How do priests get assigned to a parish?

[javelin35]

I have wondered how priests move about within the Church. Is there a great big HR department, or do parishes operate automously, or do priests just float their resumes around to places they would like to go, or is it like the military where you put your preferences on a list and wait for the new assignment?

 

[kamz]

Our priest of five years is leaving our parish in two weeks, he new of a position open in another parish and put in word with the bishop that he was interested and that parish is in desperate need of a priest and he is leaving. I also know that the bishop will send a priest where he is needed and if you have your priest for more than five years he’s probably going to be sent to a different parish sooner than later, or thats what I’ve always observed that the bishop likes to move them every so many years so the priest can get a break if he is in a really small parish or a really big parish, it makes me think of being in the service and how those families kinda keep moving every so many years.
Hope this helped, someone else can probably answer way better

 

[Paul_W]

In a sense, there are two kinds of priests.

Diocesan priests are supervised by a particular diocese. The diocese assigns them to a particular duty, which can be parish work, teaching (e.g., in a high school), social work, diocesan administration, etc. If they are not assigned to work in a parish during the week, they will still be assigned to reside in a particular parish, and assist that parish on the weekend.

Depending on the bishop, there may be more or less (name removed by moderator)ut from the priest as to their preferred assignment. An assignment may be for a fixed number of years, or it may be for an indefinite time frame. On occasion, a priest may request a transfer to another diocese, and the two bishops will come to an agreement to effect the transfer.

Order priests belong to a particular religious order, like the Jesuits, Franciscans, Benedictines, Augustinians, Claretians, Redemptorists, etc. If you see letters after the priest’s name, that indicates the name of the order, in Latin. (S.J., O.S.F., O.S.B., O.S.A., C.M.F., C. Ss. R) The religious order assigns the priest anywhere in the world, to help fulfill the particular mission of the order. For example, some orders run high schools, universities or hospitals that are independant of the diocese in which they are located.

Sometimes a religious order will agree to run a diocesan parish, perhaps an inner-city parish that the diocese would othwise close, or perhaps a parish that contains a shrine that is relevant to the order. The order then assigns priests to staff that parish, without (name removed by moderator)ut from the diocese.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.

For example, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has “adopted” a parish in Puerto Rico, and will assign Philadelphia priests to staff it. The experience they gain will allow them to better serve Hispanics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia upon their return.

 

[Poisson]

javelin35:

I have wondered how priests move about within the Church. Is there a great big HR department, or do parishes operate automously, or do priests just float their resumes around to places they would like to go, or is it like the military where you put your preferences on a list and wait for the new assignment?

Ultimately it’s the Bishop’s decision. He will try and match up a parish with a priest he thinks will best serve the needs of that parish. My bishop has always considered taken into account the wishes of the priest and tried to accomodate them as well as possible but he can’t always please everyone.

 

[javelin35]

Great answers. Thanks alot.

 

[Noisseh]

The important thing is to not compare any new priest who comes to your parish with any previous one. Sometimes it is hard to follow a priest who has been well liked but has been transferred. Each priest is unique and must be accepted as such. If the new priest is your pastor, treat him as the father of your parish family (that’s one reason we call him Father). The fourth commandment applies here: Honor your father. Kids don’t choose their fathers but are commanded to honor them. If we love and honor our priests, they will serve us well. Also, make it a point periodically to thank them and tell them you love them. They have no spouse to do this, so it will mean a lot.

 

[dixieagle]

Ultimately it’s the Bishop’s decision. He will try and match up a parish with a priest he thinks will best serve the needs of that parish. My bishop has always considered taken into account the wishes of the priest and tried to accomodate them as well as possible but he can’t always please everyone.

We have an interesting situation, where the same pastor and assistant pastor have been in our parish for about 20 years. They were also assigned together before that, apparently due to a music ministry they had. “Word on the street” is that the pastor (from a large and powerful local Catholic family) simply doesn’t want to move, and happens to be the president of the priests’ personnel committee. It is a fairly cushy assignment (large, fairly well-to-do parish in a nice area). We’re wondering what will happen with the fairly new (2 years) Archbishop here, who seems like a no-nonsense kind of fellow. The sense is that this priest simply does what he wants, and the Archbishop will have to move him out bodily! Very odd situation.

