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While the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted in a special way to
the pastor as the shepherd of the community, the parish council is
provided in every parish to assist the pastor in fostering the pastoral
activity of the parish.
The parish council is a consultative body, chosen from and by the parish
community, who together with the parish priest guide, i.e. determine the
direction of the parish, oversee its pastoral activity and temporal
affairs as the community attempts to fulfill the mission of the church.
The parish council is to "investigate all those things which pertain
to pastoral works, weighing them and proposing practical conclusions
about them."
In a
broad sense, this main purpose of the council, the stewards of the
parish mission, can be described as pastoral planning. This
purpose is consistent with its nature as the wisdom group within the
community. The focus of parish councils in on mission, not on
management.The parish council fulfills its purpose through a variety
of functions.
- It develops and maintains a mission statement.
- It continuously examines the various aspects of the life of the
parish in light of the parish mission statement.
- It assesses parish needs, determines priorities and options to
meet those needs with the available resources, and evaluates
programs and services designed to meet parish needs.
- It engages in a continuous process of pastoral planning.
- It weighs issues and proposes practical conclusions tot eh
pastor about them.
- After prayerful study and dialogue, it develops policies
concerning parish and pastoral matters.
- It develops policies that serve to carryout the parish mission.
Spiritual Leadership:
- Articulate the parish mission
- Ensure the implementation of the parish mission
- Provide a model of prayerful leadership
Parish Direction:
- Determine the direction of the parish based on the parish
mission statement
- Advise the pastor about issues pertaining to the mission
Policy Development:
- Develop policies that support the direction of the parish
- Communicate parish policies to appropriate groups
- Monitor the implementation of parish policies
Planning:
- Assess parish needs and available resources
- Determine priorities and options
- Evaluate programs and services
For more information, contact:
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