The CATHOLIC DIOCESE of DODGE CITY

Serving the People of Southwest Kansas

The Judicial authority of the diocesan bishop is exercised through the Diocesan Tribunal, (Church Court). The officers who constitute this tribunal are: Judicial Vicar, Reverend John V. Hotze, JCL; Judge, Reverend James E. Baker, JCL; Defender of the Bond, Reverend David H. Kraus, JCL; Promoter of Justice, Reverend David H. Kraus, JCL; Church Notaries, Mrs. Pamela Polley, Sister Janice Grochowsky, CSJ. Other officers of the court are appointed in individual cases. They may be advocates whose primary responsibility is to assist the petitioner or respondent in a particular case; auditors who assist in the collection of evidence, and assessors who assist the judge in arriving at a decision.

In the Diocese of Dodge City persons who are interested in initiating one of the legal processes which involve a question of the validity of marriage, are asked to discuss the matter with the parish priest initially before approaching the diocesan tribunal. The petition is to be sent to the Director of Diocesan Tribunal. The decision reached by the first court must be reviewed by an appellate court. Generally speaking, these procedures will require a minimum of one year in the diocesan tribunal before the case is appealed to the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS.