Parish Pastoral Council

What is a Parish Pastoral Council?

A Parish Pastoral Council, chaired by the pastor, is the pastoral planning body of the parish. A Parish Pastoral Council fosters participation of the entire parish in the life and mission of the church. The Council, as a consultative body, advises and assists the pastor in areas of pastoral concern. It develops and recommends Parish Pastoral Plans through consensus in a atmosphere of prayerful reflection.

What does a Parish Pastoral Council do?

The Pastoral Council, as a consultative body, provides a structure whereby the laity, and clergy work together collaboratively to build up the Body of Christ. The pastor will look to the council for recommendations on how the parish can be faithful to living out the mission of the Church. He will consult the council when he needs the practical wisdom of the members before making a decision that will affect the parish. The Pastoral Council plans in collaboration and cooperation with the parish staff, committees, groups and parishioners. As the pastor consults with the Council, likewise is the Council called to consult with other parish leaders and parishioners in its planning processes. The Council needs to be rooted in prayer, open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, committed to patient listening and study, and working to recommend the plans and directions which will enhance the quality of parish life and promote parish vitality.

What is a Pastoral Plan?

Parish Pastoral Planning is a prayerful and participative process through which a parish characterizes itself as a particular community of faith by developing its own Parish Mission Statement; assessing its strengths/resources, limitations/needs; making recommendations to the pastor concerning establishment of priorities and goals and devising ways to accomplish its mission. Parish Pastoral Planning helps to answer the questions: Who are we as a parish? What are we called to do? How are we best going to do it? Developing and conducting ongoing assessments of the Parish Pastoral Plan is one of the main functions of the Parish Pastoral Council.

How is membership in the Parish Pastoral Council determined?

The Council is intended to include women and men, the old and the young, the married and single, people of different economic levels, different racial and ethnic origins and different educational backgrounds. It needs to have people of varying opinions and ideas. All the members must be committed to fostering the life and mission of the Church and to promoting the good of the whole parish. At Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Parish, the Pastoral Council is made up of the pastor and parish priests; “ex-officio” members from the parish staff and key parish committees, such as the Director of Youth Faith Formation, Director of Adult Faith Formation, and the Parish Finance Committee. The balance of the members are elected by the parish community and/or appointed by the pastor in order to reflect the diversity in the parish community. Elected and appointed members serve 3-year terms.