Parish Assignments

[hilde_the_dog]

Every year our parish goes through this in the beginning of June after ordination. Reassignments. This year we lost our pastor and one parochial vicar. Of course we will be getting one new one of both priests. Last it it was two parochial vicars and the priest in residence. Does this happen to your church?

 

[Windmill]

I, for one, am a fan of rotating priests to avoid one man becoming an “institution”. However, moving them around that often is uncommon here. Maybe the Ordinary has good reasons for this.

 

[RosalieM]

Our monsignor got a one-year extension last year and a six-year extension this year. One of our priests who is over 70 is staying for the rest of his life. The other younger priest will supposedly be transferred in a couple of years. I, for one, would like them all to stay and don’t understand why they have to be moved around.

 

[acadian]

Our pastor has been pastor of our church for 7 years and pastor of another small parish in town for 3 years (which has left him alternating weekends and holidays like a child in a custody agreement). We have had 2 or 3 different priests assigned to fill in on his weekends at the other parish during the past 3 years. No parochial vicars in the picture.

He is leaving for another assignment next week. I am so sad to see him go, but he says there is something for him to give and something for him to receive in his new parish - part of becoming who God created him to be. Hard to argue with that.

 

[ltbpoe43]

This happens here too but a lot less frequently. Usually it’s a 6 year assignment with a possibility of a 6 year extension.

Check your Diocese website and they have a document that basically outlines all that stuff (I can’t remember it’s name)

Of course the good Bishop must always use his pastoral resources as God’s plan calls him to do.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Every year our parish goes through this in the beginning of June after ordination. Reassignments. This year we lost our pastor and one parochial vicar. Of course we will be getting one new one of both priests. Last it it was two parochial vicars and the priest in residence. Does this happen to your church?

I’m not too surprised that parochial vicars rotate through fairly quickly - especially with shortages the idea is to get them some experience quickly and then send them into the trenches, so a parish that has as many priests in residence as yours seems to would be a prime location by providing relative stability with a good breeder pastor and enough slots to plug the newly ordained priests into for a short stint.

 

[Brain]

In my Archdiocese, pastors have 6 year terms with a possible 6 year extension, and a third possible (priest’s decision) if the priest is within 6 years of getting “senior status” when he is up for transfer.
Chancery officals serve at the pleasure of the Archbishop
The rector of the Cathedral generally has a life or a very long term simply because running the cathedral is a hard job and you sort of need a special talent for it to do it adequately. Our Cathedral Rector has been there for 21 years.
Parochial vicars and priests with less than 5 years of ordination have approximately 1 year terms. New priests get shuffled for at least 3 years so they have rural, urban, and suburban experience before they are pastors. But sometimes young priests get installed as “priest administrators” because there is a need, but not as pastors proper so they can still be move at any time. As a bishop i know said once, it is harder to take a pastor’s parish away than a bishop’s diocese.

 

[Chatter163]

I know parishes where the pastors have been in place for 25, 30 or even 40 years. While in some cases this may produce negative results, in others it has been marvelously successful.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Every year our parish goes through this in the beginning of June after ordination. Reassignments. This year we lost our pastor and one parochial vicar. Of course we will be getting one new one of both priests. Last it it was two parochial vicars and the priest in residence. Does this happen to your church?

I’m not too surprised that parochial vicars rotate through fairly quickly - especially with shortages the idea is to get them some experience quickly and then send them into the trenches, so a parish that has as many priests in residence as yours seems to would be a prime location by providing relative stability with a good breeder pastor and enough slots to plug the newly ordained priests into for a short stint.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Andreas

I know the good Bishop does like our parish. We always beat his pledge goals. He rutinely sends transitional deacons to our parish for the one year stint. And I can understand moving the parochial vicars around frequently. Our new pastor was the Judicial Vicar, so I wonder how long its been since he’s been running a large parish. The only priest in the parish that was not reappointed has been here one year fresh from ordination. I hope they can find their way around and not get lost.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Every year our parish goes through this in the beginning of June after ordination. Reassignments. This year we lost our pastor and one parochial vicar. Of course we will be getting one new one of both priests. Last it it was two parochial vicars and the priest in residence. Does this happen to your church?

Reassignments generally take place every five years.

 

[THurifer2]

I know parishes where the pastors have been in place for 25, 30 or even 40 years. While in some cases this may produce negative results, in others it has been marvelously successful.

Heard of a 50 year assignment at a nearby parish. My mothers parish is a perfect example. They are losing their priest of 6 years. He nearly destroyed that parish with his lax in faith and “never around” persona. It was obvious he was just going through the motions and they have been counting the days (around 12 days now) of his long hoped for and awaited departure. In fact families that left over the last 6 years are already jokeying for position of return to the parish.