Bishop Walkowiak announces the following pastoral appointments:
Very Rev. Ronald D. Hutchinson, pastor/rector of the Basilica of Saint Adalbert in Grand Rapids, is appointed Dean of the Grand Rapids North Deanery, effective July 30, 2021.
Rev. William R. Vander Werff, pastor of St. Luke University Parish in Jenison, is appointed Dean of the West Deanery, effective immediately.
What is the role of a dean?
According to canon 555 in the Code of Canon Law, a dean is “a close collaborator with the Bishop in the pastoral care of the faithful and attentive ‘elder brother’ towards the priests of the deanery…It falls to him to coordinate the common pastoral activity of the parishes, to see to it that the priests are living lives in conformity with their state and that parochial discipline is duly observed, particularly with regard to the liturgy.”
For the list of Diocese of Grand Rapids deaneries and deans, click here.
For a Deanery Map, click here.
