I have been elected by the College of Consultors, an advisory board which assists in the governance of a diocese, to serve as the diocesan administrator as we await the appointment of the 11th bishop of Burlington. A question that comes up quite frequently in conversations is, “What’s a diocesan administrator and what can he do?” These are legitimate questions. The most precise answer to these questions comes from canons 421 and 427 of the Code of Canon Law, which state:

The College of Consultors must elect a diocesan administrator, namely the one who is to govern the diocese temporarily. … A diocesan administrator is bound by the obligations and possesses the power of a diocesan bishop, excluding those matters which are excepted by their nature or by the law itself.

I understand that this language can seem a bit cold and theoretical, so I would like to provide the following figure as representative for the diocesan administrator, a figure taken from JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” — Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Denethor was given the responsibility of providing leadership in the City of Gondor as the citizens waited for the return of the legitimate king.  He had great authority, but he had to understand that he was not the king and so could not perform actions which were reserved to the king himself.

The diocesan administrator has the authority needed to keep the diocese on an even keel as it awaits the appointment of a new bishop, but his authority has limits. Canon 428 provides the overarching guide for the diocesan administrator: When a see is vacant, nothing is to be altered.  This means as administrator I need to avoid undertaking any significant new initiatives or programs or take actions that are reserved to a bishop alone (e.g. ordaining a man to the diaconate).  The administrator will work with the diocesan staff and advisory boards to keep things moving along because diocesan life does not come to a halt without a bishop, but the administrator will try to avoid doing anything that could jeopardize the ability of the new bishop from assuming leadership from his first day in office.

What all of this means is that just as I needed prayers when I served as the administrator in 2014 while we awaited the appointment of Bishop Coyne, so I need your prayers as we await our new bishop.  If you want a very specific intention to pray for — besides a speedy appointment of our next bishop — it would be that my administration ends a bit more successfully than Denethor’s. Those who have read the books or seen the movies will understand what I mean. If you’re not sure what this means, I encourage you to read the books.

Be assured of my prayers for all our parishes, ministries, parishioners, and ministers, and please pray for me.

In Christ Jesus,

Rev. Msgr. John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

—Originally published in the Oct. 14-20, 2023, edition of The Inland See.