Detroit — Fr. Jeffrey Day admits he hasn’t had much time for pleasure reading lately.

As the new vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of Detroit, he has loads of meetings, new responsibilities and obligations, which don’t leave a lot of time left over.

But one book the former pastor of St. Fabian Parish in Farmington Hills has read is Ken Segall’s “Think Simple: How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity.”

As Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron’s new right-hand man as of May 1, Fr. Day is tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the archdiocesan Central Services, along with assisting the archbishop in a host of other administrative and pastoral duties across the archdiocese.

“I think it would be very hard to write a succinct job description for this. There’s certainly one that’s spelled out in canon law, but when you get into the specifics, the scope and width and breadth of what it all entails is quite remarkable,” Fr. Day, 45, told The Michigan Catholic. “It helps me to have an even greater appreciation for the work that Msgr. (Robert) McClory has done.”

Fr. Day succeeds Msgr. McClory, who has served as moderator and vicar general since Archbishop Vigneron’s installation in 2009.

For the past year, Fr. Day has served as deputy moderator of the curia, working closely with Msgr. McClory — who was transitioning to his own new role as pastor of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak — to learn the ins and outs of the Chancery.

As Fr. Day’s responsibilities gradually grew, Msgr. McClory was fond of jokingly quoting John the Baptist’s words about Jesus in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease” — which, unbeknownst to the outgoing moderator, held a special meaning for his successor.

“He keeps saying that, which is interesting because that’s the verse that I chose for my holy card at my ordination,” Fr. Day said. “I don’t think he knew that.”

Fr. Day was ordained to the priesthood in 1999, serving as associate pastor of Divine Child Parish in Dearborn and St. Isidore Parish in Macomb before becoming pastor of St. Sebastian in Dearborn Heights from 2003-11.

From 2011-17, he was pastor of St. Fabian, helping steer the parish to adopt the changes and vision of 2016’s Amazing Parish Conference, and later, Archbishop Vigneron’s vision in Unleash the Gospel.

Now, as moderator of the curia, his task is to continue that work for the archdiocese as a whole.

“My biggest focus, and in fact the archbishop wrote it in my assignment letter, is to assist him, along with Bishop (Gerard) Battersby (head of the New Evangelization Council), to make sure the pastoral letter becomes a reality. That’s our highest priority,” Fr. Day said. “My vision is the archbishop’s vision.”

Fr. Day likened the position of moderator and vicar general to a combination of “chief operating officer” and “chief of staff” — though no analogy is perfect.

“The moderator really touches on so much in the life of the diocese,” Fr. Day said. “I’ve been able to see how each of the groups the moderator relates to affects that vision. The moderator and the archbishop are in the middle of the wheel, with all these spokes, trying to connect the dots of the different relationships and activities.”

One of Fr. Day’s tasks is meeting regularly with members of the archbishop’s cabinet, a group of close advisers and Chancery department leaders, to ensure Central Services is living out its mission of forming “joyful, missionary disciples,” as Archbishop Vigneron’s letter puts it.

With hundreds of ministries, programs and services, the curia plays an important role in serving parishes, schools and institutions across the archdiocese, Fr. Day said.

“You could take each and every department here at Central Services and say, ‘Here is something that is a tangible way that parish life can be improved, if we are allowed to help a parish,’” Fr. Day said. “Overall, Central Services is not ‘just the staff’ of the archbishop, as if the archbishop is doing all of this in isolation. Rather, all of this is geared toward these outward needs of the archdiocese.”

Fr. Day said he hopes those at St. Fabian would describe him as a collaborative and listening-oriented leader, something he hopes to bring to his new role — along with a healthy dose of laughter.

“I think that humor and joy and laughter is one of the great gifts that the Lord gives to us to lighten things,” Fr. Day said. “I think I have a pretty good sense of humor. Otherwise, a lot of what we go through in life, with so many challenges, would be overwhelming. Laughter and joy make things so much better.”

While many diocesan priests cite St. John Vianney, patron of priests, as a favorite intercessor, Fr. Day said he often looks to another saint for inspiration and guidance: St. Louis, the king of France.

“When I was in middle school, I took the name Louis in French class, and then I decided I would name my guardian angel Louis. Later, I wanted to know more about him, and I read about St. Louis. I found him fascinating because he was in the temporal world, as a king, but yet he became a saint,” Fr. Day said.

“As diocesan priests, we have St. John Vianney, but here was somebody who had all this worldly power and authority, but he used it the right way and led a holy life. I just think we need more models like that in the world today.”

During his years as a pastor, Fr. Day also served as Archbishop Vigneron’s ecumenical and interfaith liaison, in roles on the Presbyteral Council and Priest Assignment Board, and as a member of the archdiocesan Synod 16.