Chancery Office

Coordinates the ecclesiastical and administrative affairs of the diocese with reference to canonical procedures to be followed in the celebration of the sacraments and all attendant affairs surrounding their relationships; promotes effective implementation of diocesan policy; provides a resource for the understanding of those policies in coordination with regional deans of the diocese.

Office of Campus Ministry

The Diocesan Director of Campus Ministry helps facilitate the mission of the Campus Ministries throughout the nine colleges of our diocese to be the presence of the Catholic Church on the secular campus. Campuses are located in Watertown, Potsdam, Canton, Plattsburgh, Paul Smiths, Saranac Lake, Malone, and Star Lake. The Director helps coordinate Inter-collegiate retreats for the fall and spring semesters. Provides support and information to the local campus ministers that assist them in their work. The Director also visits the various Campus Directors at their ministry sites to support them and their students in their work.

Department of Christian Formation

Religious Education is an essential part of parish life. The Department of Christian Formation through its central office in Ogdensburg and the regional offices in Watertown, Plattsburgh, and Ogdensburg assists parishes in establishing and maintaining programs of religious education and formation. Through the Department, catechists are able to participate in formation programs and as well as become a certified catechist. The Department sponsors an annual Festival of Faith for the enrichment of catechists and others in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Each regional office has an extensive library of books and audio-visual materials.

Office of Communications

Responsible for diocesan communications internal / external. Works both with the North Country Catholic, the official diocesan newspaper and the secular press to promote / cover diocesan events and issues. Supervises the department of radio and TV and oversees the diocesan website.

Continuing Education and Formation of Clergy

The Chair of the Committee on Continuing Education and Formation of the Clergy, along with a committee of nine priests, helps establish programs and conferences that support the on-going formation and education of the priests for the Diocese. Each year a Presbyterial Assembly is held to deal with current topics of importance to the priests in the priestly life and ministry. A Pastoral conference is held each year to touch on topics pertinent to pastoral life and is open to all people, priests, deacons, religious and lay involved in parish work. The Committee also set up Days of Prayer in Advent and Lent for priests and deacons. The Committee also provides information on Retreats, Study Weeks and Sabbatical programs for priests. An annual Conference is held on the subject of Priestly Retirement to help priests plan for their further in the Church.

Development Office

The Development Office encompasses four departments, of which two are funded through this annual campaign. The Bishop’s Fund Appeal and Bishop’s Heritage Circle each receive financial support from the Bishop’s Fund Appeal. The office maintains the 55,000+ records of the families in the Diocese and executes all the financial aspects of the annual Appeal. This office oversees the budgets for each of the eighteen agencies and programs that are supported by the Bishop’s Fund Appeal. The other two departments included in the Development Office are Stewardship and Planned Giving which assist the parishes, schools and institutions throughout the Diocese of Ogdensburg in stewardship efforts and estate planning programs.

Department of Education

The Department of Education gives leadership and direction to all of the Catholic elementary and secondary schools throughout the diocese. It also administers the Tuition Assistance Program, an agency sponsored by the Bishop's Fund. Each year hundreds of children who meet the federal criteria for free or reduced lunches are awarded tuition assistance. Giving tuition assistance to children not only helps them to receive a quality Catholic school education, but it also helps the schools and parishes which sponsor them, for without assistance many families would not be able to afford the tuition which is an integral part of the school budget.

Office of Evangelization

The Office of Evangelization coordinates a diocesan wide outreach to inactive Catholics called "Come Home". Training is provided for parish volunteers to become members of "Come Home" teams. The teams facilitate information sessions to welcome back people who have drifted from the faith. The office promotes Faith Sharing Groups, the training of group leaders and provides evangelization resources.

Office of Family Life

The Family Life Directors provide leadership to the Church of the Diocese of Ogdensburg to enable the words: The family is the domestic Church, proclaiming, celebrating and serving the Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae) to bear fruit.. It is the responsibility of the Family Life Department to prepare and educate people about the covenant vocation of marriage and family life; to encourage couples to be a living sacrament, a sign of God’s love, life and service in our world; and to support families though changing life cycles and nurture the holiness of family life.

