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, JCL
Chancellor	Reverend Dale Nau, JCL
Vice Chancellor	Reverend Eric F. Hastings, JCL
Canonical Archivist
Historical Archivist	Christine Skalko
Continuing Formation of Clergy	Rev. Dale Nau
Curial Notary	Rose Eichmueller

Office of Development & Finance
Department of Finance	Reverend Peter Muhich
Controller/CFO	Franz Hoefferle
Assistant Controller	Kelly Mackey
Personnel Director	Reverend Peter Muhich
Pastoral Center Building Manager	Reverend Peter Muhich
Property Maintenance	Donald Bergerson

Department of Development	David (Mike) Bilden

Office of Judicial Vicar
Judicial Vicar	Rev. Eric F. Hastings
Promoter of Justice	Rev. Dale Nau
Defender of the Bond	Rev. Dale Nau
Attorney/Advocate	Elizabeth Damberg
Auditor	Rev. Richard Kunst
Judicial Notary	Elizabeth Damberg
Department of Catholic Schools	Cynthia Zook
Catechetical Resources	Shawna Hansen
Department of Catechesis, RCIA & Lay Apostolate	Brian Pizzalato
Catechetical Resources	Shawna Hansen
Department of Communications	Kyle Eller
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
Department of Media	Grace Romanek
Department of Social Apostolate & Campaign for Human Development	Patrice Menor
Department of Vocations
Department of Priesthood & Religious Life	Rev. Richard Kunst Deacon Mike Knuth
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/Depts of Development/ Communications	Rose Marie Eichmueller
Offices of Vicar General/Depts of Chancellor/Cont. Form. of Clergy/Vocations-Priesthood & Rel. Life & Permanent Diaconate/ Diocesan Review Board	Rosemary Knudsen
Depts of Schools/Catechesis & RCIA/Youth & Young Adult Ministry/Creed Fund	Shawna Hansen
Depts of The Northern Cross/Liturgy/Social Apostolate/Safe Environment/Marriage & Family Life/Human Life and Development Fund/Media Resources	Grace Romanek
Office of Judicial Vicar	Elizabeth Damberg
Receptionist	Barbara Bergerson

Office of Safe Environment	Rev. Dale Nau
Department of Protection of Children & Young People	Ernie Stauffenecker
Diocesan Review Board, Chair	Rev. Dale Nau