METHODOLOGY

Useful to inquirers, fair to the people being reviewed.

This is a directory of firsthand experiences, not an ecclesiastical court and not a substitute for reporting misconduct to appropriate civil or church authorities.

Review topics

Quality ratings cover pastoral availability, teaching, intelligence, social skills, communication, treatment of newcomers, and liturgical leadership. Intelligence means knowledge of theology, Scripture, the Fathers, and the wider world; social skills are kept separate and concern reading people, ordinary conversation, and awkward moments.

Descriptive spectrums

Ascetical strictness runs from lenient to demanding, and ecumenism from closed to open. Neither end is ranked as better. Political extremism records intensity from none seen to severe, regardless of ideology or party.

Concern indicators

Violence and sexual boundary concerns run from 1 (none seen) to 5 (severe), appear separately in red, and are never included in the overall score. Reviewers are asked to rate only what they personally observed. High concern ratings receive additional moderation scrutiny.

Moderation

Every submission starts unpublished. Reviews can be rejected for harassment, private identifying information, secondhand gossip, or claims that cannot responsibly be published. Serious factual allegations receive heightened review instead of automatic publication. Moderation checks relevance and compliance with the guidelines; publication does not certify an allegation as true. Moderators retain the original submission and do not rewrite it to strengthen accusations. Written firsthand details are helpful but optional. Submission terms apply to reviews and replies.

Corrections

Clergy, parishes, jurisdictions, and readers can request a correction or raise a concern about a published review. Submission and moderation decisions are recorded.

Right of reply

A priest or an authorized parish or jurisdiction representative may submit a response to a published review. Include the review reference, your name and role, a contact address for verification, and the response you want published.

A moderator verifies your identity and authority through official parish or jurisdiction channels, checks the response against the review guidelines, and may request clarification using the contact address you provide. Responses must address the review, avoid harassment and private information, and stay within 3,000 characters. They are not published automatically.

Approved responses appear beside the original review with the respondent’s name. A response does not change the reviewer’s ratings. For factual corrections or removal requests, use the correction form. If a response is declined, you may submit a revised response or request reconsideration with supporting information through that form.

Moderation records

We retain submissions, replies, and dated moderation decisions, including the reasons recorded by moderators. Changing publication status retains the original submission and decision history. These records are restricted to administrators and have no automatic deletion schedule. See our privacy policy for personal information requests.

Directory sourcing

Directory records come from public jurisdictional directories and parish sources. Source links help readers verify assignments, which may change.