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Parish Secretary

Position Description

Reporting To: The Parish Priest or Parish Administrator.

The Position: Provide secretarial and administrative support to the Parish Priest / Parish Administrator, and appointed clergy.

Key Responsibilities

Including but not limited to:

Liaise with parishioners, parish groups, parish coordinators, staff, and clergy to facilitate the smooth operation of the parish.

Manage incoming and outgoing mail, email, phone calls, bookings, and help organise and schedule meetings.

Open and close the church and hall when necessary.

Update online parish calendars.

Maintain parish office supplies, and church liturgical consumables.

Keep notices and information on parish noticeboards up to date.

Take bookings for Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals.

Maintain the parish database on the Parish Administration Communication System (PACS) by recording parishioner information as required and Sacramental Records. Training is regularly offered by Parish Support Team for new users.

Maintain the parish website using the Squarespace platform including Mass times, opening hours and other information and changes. A candidate with a high functioning computer aptitude could learn Squarespace on the job—but there would need to be a genuine aptitude and skill with computers.

Liaise with the parish IT support provider to resolve IT problems.

Maintain and manage the Parish Google Workspace system by maintaining shared drives, labelling, arranging, and storing files in a clear, neat, and orderly manner, creating Google Workspace profiles for staff and volunteers.

Use Google to create and store Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Forms, & Google Slides and other documents.

Use Canva to produce the weekly Parish bulletin with keen attention to accuracy in published information. Create posters, flyers, leaflets, slide shows, certificates, booklets, calendars, logos, and other documents and files. A candidate with a high functioning computer aptitude could learn Canva on the job—but there would need to be a genuine aptitude and skill with computers.

Liaise with the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (CAS) Chancery office and its various departments and agencies when necessary.

Manage the Parish Information published on the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (CAS) webpage as required.

Child Protection and Safeguarding administrative responsibilities include: Managing and maintaining parish Safeguarding documentation. Liaising with our parish Safeguarding Officer. Keeping documentation updated throughout the year. Submitting all annual Safeguarding paperwork to the CAS Safeguarding Office on time. Attending CAS Child Safeguarding Training as required.

Maintain parish registers including Work Health Safety, Child Safeguarding, Injury, Complaints, and Asset registers.

Assist the Children’s Liturgy ministry, Catechist ministry, Becoming Catholic program, and our Sacramental coordinator with administration and communication.

Create slide shows for Masses and liaise with music coordinators to include hymns in slides where required.

Manage School Reference applications.

Liaise with St. Michael’s Primary School, Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services, and Clancy Terrace Retirement Village as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

The ideal parish secretary will have:

A minimum of three years experience in a similar role or in a role encompassing the key areas of competency for this position.

Demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of the Catholic Church.

A current Working With Children Check (Employment subject to successful clearance).

Permission to live and work in Australia is required—no sponsorship is available for this position.

A high functioning ability to work with technology.

A working knowledge of the Google suite of applications, an understanding of cloud storage, and a creative approach for how to harness technology to increase efficiency and productivity.

An ability to create and maintain Google spreadsheets.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES 

The ideal parish secretary will demonstrate the following attributes:

Faith in God, and love of Him and the Catholic Church.

Affective maturity and ability to engage with different people and personalities.

A friendly, sensitive demeanor with a polite and helpful manner.

Proactive and motivated with ability to multi-task, prioritise, and meet deadlines.

Ability to work autonomously with minimal supervision while remaining a team player.

Commitment handling personal information discreetly and maintaining confidentiality.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 

The performance of the parish secretary will be assessed on a regular basis having regard to:

Performance on the key responsibilities and attributes for this role.

Ability to reduce the administrative workload of the Parish Priest/Parish Administrator.

Service levels and the satisfaction expressed by key stakeholders.

Ability to create and maintain relationships, and ease to work with.