Diocese launches Church Management program through Villanova for business managers, priests

Bishop David M. O'Connell established a new Church Management program this fall to improve the administrative and financial skills of parish business managers and priests. The program, developed in partnership with Villanova University, offers a certificate in Church Management upon completion.

Father Christopher Dayton, pastor of St. Paul Parish in Princeton, helped develop the program during meetings with diocesan officials Kevin Cimei, Joe Bianchi, and Michael D’Angelo. The program follows a three-point plan intended to help parish leaders achieve greater success in managing temporal affairs. Father Dayton, who earned a master's degree in Church Administration from Villanova in 2023, maintains a relationship with the university's Church Management Department to support the program.

Ten participants are enrolled in the inaugural group. Among them is Erin Quinn, the business manager for St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish in Spring Lake.