Respect Life Office

The Respect Life Office is responsible for the coordination of pro-life efforts within the Diocese of Ogdensburg. This includes networking with pastors and pastoral staff members and providing leadership in the development of parish respect life efforts. The Office of Respect Life provides a contact point for information about various pro-life issues and diocesan pro-life activities. Respect Life ministry is grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church and faithful to the Gospel of Life.

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning Services works directly to help couples live as good stewards of God’s gifts of married love and fertility. The department offers classes  in Natural Family Planning, as well as ongoing support and consultation for couples committed to this moral, effective, marriage-building way of life. To encourage more couples to respect God’s plan in this way, NFP Services provides speakers and educational materials at Pre-Canas throughout the diocese; offers information (print, audio, video) to other marriage preparation programs; works with pastors to make such materials available in parishes; and responds to requests from individuals seeking to understand Church teaching on married love, with its requirement of openness to life.

Fiscal Services

The Office of Fiscal Services oversees all financial activities of all entities under the control of the Central administrative offices of the diocese and provides the bishop, chancellor and finance council with informaiton necessary to ensure the financial stability of the diocese. 

Formation for Ministry

Formation For Ministry is designed to provide academic, pastoral and spiritual formation. It is for sponsored laity ministering or seeking to minister in local parishes or a recognized pastoral ministry within the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Those interested in this two-year program may contact their pastor for an inquiry form.

Office of Planning

The Office of Planning oversees long range planning for parishes, providing assistance and information to pastors and pastoral councils upon request. This Office is also responsible for the parish reconfiguration process, in consultation with the Bishop, pastors and pastoral councils, deans and the Diocesan Planning Committee. Parish staffing issues such, as qualifications for parish positions and job descriptions, are also addressed by this Office.

Word Processing Center

The Word Processing Center provides services for diocesan departments and offices. Some of those services include transcribing dictation, desktop publishing, and typing. The Center maintains up-to-date data for mailings and provides envelopes and labels for those mailings. A member of the WPC staff provides computer support to diocesan departments and offices.

Department of Worship

The Worship Department provides resources to help parishes improve their worship. Besides video and printed material, we offer training sessions for lectors and Eucharistic ministers, sponsor workshops for liturgical musicians and singers, and provide liturgical formation to deacons and lay ministers. The department provides assistance in the areas of church art and architecture, music, and liturgy, and helps to plan liturgies and prayer services for clergy, religious and laity. A priority of the department currently is to provide information and resources to parishes for educating clergy, ministers and people in the liturgical changes called for by the new edition of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

Department of Youth Ministry

For many years, the youth of the diocese have been able to participate in week-long and weekend experiences at Camp Guggenheim in Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. With a mixture of recreational and faith-enhancing activities, the youth of the diocese have been able to learn and experience their religion at even greater levels. In addition, some have participated in weekend programs that greatly develop their leadership skills. Annually, ³Youth Alive² has been able to convene young people from throughout the diocese for a day of faith sharing and learning. SportsCamp at Wadhams Hall in Ogdensburg is an opportunity for young people in the diocese to enhance their basketball and soccer skills while helping them realize their full potential as God¹s sons and daughters.

Young Adult Ministry

Young Adult Ministry reaches out to the large number of men and women, 19 through 36, single and married, who are part of the Diocese of Ogdensburg. This ministry oversees opportunities for young adults to mature in faith and spirituality; invites individuals to take personal responsibility for sharing in the ministry of their parishes; assists women and men to implement A Sons and Daughters of the Light in their own lives; and connects young adults with Jesus Christ, the Church and the mission of the Church in the world and with a peer community.

Office of Vocations

The Vocation Office offers a new vision for recruitment and vocation promotion. Now each and every member of our diocesan family needs to accept the charge to become the main force in encouraging, supporting, praying, and calling forth vocations to a life of service to the Church. As the Vocation Office accepts the challenge to make these difficult times in the history of our Church and Diocese to be the best of times, it looks forward to new ways of vocation promotion and recruitment. But most of all, we, as a Church, need to pray for the many good people in our diocese who want to serve the needs of the Church as consecrated women and men in religious life. The Vocation Department depends on the generosity of the people of the North Country through the Bishop’s Fund to assist them financially.