The Role of the Chancellor

The primary role of the chancellor is to gather, arrange, and safeguard the Acts and the archives of the diocesan curia.  That is, he or she is responsible for the orderly arrangement and accessibility of the records and files that keep the diocese running and are its recorded history.  This is especially true in regard to the sacramental registers, which detail the sacramental history of each parish in the diocese.  The chancellor is also the official notary on all of the documents issued by the diocesan bishop.

In many dioceses, including the Diocese of Camden, the chancellor is assisted by vice-chancellors overseeing specific aspects of the many areas of concern, i.e., the microfilming of parish sacramental registers and compliance in maintaining the minute books of parish pastoral and finance councils.  More and more often, the chancellor assumes the duties of an archivist in preserving both the recorded history of the diocese as well as the preservation of its historical artifacts.  In addition, many chancellors share in the power of governance in a diocese by issuing decrees and rescripts that allow a person to function in a limited capacity within a diocese or restricts that ability to function freely.

The office of the chancellor also helps disseminate information to clergy, parishes, and the Catholic faithful that may be beneficial to the people of the Diocese of Camden as they make their journey of Faith toward God’s eternal kingdom.

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