Changes in ministries

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The appointment of Fathers Gilchrist and Brucker as part-time ministers to priests follows the recent appointment of Rev. Ed Deimeke as administrative advocate, a new, full-time diocesan position in which he ministers to priests on Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's behalf and represent priests' issues before the Bishop. These changes arose from last year's priests' convocation, during which clergy expressed concern that they weren't being heard and their needs weren't being addressed despite various diocesan boards that were designed for such purposes.

A task force was formed, and the group submitted its final report to Bishop Hubbard and the presbyterate for their approval last November.

Another recommendation is the formation of a priestly life and ministry council, comprised of Fathers Deimeke, Gilchrist and Brucker, and seven other council members who are still to be determined.

Father Gilchrist and Father Brucker were among several finalists chosen in a diocesan-wide survey of priests. The finalists then prayed and reflected upon which two of them would be best suited to become the ministers to priests.

Father Gilchrist, a retired priest in residence at St. Casimir's Church in Albany, and Father Brucker, pastor of St. Paul's Church in Schenectady, will work with Father Deimeke in ministering to priests with questions or concerns about their ministry. (PQ)

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