Tribunal Overview

The Tribunal of the Diocese of Worcester is the local church or ecclesiastical court.  Its purpose is to vindicate the rights of persons and to adjudicate cases involving spiritual matters for those connected with the spiritual.  It also adjudicates the violation of ecclesiastical laws.  Most of the cases handled by the Tribunal involve annulment of marriages.

The Diocesan Bishop is the head of the Tribunal, but he exercises his judical power through the Judicial Vicar.  Monsignor F. Stephen Pedone is the Judicial Vicar.  The Associate Judicial Vicar is Reverend Paul T. O'Connell.  Both serve as judges in the Tribunal. Reverend Juan Echavarria and  Monsignor Anthony Czarnecki serve as the Defenders of the Bond, and Sr. Mary Lou Walsh, SND, is the Promoter of Justice.  Kathleen E. Kelley, Ph.D., is the staff psychologist.  Eileen Charbonneau is the administrative assistant and ecclesiastical notary.

The Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Boston is the Court of Appeals for the Tribunal of Worcester.