Mary Gen Blittschau Elected To National Post
Members of the Canon Law Society of America have elected Mary Gen Blittschau of the Diocesan Tribunal of Evansville to a three-year term as secretary. In that role, she will serve as a member of the CLSA Board of Governors. The election took place during the CLSA’s annual conference, which was held Oct. 13-16 in St. Louis.
“Mary Gen's recent election as Secretary of the Canon Law Society of America is a tribute to her personal and professional qualities as a canonist,” said Bishop Charles C. Thompson. “Mary Gen, who has served in the Diocesan Tribunal of Evansville for 25 years, is a well-respected member of the CLSA. Her election as Secretary serves as a recognition of her skills and talents by her canonical peers.”
On Sept. 1, Blittschau celebrated her 25th anniversary of service to the Diocesan Tribunal. She is a native of St. Louis, and earned an undergraduate degree in Theology and English from St. Louis University. She earned her master’s degree in Theology from St. Louis University, a civil master’s degree in Canon Law from the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and earned her licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa.
“I am very happy for Mary Gen,” said Father Kenneth Walker, Diocesan Judicial Vicar and pastor of St. John Parish in Loogootee. “We studied Canon Law together at St. Paul University and have worked together for over 25 years. She loves the Church very much, and this is a fitting honor for her. I couldn’t be happier for her.”
“I have been blessed to have experienced tremendous examples of deep faith from my parents and my uncle,” Blittschau said. “Each of them served as a role model of a truly faith-filled person.”
The late Bishop Joseph A. McNicholas was her uncle. He served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Louis under the late John Cardinal Carberry before being named bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois in 1975.
“My uncle died unexpectedly in 1983,” she said. “A few months after his death, in November 1983, the Revised Code of Canon Law went into effect. I purchased a copy and read it, and saw that expanded opportunities existed for the laity to serve the Church.” Those opportunities led her to St. Paul University and, ultimately, to the Diocesan Tribunal of Evansville.
“The very last canon of the Code states, in part, that we must have before our eyes the salvation of souls, which must always be the supreme law of the Church,” Blittschau noted. “We are called to promote the pastoral mission of the Church. Canonical equity refers to mercy over justice, and Father Walker and I take that to heart. We strive always to listen with compassion and to make good judgments.”
“While she will no doubt do well during her term of office as CLSA Secretary,” Bishop Thompson added, “the Diocese of Evansville will continue to benefit from Mary Gen's service as Judge and Canonical Consultant.”
