Christ has entrusted the Church with the stewardship of temporal goods to provide for divine worship, to carry out the mission to spread the Gospel, to care for the poor, and to provide for the support of clergy and lay ministers. Canon law requires the diocesan bishop to carefully supervise the administration of all goods which belong to the diocese and all public juridical persons, including parishes, entrusted to his authority and to regulate the administration of ecclesiastical goods through the issuance of special instruction (CIC, c. 1276§ 1 & 2). 

Please see the Diocese of Madison Capital Renovations and Construction Policy for the required steps and fill out the form at the bottom of this page.   

 Please remember, in the Diocese of Madison, by law or policy, approval of the Bishop is required to:

1. Purchase, sell, lease, mortgage, encumber, or dispose of, in any way, real estate or movable property of great importance,
2. Incur a debt exceeding $40,000 or establish a line of credit with a lending institution,
3. Build, tear down, rebuild, or remodel any building, or to make extraordinary improvements on any church property exceeding $40,000, 
4. Undertake extensive structural repair, renovation, restoration, or modification that requires engineering or design professionals,
5. Any project that will be supported by a fundraising campaign or appeal,
6. Any project that involves renovation or construction of worship space or has a liturgical impact. 

The Office of Buildings, Construction, and Real Estate will help shepherd your project through the approval process. For larger projects, this may involve your parish team presenting to the Commission in person, or gaining approvals from various diocesan entities. 

Your plan involves accessibility (ramps, hearing loops, etc.)? A grant might be available.