The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has a new chancellor for canonical affairs joining the staff next week:

Jennifer M. Haselberger, bishop’s delegate for canonical affairs of the Diocese of Fargo, N.D., will join the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as chancellor for canonical affairs on Aug. 18. She succeeds Sister Dominica Brennan, who is leaving the archdiocese after 16 years to assume a new position with the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill.

Haselberger, a College of St. Catherine graduate who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of London and a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University Leuven in Belgium, has served the Fargo diocese since 2006. Before that, she was chancellor and director of the tribunal for the Diocese of Crookston, Minn.

Archbishop John Nienstedt praised Sister Brennan for her “fidelity to church law and her important service to three different archbishops” and welcomed Haselberger, calling her “studious, thoughtful and extremely well prepared.”

But wait! I’ve buried the lead.

A reader thoughtfully sent this item my way, from four years ago:

Canon Lawyer Jennifer Haselberger recently chose CITI Ministries and Rent A Priest for her doctoral thesis at Leuven University in Belgium. She concluded that “the faithful have the right to approach ‘suspended’ priests for the sacraments.” And, “Since an obligation to do this is expressed in the Code of Canon Law, it would seem that in ministering of these people the ‘Rent-A-Priests’ are acting in a canonically valid way.” Haselberger also indicated that certain Canons oblige the bishops to “take care of all within the diocese” (i.e., 383.1, 2, 3; 528, 729).

Hmmmm. This could make things interesting in the Twin Cities.

Would any canon lawyers out there like to weigh in??

UPDATE: Curt Jester has posted this reponse from Heselberger, which is well worth reading. Among other things, it says:

In my thesis I was very critical of organizations like the Rent A Priests, who take that principle of law (which is meant to protect the right of the faithful to have access to the sacraments, especially in danger of death situations), and use it in an attempt to justify their ministry. I argued that their stated position that a priest-shortage, or the possibility of a closed parish, makes their return to ministry (outside of the Catholic Church) legitimate (a closed parish equaling an emergency situation), is a willful misinterpretation of the letter and spirit of the law. I went on to say that only some of the sacraments that they offer are valid, as others (like marriage) are only valid when they are offered by someone with the faculties and permission of the local ordinary.

The Rent A Priests have had that quotation on their website for years, and I have never attempted to have it removed largely because the wisdom of many dioceses has been that we only look bad when trying to take them on. It has never been a problem for me, and I am certain that there would be no issue if the people who are so upset would read the thesis rather then the Rent a Priest website. They should consider their source!