Friday, January 9, 2009

Father Richard Hogan to serve Dakota County parishes

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Father Richard Hogan was named to serve as parochial administrator, which is another term for pastor, at St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier, effective Jan. 1.

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Father Hogan
Since 1994, after serving four years as pastor of Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul, Father Ho­gan has served with Priests for Life and National [sic Natural?] Family Planning Outreach. Since his ordination in 1981, he has served as an associate pastor at St. Raphael in Crystal, St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, St. John Vianney and St. Augustine, both in South St. Paul. Catholic Spirit

Father Hogan is the nephew of the late Monsignor Richard Schuler, longtime pastor and music director of St. Agnes parish in St. Paul who died in 2007. Hampton and New Trier are in Dakota County down by Farmington.

3 comments:

Fr. Andrew said...

parochial administrator, which is another term for pastor

Actually, it isn't. Not to nit-pick, but a pastor has certain rights that an administrator does not. The pastor can only be removed from office with their assent or by ecclesiastical trial, administrators can be removed ad nutum episcopi, at the will of the bishop. Which isn't all bad! Our own bishop likes to assign men first as administrators in their first role in charge of parish so that if, anything goes wrong, he can easily step in. I'm just surprised that the Catholic Spirit doesn't differentiate.

Unknown said...

Thanks for making that comment, Father. I knew there was a distinction, but I wasn't quite sure of what and why the "parochial administrator" position exists.

My guess is that many young, inexperienced, priests are being sent to parishes with without very much experience these days because of the shortage of priests. In the 50s, they might spend 20 years, I would guess, as an assistant pastor before they got their own parish.

But it has become more complex than that.

It is my understand that there are other titles for parish priests used by the Church.

Rector: the pastor of a Cathedral (or co-Cathedral), head of a Catholic College, Seminary, Shrine, etc.; nominally there as the official representative of the bishop of the diocese who is under canon law the official pastor.

Pastor - with "tenure" rights. Was that always the case? It seems to me that in the olden days, pastors would automatically be moved after five or ten years or so.

Parochial Administrator - with no "tenure" rights.

Sacramental Minister - ???? part time with no administrative duties???

Parochial Vicar - Assistant Pastor?

Are there any other job titles used by the Church in the U.S. for its diocesan priests? Canon? Vicar? Dean?

Terry Nelson said...

Praise God - it is about time this very good priest got an assignment.