In the early 80s, the Archdiocese of Chicago was divided into 5(?) Vicariate Regions. Rome had been on our case about asking for so many auxiliary bishops, which they thought unnecessary. This system allowed us to justify them, as each bishop heads up a vicariate. (He is the official “vicar”, representative, of the Archbishop). This also made the Archdiocese more practically manageable and responsive both to localized needs as well the overall concerns of the priests and people out in the pews. A vicar’s job is to develop a closer relationship with the pastors and parishes in his area of authority (as delegated by the Archbishop) and exercize a certain level of administration and episcopal oversight in that area. He also serves as something of an intermediary for the concerns of both the Archdiocese and the people of his Vicariate. Since the Cardinal Archbishop of a large diocese like Chicago is not able to effectively carry all of these tasks out personally or with as close of a connnection to each of the parishes and ministries, the episcopal vicar is able to assist him in his ministry thusly.
Here’s a list of the present episcopal vicars for Chicago:
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