The
departure of Father Mark S. Mealey from the Arlington
Diocese in early October to begin a special project for
the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales left a void across
various leadership positions.
Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde filled that void last week
when he announced a series of key clergy appointments that
included: Father Thomas P. Ferguson as vicar general and
moderator of the curia; Father Robert J. Rippy as judicial
vicar; Father Paul D. Scalia as episcopal vicar for clergy
and director of the diaconate formation program; and Father
Robert C. Cilinski as episcopal vicar for charitable works.
What exactly do all of these positions do?
According to the Code of Canon Law, each diocesan bishop must
appoint a vicar general “to assist him in the governance of
the whole diocese.” Thus, the vicar general is the highest
official in a diocese after the bishop.
The bishop also can appoint a moderator of the curia to
assist him in the day-to-day administration of the chancery.
The moderator of the curia “must be a priest and who, under
the authority of the bishop, is to coordinate those things
which pertain to the treatment of administrative affairs and
to take care that the other members of the curia properly
fulfill the office entrusted to them.”
Unless local circumstances suggest otherwise, the vicar
general usually is appointed moderator of the curia. Thus,
Father Ferguson now holds both of those titles, as did Father
Mealey before him.
The bishop also can appoint one or more episcopal vicars,
namely, those priests who are responsible for a specific part
of the diocese or certain groups.
As episcopal vicar for charitable works, Father Cilinski will
oversee Diocesan Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services
and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, while still
serving as pastor at Church of the Nativity in Burke.
Father Scalia’s title will change from the bishop’s delegate
for clergy to episcopal vicar for clergy. In addition, he
will add the title of director of the diaconate formation
program, a role that Father Ferguson had held since 2008.
Bishop Loverde reinstituted the diaconate formation program
in 2005 and it has been extremely successful. More than two
dozen men have been ordained since 2011.
A vicar general and an episcopal vicar report to the bishop
concerning the more important affairs, “and they are never to
act contrary to the intention and mind of the diocesan
bishop,” according to the Code. The power of a vicar general
and an episcopal vicar ceases when the bishop resigns or is
removed from office.
The Code of Canon Law requires each diocesan bishop to
appoint a judicial vicar, or officialis, “with
ordinary power to judge, distinct from the vicar general
unless the small size of the diocese or the small number of
cases suggests otherwise.”
Assistants to the judicial vicar are called adjutant judicial
vicars, or vice-officiales. Both the judicial vicar
and adjutant judicial vicars must be priests “of unimpaired
reputation, doctors or at least licensed in canon law, and
not less than 30 years of age.
“When the see is vacant, they do not cease from their
function and cannot be removed by the diocesan administrator;
when the new bishop arrives, however, they need
confirmation.”
Father Rippy will assume his role as judicial vicar, while
continuing to serve as rector of the Cathedral of St. Thomas
More in Arlington.
Each of the four priests brings a variety of skills and
experiences to their new positions.
Father Ferguson, who will remain pastor of Good Shepherd
Church in Alexandria, was ordained to the priesthood in 1994.
He completed his studies in canon law at St. Paul University
in Ottawa, Canada, in 1998, at which time he was appointed to
the tribunal.
He served as administrator of St. Bernadette Church in
Springfield from 2002 to 2006 when he was appointed pastor of
St. Thomas à Becket Church in Reston. He was appointed
a tribunal judge in 2004. In 2008, he was appointed episcopal
vicar for faith formation and director of the diaconal
formation program. He has been at Good Shepherd since 2011.
Father Cilinski was ordained in 1979 and served as Catholic
chaplain at George Mason University in Fairfax for 14 years
before being named parochial administrator of All Saints
Church in Manassas, the largest parish in the diocese. He was
named pastor of Nativity in 2014.
Father Rippy was ordained in 1984. He studied canon law at
the Gregorian College in Rome, receiving his licentiate in
canon law in June 1988. He was immediately assigned to the
tribunal, with residence at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in
Arlington. He served as pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes from
1997 to 2005, at which time he was named cathedral rector.
No stranger to the chancery, Father Rippy earlier served as
diocesan chancellor, moderator of the curia and vicar for
permanent deacons.
Father Scalia studied at the North American College in Rome
before being ordained a priest in 1996. He was named
parochial administrator of St. John the Beloved Church in
McLean in 2008 and served as pastor there from 2009 to 2012.
He assumed full-time duties as the bishop’s delegate for
clergy in 2012, while residing at St. Rose of Lima Priests
Retirement Villa in Annandale.
