Above: Father Joseph Scardella | Photo courtesy of Holy Trinity and St. Stephen parishes
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
As of Aug. 1, Father Joseph Scardella, pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Fulton and St. Stephen Parish in Phoenix, is the new vicar forane for Vicariate I. Including the three pastoral care areas (PCAs) of Oswego County, Baldwinsville-Liverpool, and the Route 11 Corridor, Vicariate I covers 19 parishes in Oswego County and northwest Onondaga County.
But what exactly is a vicar forane?
In our Feb. 1, 2024, issue, The Catholic Sun provided the following definition: a priest appointed by the bishop to oversee more closely the mission of the Diocese. Canon 555 states that “the vicar forane has the duty and right of promoting and coordinating common pastoral activity in the Vicariate, of seeing to it that the clerics of his district lead a life in keeping with their state and perform their duties diligently; of seeing to it that religious functions are celebrated according to the prescripts of the sacred liturgy.”
In his own words, Fr. Scardella described the role as having three primary duties.
“My responsibilities are to the bishop,” he said, listing his charges to include coordinating regional events, such as a penance service or Eucharistic day; keeping in contact with both active and retired priests; and visiting parishes for sacramental records.
Father Joseph O’Connor, who, as of Aug. 1, became vice rector of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., had served as the previous vicar forane for Vicariate I. Fr. Scardella shared that, in the past, Fr. O’Connor had ensured all the opportunities for confession during Lent were widely communicated among all the parishes. This sort of vicariate-wide collaboration and coordination is something that’s going to be a focus for Fr. Scardella, as well.
“What I want to do is I really want to make sure that our vicariate remains focused, and that as a vicariate, we’re coordinating our events,” Father explained.
However, Father’s most important goal as vicar forane may be ensuring the well-being and support of the clergy within the vicariate. “I want to make sure that everyone feels they can come to me if they need to speak [about] a problem, or, you know, [if they] need a solution of some sort,” he said. “They can come to me just as a listening ear.
“I just hope to be available to my brother priests,” he continued, “so that they can feel that my door is open. Sometimes it’s really difficult with all of our different schedules, but I’d like to make sure that we’re getting together on a regular basis, so that we can talk with one another and see where we’re moving. That’s my main goal, to make sure that we stay close and that our priests feel supported.”
Father has already made contact with one pastor in particular.
“I have the bishop as one of my pastors,” he said, laughing lightheartedly. “I sent him a cute email on Aug. 1, welcoming him into our vicariate.”
