I. Purpose
To establish an institution-wide records management program to retain, secure and dispose of records in accordance with operational needs, legal requirements and historical considerations.
II. Definitions
“Archdiocese” means that certain entity formed, maintained and existing under Minnesota Section 315 .16 with the Minnesota Business Name: “The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis”.
“Parish” means a parish within the Archdiocese Territory that is Archdiocese-recognized as Catholic.
“Record” means any recorded information, regardless of medium or characteristics, made or received by the Archdiocese, a Parish or a School in pursuit of legal obligations or the transaction of business.
“School” means a primary school or a secondary school within the Archdiocese Territory that is Archdiocese-recognized as Catholic.
“Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia” is the priest appointed by the Archbishop to fulfill that office for the Archdiocese.
III. Policy
Ownership of Records
All records are solely the property of the Archdiocese or the Parish or Schools and must be maintained in compliance with the Archdiocesan Records Retention Schedules.
Retention decisions will be made based on the content of the record, not its paper or electronic format. A record must be accessible and retrievable for the stated retention period.
Records Retention Schedules
The Records Retention Schedules shall be proposed by the Department of Archives and Records Management, approved by the Vicar General/Moderator of the Curia and administered by the Department of Archives and Records Management.
The Records Retention Schedules shall classify records and set forth the retention periods for each classification.
The current Records Retention Schedules shall be posted on the Archdiocesan website along with this policy.