 

[Trinity117]

In my diocese we had a big row about a year or two ago - the Bishop decided to ‘help’ by shuttering some churches and schools, and consolidating some others. Pretty much all of the priests in the diocese got reassigned. I hate to think of how many parishoners were lost due to this action.
So apparently the priests serve at the Bishops’ discretion.

 

[puzzleannie]

I have wondered how priests move about within the Church. Is there a great big HR department, or do parishes operate automously, or do priests just float their resumes around to places they would like to go, or is it like the military where you put your preferences on a list and wait for the new assignment?

well here an in any other diocese where I have worked the bishop decides on priest assignments, assisted by his presbyteral council, made up of the deans, vicar general and chancellor, who among them should know all the parishes and other assignments and their needs, and who should know the attributes of the priests. Even for parishes traditionally staffed by religious orders he is in contact with their superiors. This year several parishes are losing the presence of the religious orders who founded them. For instance the Oblate presence is much less than it was in the early years of the Church in the RG Valley. Ultimately the bishop is in charge in his own diocese, subject only to the Pope he is also the only one who possesses all the pieces of the puzzle and responsible for the welfare of the entire diocese, all her people and all her clergy. Even a religious order will not have a presence in the dioceses w/o his permission.

just noted the choice of forum
do you have a link to a Catholic news article that has prompted the question? otherwise we are likely to be shut down or moved.

 

[Digitonomy]

One priest I know described how it worked in his diocese: Priests are generally assigned to 3-year terms. So normally you won’t be moved during that time frame. I believe in the case of pastors, it was 6 years. You might well be moved at the end of your term, especially if it was the second term at the same parish. If you were lucky, and slots that you preferred were available that year, you might get assigned there. Otherwise, you might be stuck at a new place you did not choose. On the other hand, if you were in year 5 of your 6-year term, and knew of a favorable slot open that year, you could request a transfer there. If you were lucky, you’d get the spot. If not, you’d still have the security of the current position, and wouldn’t have to move for another year.

While the priest mentioned the bishop as making the assignment decisions, I assume as others have said that there was probably a committee doing most of the busy work, with the bishop just rubber-stamping most of it.

 

[choy]

In a sense, there are two kinds of priests.

Diocesan priests are supervised by a particular diocese. The diocese assigns them to a particular duty, which can be parish work, teaching (e.g., in a high school), social work, diocesan administration, etc. If they are not assigned to work in a parish during the week, they will still be assigned to reside in a particular parish, and assist that parish on the weekend.

Depending on the bishop, there may be more or less (name removed by moderator)ut from the priest as to their preferred assignment. An assignment may be for a fixed number of years, or it may be for an indefinite time frame. On occasion, a priest may request a transfer to another diocese, and the two bishops will come to an agreement to effect the transfer.

Order priests belong to a particular religious order, like the Jesuits, Franciscans, Benedictines, Augustinians, Claretians, Redemptorists, etc. If you see letters after the priest’s name, that indicates the name of the order, in Latin. (S.J., O.S.F., O.S.B., O.S.A., C.M.F., C. Ss. R) The religious order assigns the priest anywhere in the world, to help fulfill the particular mission of the order. For example, some orders run high schools, universities or hospitals that are independant of the diocese in which they are located.

Sometimes a religious order will agree to run a diocesan parish, perhaps an inner-city parish that the diocese would othwise close, or perhaps a parish that contains a shrine that is relevant to the order. The order then assigns priests to staff that parish, without (name removed by moderator)ut from the diocese.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule.

For example, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has “adopted” a parish in Puerto Rico, and will assign Philadelphia priests to staff it. The experience they gain will allow them to better serve Hispanics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia upon their return.

excellent post! i’d like to add to it

some parishes are run by the religious orders. for that to happen they need the diocesan bishop to grant them the right to put up a parish in his diocese. once that permission is granted, it can never be revoked, except by the Vatican if i recall correctly. preist assignments in these parishes are dictated by the leadership of the order and not the bishop of the diocese

if the bishop of the diocese asks for help from religious orders to assign priests into diocesan parishes, they would need permission from the head of the order. again if i’m not mistaken, the head of the order may recall his priest with due notice to the bishop. and the bishop cannot relocate the priest without again conscent from the head of the order

with regards to parishes run by religious orders, they are to follow customs, traditions and practices of the diocese when celebrating public Mass. then they may follow the traditions of their order for private Mass