He’s Bishop David Zubik’s representative for the northern section of the Pittsburgh Diocese.

He’s responsible for the oversight of 51 parishes in an area covering all of Butler and Lawrence counties and northern Allegheny County to the Pittsburgh city limits.

He’s one of four priests named as an episcopal vicar, and it’s doubtful most Catholics under his charge know his name.

“Episcopal vicar is a term used to mean someone directly representing the bishop,” the Rev. Philip Farrell said. “I think a better word is representative. I represent the bishop in the northern part of the diocese. I oversee the general activity that goes on in these areas for the diocese.

“It’s more of a liaison position. We stand between the bishop and the parishes. We make sure the diocese appreciates the parishes’ position, and we make sure the parishes appreciate the diocese’s position,” Farrell said.

“I’m not responsible for creating new policies but in helping the parishes implement them,” said Farrell, who works out of the old St. Peter Roman Catholic Church rectory, 125 Franklin St., with the aid of a secretary.

He added people may not know of his position but “it’s still on a learning curve. As we get engaged in parishes, more and more people will come to know us.”

He meets at least once a month with the bishop and his fellow vicars for four to five days in Pittsburgh, he said. “We very rarely have meetings over the phone,” he added.

Farrell grew up in the Crafton section of Pittsburgh. He was ordained on June 26, 1993, just shy of his 40th birthday.

“I entered the seminary in high school and went through training in high school, college and three years of graduate school,” he said. “Then I went for a broader perspective.”

Farrell said he worked in the insurance industry, but 13 years later decided he needed to be a priest and went back to the seminary.

“I’ve seen the church from both behind the altar and from the pews,” said Farrell.

He served as a parochial vicar, or assistant priest, for five years at St. Margaret of Scotland parish in Greentree, three years at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Glenshaw, one year at Sacred Heart in Shadyside and then four years as pastor of St. Camillus in New Castle.

He was asked to take over the newly created episcopal vicar position when it was created Oct. 1, 2009.

Before that, Farrell said, the diocese had been divided into deaneries. He had been dean of Lawrence County when he was pastor at St. Camillus.

But as an episcopal vicar, Farrell said, “I no longer oversee a parish. I work with all the parishes in the northern part of the diocese.”

One of the diocese’s projects he’s keeping an eye on is the new location of the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic School, slated to open this fall on a 71-acre site in Cranberry Township, replacing the old Cardinal Wuerl school on Troy Hill in Pittsburgh.

“I get information on it. I’ve been on committees as the program has been developed but I don’t have much to do with the day to day,” said Farrell. “Once it moves up here in the fall, I hope to play a little more active role.”

He said an exact date for the move hasn’t been set as of yet because there is still work going on at the new building’s chapel and the roads leading to it.

But, Farrell said, despite the new school, the biggest condition facing the diocese is “a dwindling population and a dwindling number of priests.”

“There’s 199 parishes in the diocese with a graying clergy and, except for Wexford and Cranberry Township, a declining population,” said Farrell.

“There’s been drastic changes in the past 50 years where before we had industry and second-generation immigrants,” said Farrell. “Now in most of the parishes we’re burying more than we’re baptizing.”

Farrell said the diocese is about to embark on a multiyear project to decide how to provide the best services to the congregations and make stronger parishes.

“There’s all sorts of possibilities. There is no plan in place yet,” said Farrell. “We are encouraging every parish to look at itself.”

Farrell said he anticipates the bishop will put out a pastoral letter to the diocese in the spring “that is going to address the way the diocese has changed and how to grow.”

“I’m not quite sure when that’s going to happen because the letter is still being drafted,” said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, a spokesman for the diocese when asked when the pastoral letter would be released.