Assignments

Many people wonder how decisions that impact the local church are made on a diocesan level. Most things involve input from either the presbyterate or a committee of laity. Assigning pastors is a good example.

“A diocesan bishop is to entrust a vacant parish to the one whom he considers suited to fulfill its parochial care, after weighing all the circumstances and without any favoritism.” Canon 524

Much prayer, thought and discernment goes into decisions about where priests serve during their careers in the diocese. The Bishop relies on his presbyterate for input and guidance in his leadership, and priest assignments are no exception. Most dioceses, including the Diocese of Jackson, have a personnel committee. This is a group of priests with a variety of experiences who discuss staffing parishes, schools and ministries. Some have been in the diocese a long time and bring their years of experience to the table. Others may have had experience outside of ordination in business or management. Younger priests who serve might offer knowledge of those who are just coming out of seminary.

The members are elected by their brother diocesan priests and serve staggered terms. All of them try to look out for the good of the church as a whole. The discussions are ongoing throughout the year and the committee meets, on average, bimonthly.  It is also bound by Canon Law to respect the rights of pastors and pastoral communities.  In the Diocese of Jackson, priests are assigned to a parish for six years, and can renew for another six year term.  A pastor may request to move before his assignment ends or he may ask for a second six-year term. After 12 years, most pastors leave unless there is some special circumstance such as an ongoing building project or some particular pastoral issue. All of these factors are taken into consideration by the committee. The Vicar for Priests will communicate with the priest whose assignment is expiring.

Any priest can request an open parish or appeal to the committee to not be assigned to a certain parish, but the committee can, and sometimes does, override those requests. They are looking at the big picture, which may include the character of a particular faith community, future moves or retirements that may impact the current list of assignment, and the charisms of a particular priest.

When a newly-ordained priest is assigned, he will serve in a support role for a few years before he takes over a community for himself. These assignments as parochial vicars, sometimes called associate pastors, do not have term limits as do pastors. They can range anywhere from one to four years. As that term comes to its conclusion, the committee will speak with the priest and deliberate among themselves to determine the best assignment for the priest, the parish and the diocese, taking seriously any request that a particular priest makes. (If a priest under consideration for a change is serving on the Personnel Board his voice is heard, but it will not have undue influence.) At the proper time the consensus of the Personnel Board is presented to the bishop, and the bishop will affirm their recommendations or ask for more input.

Once the changes in assignments are official, each priest will get a letter of appointment from the bishop. He will be given the opportunity to announce the move to his own parish or school community before the assignment is published in the diocesan newspaper.