Parish Life Coordinators, Sacramental Ministers, and Priest Moderators
Research Symposium Series Completed
February 22, 2007Parish life coordinators, sacramental ministers, priest moderators, and canon lawyers gathered to respond to research questions about their experience and practice of parish leadership under Canon 517.2. This canon offers bishops the provision to install a deacon, religious, or lay person in parish as the pastoral and administrative leader. Priests are asigned to serve as the sacramental leader and supervisor. There are nearly 700 parishes in the United States using this Canon to provide leadership, as well as many parishes worldwide.
The research conversation looked at the experience of pastoral leaders, their roles, and best practices. Participants were also asked to engage in theological reflection and future visioning. The results of these conversations wil be available on this website as soon as it bvecomes available.
In preparation for these conversations, the Emerging Models Project authorized a series of studies that were conducted by CARA. The results are available here. As a final step in this study, bishop focus groups are being conducted to understand the theological and practical reasons why bishops are deciding whether or not to employ this canon to meet parish leadership needs in their diocese.
