Property TItles

All property of the Archdiocese, including property purchased by or transferred to the parish, shall be titled in the name of the Archdiocesan Corporation i.e., The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, a Non-Profit Corporation. Any donation of property to the Archdiocese for the benefit of a parish must have prior approval of the Archbishop or his designee; therefore, notification of a pending property donation must be given to the Archbishop.

Contracts and Leases

No real property of the Archdiocese or any parish may be leased, sold or otherwise disposed of without prior approval of the Archbishop or his designee. All contracts or agreements relating to the lease or transfer of property shall be signed by the Archbishop or his designate.

Record Keeping

All original deeds, surveys, abstracts or certificates of title and all other legal instruments relating to churches, schools, rectories, convents and all other Archdiocesan property, or property used by any parish or other subdivision thereof, shall be filed and kept in the vault in the Chancery. All pastors shall keep copies of this information current within their own parish files for their own use and for the use of future pastors.

Project Approval Requirements

Any funds for renovation or repair project or other expense, must be approved in advance through written authorization by the Archbishop or his designee. Request for permission is submitted in writing by the pastor and parish lay leadership (president of parish pastoral council or finance council) to the Chancellor or the Chief Financial Officer. This pertains to all major expenditures for whatever reason.

Requirements to Borrow Funds

Any parish desiring to borrow funds specifically for the construction of substantial expansion or renovation of any parish facility must have the prior written approval of the Archbishop. Early in the planning stages of the project the parish should obtain a copy of the Archdiocesan manual titled “Guidelines for New Construction and Major Renovation” (under “Forms/Information”). General guidelines for financing are as follows.

  • The total of funds on deposit shall equal fifty (50%) percent of the total project cost before construction can begin. Total project cost is identified, for purposes here, as construction cost plus site costs plus architect/engineering fees and other soft costs.
  • The amount of actual loaned funds shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the project cost.
  • The parish must be able to support with valid pledges or other demonstrable revenue a debt repayment schedule negotiated by the parish and the Archdiocese Deposit and Loan Board of Trustees based on a review of income/expense projections. 
  • Project Approval & Loan Approval Application (Excel download)