Diocese of Duluth - Catholic Church in northeastern Minnesota

Pastoral Center Offices

The staff of the Pastoral Center assists the Bishop in his pastoral ministry as chief shepherd of the local church. The Pastoral Center, known in canon law as the diocesan curia, has a threefold function. Firstly, it guides the pastoral activities of the diocese by assisting priests, deacons and lay ministers in their respective apostolates through training, resource sharing and coordination of activities. Secondly, it conducts general administration to respond to the needs of the local church and promoting good stewardship of financial resources. Lastly, it serves a judicial function in the running of the marriage tribunal.

To accomplish these goals the Pastoral Center is divided into offices. The first is the Office of the Bishop. The Bishop represents Christ in the diocese and through his communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, ensures that the Church of Christ, which is the Catholic Church, is truly present in its fullness. The next is the Office of Vicar General. The vicar general can perform and fulfill many of the administrative functions of the bishop.

Following these two principle ministries the Pastoral Center is divided into four areas. The first is the Office of Development and Finance. This office is responsible for ensuring the efficient and fruitful use of the temporal resources of the diocese. The next is the Office of the Judicial Vicar. This office oversees the marriage tribunal and some other canonical legal matters. The third is the Office of the Moderator of the Curia. This office assists the departments most directly engaged in the area of pastoral ministry. The final area is the Office of Safe Environment which is responsible for the on-going implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Bishop of Duluth	Most Reverend Paul David Sirba
Vicar General	Reverend James Bissonette, J.C.L.
Chancellor	Reverend Eric F. Hastings, J.C.L.
Curial Notary	Rose Eichmueller
Historical Archivist	Christine Skalko
Office of Finance & Facilities
Department of Finance	Franz Hoefferle
Finance Officer/Chief Financial Officer	Franz Hoefferle
Staff Accountant	Rachel VanHornweder
Accounting Specialist	Kelly Mackey
Accounting Specialist	Franz Hoefferle
Property Maintenance	Donald Bergerson Scott Fifield
Office of Judicial Vicar
Judicial Vicar	Rev. Eric F. Hastings, J.C.L
Promoter of Justice	Rev. James B. Bissonette, J.C.L.
Defender of the Bond	Rev. Dale Nau, J.C.L.
Auditor	Rev. Richard Kunst
Coordinator	Carol Spielman
Department of Catechesis, RCIA & Lay Apostolate	Liz Hoefferle
Catechetical Resources	Annette Merritt
Department of Catholic Schools	Cynthia Zook

Department of Communications	Kyle Eller
Department of Development	David (Mike) Bilden

Department of Indian Ministry	Sr. Marie Rose Messingschlager, CDP
Department of Liturgy	Rev. Joel Hastings
Diocesan Coordinator of Music	Delano Kahlstorf
Department of Marriage & Family Life	Vacant

Department of Social Apostolate & Campaign for Human Development	Patrice Menor
Department of Vocations
Department of Priesthood & Religious Life	Rev. Ryan Moravitz
Department of the Permanent Diaconate	Deacon David Craig
Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministry	Rev. Michael Schmitz
Assistant	Heather Serena
Secretarial Staff
Office of Bishop/Dept of Development	Rose Marie Eichmueller
Offices of Vicar General/Depts of Chancellor/Cont. Form. of Clergy/Vocations-Priesthood & Rel. Life & Permanent Diaconate/ Diocesan Review Board	Shawna Hansen
Depts of Schools/Catechesis & RCIA/Youth & Young Adult Ministry/Creed Fund	Annette Merritt
*Depts of The Northern Cross/Liturgy/Social Apostolate/Safe Environment/Marriage & Family Life/Human Life and Development Fund/ Communi- cations*	Grace Romanek
Office of Judicial Vicar	Carol Spielman
Receptionist	Barbara Bergerson

Office of Safe Environment	Rev. James B. Bissonette, J.C.L.
Department of Protection of Children & Young People	Ernie Stauffenecker
Diocesan Review Board, Chair	Rev. James B. Bissonette, J.C.L.