By Julie A. Miller
Catholic Herald

What's in a name: Priest titles can confuse

One area I was still having trouble with last week was different job titles for the priests. Many are called pastor, but I noticed other designations as well -- rector, parochial vicar, supervising pastor. I went next door to Fr. Philip Heslin's office. Since he is the diocesan Moderator of the Curia, I knew he was the one who could straighten me out.

We started with the Cathedral of Christ the King Parish. Heslin explained that the bishop is the pastor of the cathedral parish and the priest in charge of the cathedral is called the rector. As pastor, the bishop decides how involved he wants to be in day-to-day activities. From a practical standpoint, the rector fulfills the duties of a pastor and, therefore, Fr. Daniel Dahlberg is often referred to as the pastor, although that is not the canonically correct term.

Then we moved on to other parishes, with pastors or parochial administrators. Although pastors can be reassigned, the title of pastor is the more permanent appointment, Heslin said. Parochial administrators have the same authority and duties as a pastor, but the assignment is less permanent.

The priest shortage in the diocese has necessitated an additional job title. In parishes with a parish director, the priest who oversees the parish is called the supervising pastor of that parish, Heslin said. As an example, Fr. William Green is the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Hayward, but is supervising pastor of St. Ann Parish in Cable, which is administered by parish director Sr. Virginia Schwartz, O.S.M.

(A parish director can be a lay person, a deacon or a member of a religious order. He or she is the administrator and also provides liturgical services, spiritual leadership and pastoral care to the extent canon law allows.)

In parishes with more than one priest, the priest who is assigned to work along with the pastor is called an associate pastor. (Before the Second Vatican Council they were known as assistant pastors.) The term parochial vicar is also used occasionally. Heslin said it means the same thing as associate pastor. There are also senior parochial vicars or senior associate pastors.

While I was talking to Fr. Heslin, I also asked him, "Whatever happened to monsignors, and why are a few priests in the diocese referred to as 'Very Reverend' while the rest are 'Reverend'?"

He explained that there are no longer any monsignors in the Diocese of Superior. It was an honorary title and there were never any specific criteria to decide who got the title and who didn't. It honored a few but could have offended other priests who were not chosen, he said.

As for the the other titles, Heslin, who is a "Very Reverend," explained that all priests are called "Reverend," but eight priests in the diocese, by reason of their diocesan offices, have the title "Very Reverend." These are the Vicar General (Dahlberg), the Moderator of the Curia, the Judicial Vicar (Fr. James F. Tobolski) and the five deans (Fr. Dean T. Buttrick -- Northwest, Fr. John A. Drummy -- Southwest, Fr. Vernon. J. Olmer, OFM, -- North Central, Fr. James J. Jackson -- South Central, and Fr. James R. Horath -- East).

That response led to another question: "What is a dean?"

Heslin explained that the dean helps the bishop implement diocesan policies in the parishes in his deanery. He added that another less commonly used name for dean is "vicar forane."

Heslin also gave me a copy of the job description for a dean. I learned that he acts as a sort of liaison between the bishop and the priests, religious and lay people of his deanery. Among other duties, he coordinates joint pastoral activities in the deanery and when the bishop is not available sometimes stands in for him to install a new pastor or administer the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I've sorted out the priests' titles, but that doesn't mean I'm through. I still have to figure out the other parish jobs, like pastoral associate and liturgist. I'll report what I learn in a future column.

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