Of the myriad forms of ministry in the church today, the position of non-priest parish administrator is the most problematic and perhaps the most potentially threatening to priests. The juridical justification for the practice is nestled in the midst of Canon 517.2 in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. It states, "If the diocesan bishop should decide that due to a dearth of priests a participation in the exercise of pastoral care of a parish is to be entrusted to a deacon or some other person who is not a priest ... he is to appoint some priest endowed with the power and faculties of pastor to supervise the pastoral care."

The relevant words, "some other person who is not a priest," hardly constitute a mandate, but they have opened up opportunities for women and lay men. Since no further explanation or appropriate terminology is provided, full-time, nonpriest administration has taken a variety of forms. There is no consensus about the title. Nonpriests who run parishes are called "pastoral administrators" in many places. And in others they are called "pastoral associates," "pastoral coordinators," "parish life coordinators," "parish directors," "parochial ministers" and even "lay pastors."

Presumably, some revision of titles will be required to satisfy the Vatican's "Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest," issued last November. According to that document, no one may "assume titles" like pastor or coordinator, which "can confuse their role and that of the [priest] pastor."

In her study of women in parish administration, "They Call Her Pastor," sociologist Ruth Wallace said there were some 200 U.S. parishes headed by nonpriests in 1990. Now, Wallace told NCR, there are approximately 400, a number destined to grow with the priest shortage. But even if the numbers grow, their status remains foggy. In the 1997 book, New Ecclesial Ministry, theologian Zenni Fox said pastoral administration is significantly different from other lay ministries, because the pastoring of a parish, the ongoing role of primary leader of the community "properly belongs to the ordained."

"That there are many new ministers filling various roles in the church is ... a reason for joy," she wrote. "That there are not sufficient priests to pastor all of our parishes is a sadness." In other words, lay ministry in general is here to stay regardless of the abundance or scarcity of clerics, but one form, lay parish administration, is a stopgap measure.

Not everyone agrees. In the book, Emerging Forms of Pastoral Leadership, theologian Peter Gilmour argues that a post-Vatican II understanding of lay ministry, "already in place in many grassroots local churches," has displaced the static notion of priest as essential parish leader. "The past," he said, "is not an unchanging paradigm for the future. All believers have the opportunity to develop a ministerial identity and to envision and shape the ministry of the church."

In 1994, John L. Paul, who was then bishop of LaCrosse, promulgated norms for the position of "pastoral associate," which he identified as "a professionally qualified minister ... appointed by the diocesan bishop for daily pastoral care and spiritual leadership ... in a specific parish with or without a resident pastor." The installation of the pastoral associate, say the norms, is to be witnessed by the parish community and to take place "soon after the appointment becomes effective."

LaCrosse currently has some 10 parishes headed by such pastoral associates. The Midwest, in which the diocese is located, is especially hard hit by the priest drain, according to the exhaustive analysis, "Full Pews and Empty Altars," by the late sociologist Richard Schoenherr. The area will have almost 50 percent fewer priests in 2005 than in 1965, with LaCrosse expected to lose a staggering 68 percent of its priests in that time period (the third highest loss of any diocese in the nation).

Of the myriad forms of ministry in the church today, the position of non-priest parish administrator is the most problematic and perhaps the most potentially threatening to priests. The juridical justification for the practice is nestled in the midst of Canon 517.2 in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. It states, "If the diocesan bishop should decide that due to a dearth of priests a participation in the exercise of pastoral care of a parish is to be entrusted to a deacon or some other person who is not a priest ... he is to appoint some priest endowed with the power and faculties of pastor to supervise the pastoral care."

The relevant words, "some other person who is not a priest," hardly constitute a mandate, but they have opened up opportunities for women and lay men. Since no further explanation or appropriate terminology is provided, full-time, nonpriest administration has taken a variety of forms. There is no consensus about the title. Nonpriests who run parishes are called "pastoral administrators" in many places. And in others they are called "pastoral associates," "pastoral coordinators," "parish life coordinators," "parish directors," "parochial ministers" and even "lay pastors."

Presumably, some revision of titles will be required to satisfy the Vatican's "Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest," issued last November. According to that document, no one may "assume titles" like pastor or coordinator, which "can confuse their role and that of the [priest] pastor."

In her study of women in parish administration, "They Call Her Pastor," sociologist Ruth Wallace said there were some 200 U.S. parishes headed by nonpriests in 1990. Now, Wallace told NCR, there are approximately 400, a number destined to grow with the priest shortage. But even if the numbers grow, their status remains foggy. In the 1997 book, New Ecclesial Ministry, theologian Zenni Fox said pastoral administration is significantly different from other lay ministries, because the pastoring of a parish, the ongoing role of primary leader of the community "properly belongs to the ordained."

"That there are many new ministers filling various roles in the church is ... a reason for joy," she wrote. "That there are not sufficient priests to pastor all of our parishes is a sadness." In other words, lay ministry in general is here to stay regardless of the abundance or scarcity of clerics, but one form, lay parish administration, is a stopgap measure.

Not everyone agrees. In the book Emerging Forms of Pastoral Leadership, theologian Peter Gilmour argues that a post-Vatican II understanding of lay ministry, "already in place in many grassroots local churches," has displaced the static notion of priest as essential parish leader. "The past," he said, "is not an unchanging paradigm for the future. All believers have the opportunity to develop a ministerial identity and to envision and shape the ministry of the church."

In 1994, John Paul, who was then bishop of LaCrosse, promulgated norms for the position of "pastoral associate," which he identified as "a professionally qualified minister ... appointed by the diocesan bishop for daily pastoral care and spiritual leadership ... in a specific parish with or without a resident pastor." The installation of the pastoral associate, say the norms, is to be witnessed by the parish community and to take place "soon after the appointment becomes effective."

LaCrosse currently has some 10 parishes headed by such pastoral associates. The Midwest, in which the diocese is located, is especially hard hit by the priest drain, according to the exhaustive analysis, "Full Pews and Empty Altars," by the late sociologist Richard Schoenherr. The area will have almost 50 percent fewer priests in 2005 than in 1965, with LaCrosse expected to lose a staggering 68 percent of its priests in that time period (the third highest loss of any diocese in the nation).

National Catholic Reporter, April 24, 1998

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