(CCCB-Ottawa)  Father Joseph Arsenault has been named Associate Judicial Vicar of the Canadian Appeal Tribunal at the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).  While retaining the title of Chancellor of the Diocese of Saint John, New Brunswick, at least until its new Bishop is appointed, Father Arsenault assists Msgr. Alan McCormack, P.H., who has been Judicial Vicar of the Appeal Tribunal since February 2004.

Born in 1964, he grew up in Ingonish Beach, Nova Scotia. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Saint John, New Brunswick, in October 2000. As well as working in various parishes, Father Arsenault has also served the diocese as Chancellor and Vicar General as well as ecumenical officer.

Father Arsenault holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He has also studied at the University of Toronto, York University, Toronto, and Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, as well as the Centre Pro Unione, Rome.

The Canadian Appeal Tribunal was established by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1984, and deals exclusively with marriage questions and declarations of nullity. As national tribunal, it is the only “second instance” tribunal in Canada and receives cases from the diocesan tribunals. After careful study and, if necessary, additional evidence, the Appeal Tribunal confirms or reverses the “first instance” decision. Its work is both juridical and pastoral.

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