Since Canon Law is part of the tradition of the Church the current law must be interpreted in light of the previous law of the Catholic Church. And thus this work will prove useful to those wishing to understanding the evolution of the law of the Church and to study its history. This Pocket Manual of Canon Law is a digest of the entire 1917 Code of Canon Law. It contains all that the average priest should know, more than our Sisterhoods need to know, and much that will interest the laity on the laws of the Church. On most subjects the points of the law are scattered through the Code. By gathering these points under their respective heads and arranging them in alphabetical order, with reference to canon, paragraph, and number in the Code, this manual aims to be a clear, intelligent counsellor in the ordinary affairs of Catholic life, and a ready index to the Code for questions that require a knowledge of the niceties of ecclesiastical law.