Fr. Arthur J. Espelage, O.F.M., J.C.D.

Fr. Arthur J. Espelage, O.F.M., J.C.D., is a leading expert on canon law. A practicing canon lawyer since 1979, he has taught canonical studies at St. Leonard Seminary and the Pontifical College Josephinum. He has also served in judicial and administrative capacities in ecclesiastical tribunals in New Mexico, Ohio, and Florida. For three terms, he served as Executive Coordinator of the Canon Law Society of America located at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Ordained as a priest in 1971, he holds a doctorate in canon law from The Catholic University of America.
Praise for Arthur Espelage
“Fr. Art has many years’ experience as a practitioner of Canon Law as well as teaching it. He speaks with enthusiasm as well as knowledge in a way that encourages his readers and listeners to want to explore further.”– Mgr Gordon Read, President of the Canon Law Society of Great Britain & Ireland
“His very clear knowledge and understanding of Canon Law is born not only from a study of the canonical texts but from many years of experience, seeking to apply the principles in a wide variety of pastoral circumstances.” – Aidan McGrath, O.F.M., Secretary General of the Order of Friars Minor