By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI | To parishioners who have lost their long-time pastors, it may seem as if priests are being shuffled around like dominos these days in the archdiocese.

Well, it's true. They are.

But there is good reason for it, Archbishop Thomas Wenski told the Florida Catholic in an interview. When a pastor retires or goes on sabbatical, it typically requires moving more than one priest to fill the opening.

"Picking the best man for those needs (of that parish) requires some shuffling," Archbishop Wenski said. "When you move one there's always a domino effect, because you're trying to match the priests' gifts and talents with the needs of a particular parish."

He explained that at least four of the recent changes were necessitated by the retirement of pastors who were well over the age of 75. Another two asked for permission to go on sabbatical or take a leave of absence.

"I accepted their resignation and I had to replace them," Archbishop Wenski said, adding that he could not rule out more changes in the coming weeks. "We do still have a number of priests that are over the 75 age limit," when they are canonically required to submit their resignation.

Losing a pastor who has served a parish for decades — such as Father James Fetscher at St. Louis, Father Michael Greer at Good Shepherd and Father Paul Vuturo at St. Bartholomew — is difficult for people to accept, since those priests might have served as many as two or three generations of parish families.

Archbishop Wenski said he understands that, but "priests are ordained to serve the Church, not a particular parish. I was moved around from Orlando to Miami. I had to say 'yes'. These priests said 'yes' very gracefully."

Some of their replacements, as well as those appointed to administrative roles in the archdiocese, are priests who have been ordained within the past 10 years. The archdiocese's new chancellor for canonical affairs, Father Chanel Jeanty, was ordained in 2004; the new director of vocations, Father David Zirilli, was ordained in 2008, as was the archbishop's new priest-secretary, Father Richard Vigoa.

But "they're not kids," Archbishop Wenski said, pointing out that most of them are in their mid to upper 30s and also pursued careers before entering the seminary. "They may be young in ordination but they have life experience. They are people who can be entrusted with responsibility."

Father Jeanty is the first Haitian priest to be appointed chancellor in the archdiocese. His title is chancellor of canonical affairs, which means he will deal with all issues involving priests, such as the granting of faculties, permissions and other matters governed by canon law.

Father Jeanty has a degree in canon law and until now served in the Metropolitan Tribunal.

In appointing him, Archbishop Wenski said he was not necessarily looking to make history. "Out of all the young priests, he's the best prepared for that. The fact that he is a Haitian was a real plus because he brings a third language to that office."

The same applies with his appointment of Sister Elizabeth Worley, a Sister of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, as chancellor for administration and chief operating officer of the archdiocese — the first woman to hold the title of chancellor, although this is a newly-created position in the archdiocese.

Sister Worley served in the same capacity in the Diocese of Orlando for the past three years.

"She served me well in Orlando," Archbishop Wenski said. "We have some serious administrative problems in the archdiocese. I need a strong administrator to come in and handle the day-to-day operations of the archdiocese."

Something else Catholics in south Florida might look forward to is another synod, which he described as "a Church word meaning strategic planning," during a luncheon with retired priests Oct. 12. He said the synod's goal would be to identify the Church's priorities and decide on the "best practices"for achieving them.

The archdiocese's first and only synod, called for by the late Archbishop Edward McCarthy, was a three-year process which took place from 1985 to 1988.

Archbishop Wenski said the next synod will not take as long. The one he called in Orlando took about 16 months. But it does require a lot of preparatory work, so the call to synod probably will not come before the end of Lent next year.

"I'm very hopeful because I know this archdiocese and I know the talent that we have here," the archbishop told the retired priests.

But, he added, change is coming: "We have some changes to make, changes that we will try to explain and make clear the rationale. That doesn't mean that you'll agree with me. That doesn't mean that you're going to change my mind. But I will listen and I will explain why I do what I do."

Corrected Oct. 25, 2010 to reflect Sister Elizabeth Worley's correct title as chancellor for administration and chief operating officer.