Diocese hires new director of archives and records

Friday, Aug. 28, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY – While most people are aware of the value of preserving those items that present the history of an organization, equally important are the day-to-day records of that organization’s business. Often, only an expert knows which of those records must be maintained to ensure the organization’s smooth operation. Michael Courtney, the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s new director of archives and records, is just such an expert.

“I’m just thrilled that we’ve found a delightful person with the right credentials who wants to be here and who came at a salary that we could afford,” said Monsignor Colin Bircumshaw, the diocese’s vicar general.

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Courtney attended the Catholic University of America, where he received a bachelor’s degree in American history. He went on to Loyola University, Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in American history, majoring in immigration, ethnic and religious history while minoring in public history (working in archives and museums). He later got a master’s degree in theology from Loyola and a post-baccalaureate certificate in information technology from Tulane University.

Courtney spent the last 11 years in various positions in the records department of the Diocese of New Orleans, a five-person operation. His first three years, he was a processing archivist/records analyst. He went on to become the department’s electronic records content manager. Prior to that, he held several archival and library job positions with the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago and Loyola University, Chicago’s School of Law Library.  

Courtney said he has loved all aspects of the archivist’s job.

“Doing the historical research, getting to know what people were thinking about X issue excites me,” he said.  “Then, dealing with the business end of things, one of the cool things about being an archivist is I get to see what people do and people tell me. I get to learn what everybody does, and I get to meet people from across the diocese; that excites me.”

Courtney, who has been on site since July 1, was hired by the Diocese of Salt Lake City in March after a nationwide search. As he familiarizes himself with the workings of the diocese, he is updating the diocese’s access policies.

Courtney’s predecessor Gary Topping, who retired last September, did a great job of maintaining the records during his 18 years on the job, but only worked in the position part-time, said diocesan Chancellor Deacon George Reade. With the hiring of a full-time archivist, the diocese will be able to pursue some projects that Topping had no time to do, including digitizing parishes’ sacramental records and implementation of an electronic records content system, Deacon Reade said.  

“The most important thing probably is record keeping and making our sacramental records more readily available to those who request them,” the deacon said.

While in larger dioceses the records department is often composed of several individuals, in Salt Lake City Courtney is the only person in his department. Working solo doesn’t bother him, he said. 

“There’s the challenge of putting your mark on a program,” he said.

Having accurate and authentic records is critical for the bishop and members of the curia when they are making important decisions, Courtney said.

Courtney said he is looking forward to getting to know the people of the diocese and encourages them to contact him if they have questions about the Church in Utah.

“Having access to historical materials, they get to learn more about their faith, specifically the faith in the Diocese of Salt Lake City; how it began, how it has evolved over time,” he said. “Understanding history, you can understand your faith better because you understand where we came from, how our faith developed, how our traditions developed. It helps you understand the here and now.”