Misi Umat sebagai Consuetudo: Telaah Kanon 23-28 dalam Tradisi Vinsensian

This paper examines the popular mission in the Vincentian tradition as a form of consuetudo in light of Canons 23-28 of the Code of Canon Law. The study is based on the understanding that custom occupies an important place in the life of the Church, not only as a practice repeatedly carried out by the faithful but also as an element capable of acquiring juridical force. In this context, the popular mission is understood as a pastoral practice that emerged from the concrete experience of the Church and gradually developed into a distinctive identity of the Congregation of the Mission. This research employs a library research method using juridical-canonical and historical-pastoral approaches. The juridical analysis focuses on Canons 23–28 of the Code of Canon Law, which regulate custom as a source of law in the Church, while the historical approach traces the development of the popular mission from the pastoral ministry of Saint Vincent de Paul in seventeenth-century France. The findings indicate that the popular mission fulfills the essential elements of consuetudo: it has been practiced continuously, accepted by the ecclesial community, and recognized within the life and mission of the Congregation of the Mission. Through its repeated observance and institutional acceptance, this pastoral practice gradually evolved into a norm of life and a defining characteristic of the congregation. This study demonstrates that canon law is closely connected to pastoral praxis and the living traditions of the faithful. The popular mission serves as a concrete example of how a pastoral custom can develop into a spiritual heritage while simultaneously possessing juridical significance within the life of the Church. The Vincentian tradition thus reveals the dynamic relationship between law, spirituality, and pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church.