Occasionally, someone asks me this question: What does a Chancellor do? The form and content vary, but the point being explored by the curious person is just that: what the Chancellor of the diocese does. Early on in my time in the Chancery Office, I took a look in the Code of Canon Law to see what it had offer on this question. Here are the answers I found in Canons 482 and 483:
Can. 482 §1. In every curia a chancellor is to be appointed whose principal function, unless particular law establishes otherwise, is to take care that acts of the curia are gathered, arranged, and safeguarded in the archive of the curia.
§2. If it seems necessary, the chancellor can be given an assistant whose title is to be vice-chancellor.
§3. By reason of being chancellor and vice-chancellor they are notaries and secretaries of the curia.
Can. 483 §1. Besides the chancellor, other notaries can be appointed whose writing or signature establishes authenticity for any acts, for judicial acts only, or for acts of a certain case or affair only.
§2. The chancellor and notaries must be of unimpaired reputation and above all suspicion. In cases in which the reputation of a priest can be called into question, the notary must be a priest.
Those are very nice, simple answers and, I believe, are the only sections of the Code of Canon in which Chancellors are mentioned. They point to two of the primary purposes of a chancellor. As an archivist, the chancellor is responsible for maintaining the official archives and records of his or her diocese. This includes sacramental but is not limited to registers, decrees, and dispensations issued by the bishop.
Additionally, I work with diocesan offices and parishes regarding their records management policies and practices, even going out to consult with and advise pastors and their staff when requested to do so. Also, in my capacity as Chancellor, I coordinate the Diocese of Columbus’ records management policy and records retention schedule.
The work of a notary in the Catholic Church is similar to that of a civil notary: the authentication of official documents, in this case those issued by the bishop, and certifying copies of documents in the archives. In addition to myself, there are several others in the diocesan offices who are ecclesial notaries – some clergy members and some laypersons. Others serving as ecclesial notaries must be appointed to this role by the bishop.
Chancellors also provide administrative support to the bishop and other diocesan staff members with various projects and serving on diocesan boards and committees. This is very typical and true in my case. I have had the privilege of supporting the work of our bishops and fellow staff members over the years in a variety of ways. From time to time in the future, I’ll write some more about such projects.
The Chancellor’s duties can also have an element of information dissemination to parishes, clergy, staff members and the faithful. For example, if a member of our clergy passes away, I help provide information about that and the funeral arrangements by preparing a letter to go out to the clergy and the public. If a new clergy protocol is approved by the bishop, I help get this ready to be sent to our clergy. I also prepare occasional informational notes to be placed in our semi-monthly clergy bulletin. The work of disseminating information to these audiences is done in our diocese through a collaboration between the Chancery Office and our excellent Communications Office.
There are also times when I serve as a witness to and help authenticate important events, such as the installation/ordination of a new bishop or the appointment of a diocesan administrator when our diocese has been between bishops (otherwise known being sede vacante).
As Chancellor, I am a member of a number of boards and committees, which gives me the opportunity to support the bishop further by assisting on those advisory bodies. This is also an opportunity to work with other fellow staff members in collaborative, collegial and creative ways.
With this basic summation in mind, a natural question is “What are the qualifications for being a chancellor?” Chancellors from around the country I know have quite a variety of backgrounds. Many are priests or deacons, some are consecrated religious and many are laypersons.
A number of chancellors are also canon lawyers, others have archivist degrees and many others have other backgrounds. I fall in the last category with bachelor’s and master’s in journalism and a master’s in Catholic pastoral studies.
While I do not hold a degree in canon law, I have taken several canon law courses and am a certified procurator/advocate for our diocesan Tribunal for annulment cases. Regarding archive science and records management, I have taken numerous classes on these subjects to keep myself current on these topics.
Some other qualities that go without saying are being a fully initiated Catholic, a person of good reputation and above reproach, as noted in Can. 483 §2.
In summary, the diocesan Chancellor is a significant position in the administration of a diocese that is entrusted with the care of its official records and playing a vital role in supporting the bishop and the broader diocesan community. It is both the art of preserving and telling the Church’s story and the science of assuring that the records that tell the story are safely and properly preserved.