Purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council
1. The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative and advisory body that
exists to support the Parish Priest.
2. The purpose of the Pastoral Council is to enable all parishioners and
all parish organisations to participate in the life of the church.
3. The Pastoral Council will support the Parish Priest in providing spiritual
leadership and sound administrative procedures for the parish.
4. Important and specific aims of the Pastoral Council should be:
• To pray that with the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy
Spirit that they are witnesses to the presence of Christ in the Parish community;
• To develop a sense of community in the parish;
• To foster growth and maturity and the recognition of the need for
change where appropriate; and
• To plan for the future of the Parish (e.g. by developing a statement
of its mission, vision and objectives).
5. To this end the Pastoral Council will co-ordinate and promote the activities
of the parish and the organisations within the parish in the following key
areas:
• Christian Formation
• Liturgy and Worship
•
Ecumenism
• Social and Community Activities
• Property
and Maintenance
• Finance and Administration Membership of the Pastoral
Council
6. The membership of the Pastoral Council will be made up from members
of the Parish, as follows:
• The Parish Priest,
• A Chairperson appointed by the Parish Priest,
• Other priests, deacons and religious working in the parish (at
the invitation of the Parish Priest),
• A representative of the following parish organisations:
• Catholic Mens Society (CMS),
• Catholic Womens League (CWL),
• Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), and
• Mothers Guild,
• Two representatives of the young people of the parish;
• Up to nine elected members; and
• Additional members can be co-opted on to the council to facilitate
discussions on particular issues (i.e. co-ordination of activities with
parish schools).
7. The representative of the parish organisations will be nominated by
their respective organisations.
8. The young people of the parish will select their representatives on
the parish council.
9. The elected members of the council will be elected at the annual general
meeting (AGM). Elected members will normally serve for three years, with
one third (three) places being elected each year.
Officers of the Parish Pastoral Council
10. The Pastoral Council will have the following officers:
President - the Parish Priest shall be the president
and Spiritual Director of the Council.
Chairperson - the Parish Priest will appoint a chairperson
to the council, the chairperson will be appointed for a period of one
year. The chairperson's appointment can be renewed at the end of each
year.
Secretary - the Council will elect a Secretary (normally)
from among the elected members.
Communications Officer - the Council will elect a Communications
Officer (normally) from among the elected members.
Meetings
11. The Parish Pastoral Council will meet monthly (the council will not
normally meet in January and August).
12. The Pastoral Council can set up sub-committees to take forward particular
aspects of the Pastoral Council’s responsibilities. Sub-committees
will be chaired by a member of the Pastoral Council who will be responsible
for reporting back to the Pastoral Council.
13. The Parish Finance Committee is not a sub-committee of the Pastoral
Council but it will normally provide reports (for information) to the
Pastoral Council.
14. There will be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Parish Pastoral
Council during the month of May each year to which all parishioners will
be invited. At the AGM the Pastoral Council will give a report to the
Parish of the Council's activities over the past twelve months.
15. Elections to the Pastoral Council will take place at the AGM. Elected
members of the council will normally serve as members of the council for
a period of three years. Three of the nine elected members will be subject
to election (re-election) each year. Elected members who have completed
a period of three year may offer themselves for election for a further
period of three years.
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