A Primer on Diocesan Structures

Diocesan Bishop: a priest appointed by the Pope alone who serves as the chief administrative officer and governor of a Diocese. Subject to the Pope, he exercises ultimate spiritual, executive, legislative and judicial power within the jurisdiction of his Diocese and his rights and responsibilities are defined in canon law.
 
Diocese: a diocese is a portion of the people of God which is entrusted to a Diocesan Bishop by the Pope for him to shepherd with the cooperation of the presbyterium, so that, adhering to its pastor and gathered by him in the Holy Spirit through the gospel and the Eucharist, it constitutes a particular Church in which the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative.  A legitimately established Diocese is considered a “juridic person (see below)” subject to the laws the Church.
 
Parish: a parish is a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular Church (Diocese), whose pastoral care is entrusted to a priest pastor or administrator appointed by the Diocesan Bishop and under his authority. It is only for the Diocesan Bishop to establish, suppress, or alter parishes, having heard the Presbyteral Council (see below).  A legitimately established parish is considered a “juridic person (see below)” subject to the laws of the Church.  
 
Pastor: a pastor (or administrator) is the priest of the parish entrusted to him by the Diocesan Bishop, exercising the pastoral care of the community committed to him under the authority of the Diocesan Bishop in whose ministry of Christ he has been called to share, so that for that same community he carries out the functions of teaching, sanctifying, and governing, also with the cooperation of other presbyters or deacons and with the assistance of lay members of the Christian faithful, according to the norm of law. A pastor is never independent from the Diocesan Bishop.
 
Juridic person: in the Roman Catholic Church,  besides physical persons, there are also “juridic persons,” that is, subjects in canon law of obligations and rights which correspond to their nature.  They are constituted either by the prescript of law (e.g., dioceses, parishes, etc.) or by special grant of legitimate ecclesiastical authority given through a decree. They are groupings of persons or of things ordered for a purpose which is in keeping with the mission of the Church and which transcends the purpose of the individuals who constitute them.
 
Vicar General: a priest appointed by the Diocesan Bishop to exercise the Bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular Church after the Diocesan Bishop or his equivalent in canon law.  He is also, often, the Moderator of the Curia, a priest who, under the authority of the Bishop of a diocese in the Catholic Church, coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees those who hold offices and minister in diocesan administration.
 
Finance Officer:  in every diocese, after having heard the College of Consultors and the Finance Council (see below), the Diocesan Bishop is to appoint a Finance Officer who is truly expert in Financial affairs and absolutely distinguished for honesty. The Finance Officer is ordinarily to be appointed for a renewable five (5) year term but can be appointed for a longer term as diocesan policy or particular law provides. The Finance Officer is not to be removed while in this function except for a grave cause to be assessed by the Diocesan Bishop after he has heard the College of Consultors and the Finance Council.  The Finance Officer administers the financial and material goods of the Diocese under the authority of the Diocesan Bishop in accord with the budget determined by the Finance Council and, from the income of the Diocese, meets expenses which the Diocesan Bishop or others designated by him have legitimately authorized.  At the end of the fiscal year or other designated time, the Finance Officer renders an account of receipts and expenditures to the Finance Council.

Chancellor: In the Roman Catholic Church a chancellor is the chief record-keeper of a Diocese; traditionally a priest, the Chancellor may also be a baptized Catholic lay person, male or female, who may also be assigned other duties by the Diocesan Bishop.
 
Diocesan Curia: every diocese has a “Curia,” consisting of the chief officials of the Diocese appointed by the Diocesan Bishop. These officials assist the Diocesan Bishop in governing the Diocese.
 
Episcopal Vicar: usually an auxiliary bishop but always a priest assigned by the Diocesan Bishop to the pastoral supervision of a part of a Roman Catholic diocese (vicariate) or to fulfill a specific duty (e.g., Vicar for Clergy, Judicial Vicar in the Tribunal, Vicar for Education, etc.).
 
Dean or Vicar Forane (VF): a priest appointed by the bishop with a certain degree of leadership in a territorial division of a Diocese or a pastoral region known as a deanery.
 
College of Consultors: in a Diocese, the College of Consultors is a group (6-12 members) appointed by the Diocesan Bishop consists of priests charged with advising the Diocesan Bishop on certain matters. Some (not all) of the Diocesan Bishop’s decisions require that they be given a hearing or “consulted;” other decisions require their consent when indicated in canon law.  When the diocesan seat/see is vacant, the College of Consultors elects a diocesan administrator within eight days unless one is appointed by the Holy See.
 
Presbyteral Council: in a Diocese, a group of priests is chosen to assist the Diocesan Bishop in an advisory manner concerning the pastoral good of the Diocese. Every diocese must have such a council according to canon law. About half of the members of the council are freely elected by the priests of the Diocese. The others have membership either because of a position that they hold ex officio or because appointed by the Diocesan Bishop.  It is for the bishop to decide when to consult the council unless otherwise determined by canon law, to preside over the meetings unless another priest is delegated for this purpose and to determine the agenda, whether the items for inclusion are his own initiative or proposed by council membership or requested by a priest of the Diocese.
 
Finance Council: in every diocese a Finance Council is to be established over which the Diocesan Bishop himself or his delegate presides and which consists of the Finance Officer (see above) and at least three baptized Catholic members of the Diocese, truly expert in financial matters and civil law, and of outstanding integrity.  Members appointed by the Diocesan Bishop individually to a renewable term of five (5) years, the Finance Council must be consulted in matters of financial significance to the Diocese (e.g., preparation and execution of the annual diocesan budget, study of diocesan investments, revenues, expenses, etc.).  Individual parishes in a diocese must also have a parish finance council.
 
Episcopal Council: not a required body in a Diocese according to canon law but an advisory group of priests appointed by the Diocesan Bishop — usually episcopal vicars and other priests — to serve as a “personnel board” consulted by the Diocesan Bishop for pastoral assignments or other matters of importance to him. 

Pastoral Council: in every diocese, to the extent that pastoral circumstances recommend although do not require it, a Diocesan Pastoral Council may be established whose responsibility it is to investigate under the authority of the Diocesan Bishop all those things which pertain to pastoral works, to ponder them and to propose practical conclusions about them.  When it exists, a Pastoral Council’s deliberations are advisory and consultative.  The establishment of parish pastoral councils depends upon the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop. After having consulted his Presbyteral Council, if he judges it appropriate, a pastoral council is to be established in each parish of his Diocese.
 
Chancery/Diocesan Pastoral Center: is the administrative headquarters of a Diocese.
 
Canon Law: is the universally binding law of the Roman Catholic Church contained in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, liturgical and sacramental books and other legislation so designated by the Pope in his role as Supreme Legislator or by other legitimate ecclesiastical authorities for the universal Church.  Canon law binds all baptized Catholics, clergy as well as laity, and all Catholic institutions or organizations that are “juridic persons.”
 
Particular Law: is the legislation based upon or referred to in canon law or other ecclesiastical legislation approved by legitimate ecclesiastical authority, that binds a particular or specific segment (e.g., diocese, parish, etc.) or entity (e.g., religious order, canonically established ecclesiastical institution, organization or juridic person) of the Roman Catholic Church.  It includes Diocesan Statutes or policies, decrees or decisions of the Diocesan Bishop, Diocesan handbooks approved by the Diocesan Bishop for use in or within the Diocese subject to him, constitutions and statutes of religious orders or canonically approved organizations, etc.  Parish policies apply to the particular parish within the Diocese for which they have been legitimately established but cannot contradict or contravene universal or Diocesan particular law.
 
(Sources: the 1983 Code of Canon Law and other resources.)