiments necessary.