Catholic Principle of Subsidiarity

A Working Definition
Subsidiarity is not a word we generally here in our every day vernacular. The short definition of the term is that it is the opposite of centrality. More specifically, the term refers to the principle that governing entities -- in this case the Church -- should defer to the smallest governing authority, which often means the most local authority, to deal with whatever needs to be addressed. Catholic Culture gives a clear and concise explanation: "This principle holds that human affairs are best handled at the lowest possible level, closest to the affected persons."

Grass Roots v.s. Top Down
Most people, including Catholics, are unaware of this principle. Instead, they view the Church as this hierarchical institution led from the top down. While there is certain truth to that assumption, most of the daily operations of the Church are left to the local parish and its pastor. Most of the action takes place at the grass roots level.

Responsibility and Charity

Importance of Subsidiarity
According to Parish in Catholic Tradition: History, Theology, and Canon Law:

[T]he most important of all the church’s social teachings for the identity of the local church is the principle of subsidiarity. It means that local communities, those made up of individual human persons, like parishes, must be respected and allowed a maximum of self-determination (Coriden, 1998, p. 56).

Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical One Hundredth Year:

[H]ere again the principle of subsidiarity must be respected: A community of higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good (CA 48).

The Bishop's Ear
My favorite display of this principle took place while I was in Rome a few years ago on a pilgrimage with the Ft. Worth Diocese. One evening a few of us were gathered in the lobby of our hotel, winding down from a long day in Rome. Bishop Kevin Vann (who was then the bishop of the Fort Worth diocese) was returning from dinner and sat down and talked to us. One of the members of our parish, +Greg Young, took advantage of the opportunity of having the bishop's ear and asked him a few questions. One in particular, had to do with the everyday operations of our parish. Bishop Vann made it very clear that most of those types of decisions are made by the local parish priest, that the role of the bishop is not to micro-manage, but to offer guidance.

Additional Resources
For additional study on the principle of subsidiarity I recommend Parish in Catholic Tradition, taking a look at sections 1882-1883 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Canon Lawyer's Blog post on Subsidiarity.

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