​​​​​​Each parish must organize its ministerial and lay staff and volunteer efforts to meet its individual needs, subject to the economic and human resources available to the parish.

The Office of the Vicar for Clergy and the regional bishops work with the pastor/administrator to determine the number of priests who are assigned to a parish on a full-time basis. They also collaborate on determining how to fill the sacramental needs of the parish with priests who live elsewhere, reside in the parish as students, have other archdiocesan assignments, or are retired or have emeritus status. All assignments and arrangements for clergy to serve in a parish must be coordinated through the Office of the Vicar for Clergy.

Deacons also participate in the ministerial life of the parish; they may be assigned to a particular parish or may participate at more than one parish. The Deacons in Ministry assists in this matter.

All clergy serving in the archdiocese, whether they are deacons, priests, or bishops, must have the appropriate faculties to minister and must comply with the other requirements for priestly service in the archdiocese. In this context, "faculties" refers to specific authorizations conferred either by church law or lawful church authority to perform various sacramental and ministerial acts.

Although parishes are ministries, they also have important secular obligations. The particular staff needs of parishes vary, but parishes increasingly rely on paid lay staff to carry out roles, such as managers of business affairs, finance, office administration, catechesis, liturgy and music, and maintenance. This reality requires personnel who have the skills and training necessary for their positions and can integrate a pastoral focus and Catholic moral teaching into their work. These individuals may be supported by paid or unpaid staff or unpaid volunteers.

Lay staff, whether paid or volunteer, serve in accordance with archdiocesan policies for the selection, qualification, training, and compensation of personnel that are delineated in this Administrative Handbook. The pastor/administrator is the direct or indirect supervisor of all parish personnel and is the person with ultimate responsibility for all employees in the parish, its school or schools, and any other programs at the parish.

The Parish Finance Council, Parish Pastoral Council, and similar groups in any parish school are expected to collaborate with the pastor/administrator to determine staff needs and balance those with budget realities. These bodies may also be consulted on the selection, hiring, training, retention, compensation, and evaluation of staff.

​This Administrative Handbook outlines the detailed (often complex) state law and archdiocesan policy requirements for the administrative aspects of parish, school, and other program life in the archdiocesan personnel management. It also provides many important resources for all employment matters. Most importantly, the archdiocesan Human Resources Department, Department of Catholic Schools, Office of Religious Education, Financial Services Department, Office of the Vicar for Clergy, and Office of the Legal Counsel provide training and are available to consult on all staff and administrative matters.​​

2-24-2021​