A Priest by Any Other Name...

Around this time of year, our local Archdiocese starts announcing assignments for priests. With many official church decrees comes a great deal of jargon, so to help us make sense of it all, I’d like to offer a brief overview of the different positions priests serve within the local Church.
 

Pastor

A pastor is a priest who is assigned to care for a particular parish for a particular period of time (in the Archdiocese, the norm is a six-year term with potential for another six-year term).

He has defined rights and responsibilities under canon law: for example, “The pastor is to see to it that the Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful” (Canon 528.2).
 

Parochial Administrator

A parochial administrator is a priest who, like a pastor, is assigned to care for a particular parish. However, his assignment is not for a particular period of time, but ad nutum episcopi, which is Latin for “at the nod of the Bishop.”

Basically, it’s used as a probationary period to see if a priest and a parish mesh well.  A parochial administrator normally has one of the nearby pastors acting as a mentor, while the chancery checks in with him and various parish groups regularly to see how things go and then decides if and when he is ready to become pastor.
 

Parochial Vicar
Parochial vicars and associate pastors are essentially interchangeable terms, with the former being the official term used in canon law. I’m one of these and per my assignment I am to assist the pastor in caring for the souls entrusted to him. 

So a vicar’s job is to help a pastor or parochial administrator to do his job and help with the day-in, day-out parts of parish life. Usually we’re given particular areas of responsibility — for example, I’m the chaplain to the NCCW — as well as helping out wherever is needed by the boss.
 

Canonical and Sacramental Administrators

The next two terms, Canonical Administrator and Sacramental Administrator, have a lot to do with each other and generally are only temporary appointments when a priest in charge of a parish is unable to fulfill all or part of his responsibilities, for whatever reason (health, family emergencies, et al.)

Depending on the situation, one or both of these can be appointed. Canonical administrators cover the business side of the parish, while  sacramental administrators cover the sacramental needs of a parish. 

Unlike the other appointments above, this is generally not a day-in, day-out type of thing, as they usually have other responsibilities elsewhere. 

The term sacramental administrator is also used when a priest who has a “Monday-Friday” job — i.e. working at a seminary or being a school chaplain — is assigned to help out with Sunday Mass at a particular parish in a very stable, long-term relationship.
  

I hope this is helpful and I know it’s a lot of jargon, but the point of it all is to minister to the sacramental needs and spiritual growth of the people of God to the best of our abilities, so that we can help each other grow in holiness, live out our vocations well, and hold true to the call of Christ: to make disciples of the whole world. 

Please continue to pray for priests, especially for those who are about to be ordained, and for our deacons and bishops.


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This article was originally published in the May 20, 2018 parish bulletin.