THE CHANCERY

The chancery is the diocesan office where the administration of a
diocese is carried on and where records, documents, and proceedings are kept.

The chancellor is an official appointed to the chancery by the bishop. After
the Council of Trent, the diocesan chancellor was recognized as the bishop's principal
notary and to this responsibility was soon joined that of custodian of the diocesan archives.

According to the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the chancellor had to be a
priest. This requirement was abrogated by the revised Code of 1983 and now
the diocesan bishop may appoint any person--lay, religious, or cleric--to the office.

The holdings of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville archives include:

Parish Blueprints & Deeds
Limited Parish Historical Information
Parish Sacramental Records on Microfilm
Diocesan Yearbooks
Student Records of Some Closed Schools
Some School Yearbooks
Bound Copies of THE MESSAGE (1970-1989)
Bound Copies of Evansville Criterion (1946-1970)
Writings of Former Bishops

Inquiries regarding the diocesan archives should be made in writing to
the Chancellor at P.O. Box 4169, Evansville, IN 47724-0169 or e-mail to
jneff@evdio.org

Genealogy searches will be done as time permits for a fee of $20.00 per hour
for those who are not members of our diocesan parishes. This service is provided for
through the Catholic Parishes Campaign for those who are members of our diocesan parishes.

Information available from the Chancery include the following:

Policies and Procedures Regarding Sexual Misconduct with Minors (PDF)
Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines
Diocesan Building and Renovation Guidelines
Leasing Policies and Insurance Requirements Guidelines for Facility Usage
Faculties and Policies for the Administration of Sacraments
Records Management for Parishes & Schools