At this point, thirty five Pastors who have served twelve years or more in parishes of the Archdiocese are scheduled to receive new assignments by this summer, including St. Stephen’s. In addition, Pastors who have reached the age of seventy –five and up to the age of eighty are given the option to remain as Parish Administrator for one year at a time (pending physical and psychological evaluations) or to retire. All priests at age eighty must retire from Parish Administration. So, it is anticipated that a few other parishes will also need Pastors. All Pastors scheduled to receive new assignments are being evaluated right now, and will meet with their evaluation team in the next month or so. The evaluation teams will make their report to the Archdiocese. Then, in the spring, all Archdiocesan priests will be notified as to which parishes have an opening for a Pastor. All Archdiocesan priests may apply for openings, giving reasons why they believe it might be a good assignment for priest and parish. The Priest Personnel Board will begin to have many discussions and will propose placements of Pastors. All proposals must be submitted to Cardinal Dolan, who may accept their recommendations or decide on his own regarding assignments. Priests and Parishes are notified via signed letter from Cardinal Dolan. This will likely take place in May or even June. New assignments could begin July 1, August 1 or September 1, depending on the circumstance. Let us continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this process.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Process For Selecting A Pastor
At this point, thirty five Pastors who have served twelve years or more in parishes of the Archdiocese are scheduled to receive new assignments by this summer, including St. Stephen’s. In addition, Pastors who have reached the age of seventy –five and up to the age of eighty are given the option to remain as Parish Administrator for one year at a time (pending physical and psychological evaluations) or to retire. All priests at age eighty must retire from Parish Administration. So, it is anticipated that a few other parishes will also need Pastors. All Pastors scheduled to receive new assignments are being evaluated right now, and will meet with their evaluation team in the next month or so. The evaluation teams will make their report to the Archdiocese. Then, in the spring, all Archdiocesan priests will be notified as to which parishes have an opening for a Pastor. All Archdiocesan priests may apply for openings, giving reasons why they believe it might be a good assignment for priest and parish. The Priest Personnel Board will begin to have many discussions and will propose placements of Pastors. All proposals must be submitted to Cardinal Dolan, who may accept their recommendations or decide on his own regarding assignments. Priests and Parishes are notified via signed letter from Cardinal Dolan. This will likely take place in May or even June. New assignments could begin July 1, August 1 or September 1, depending on the circumstance. Let us continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this process.
