STA parish pastoral council

What is a pastoral council?

A parish pastoral council (PPC) is the chief consultative body to the pastor. Consultation is a sharing of wisdom that enables the parish to carry out its mission. The pastoral council discerns issues that impact the lives of parishioners; prays, studies, and discusses those issues; and recommends practical ways of addressing them.

Why should a parish have a pastoral council?

By baptism and confirmation, the laity shares in the priestly mission of Christ and are empowered to participate in decisions regarding the work of the church. As the “wisdom community” of the parish, the council listens to the spiritual needs of parishioners and exercises stewardship of the gifts of the parish. The parish pastoral council participates in the responsibility of the pastor for building up the faith community.

How does a parish pastoral council operate?

A council meets once a month (except during summer break) with the pastor to consider pastoral issues. It listens carefully to the concerns of the pastor, the parish staff and others involved in the life of the parish. Through prayer and discernment, it searches for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make recommendations to the pastor through consensus. The Parish Pastoral Council normally meets each month (except during summer break) for about 2 hours. Also, the council may have an annual retreat for prayer and reflection. Regular attendance at meetings is critical.

Who should be a member of a parish pastoral council?

A council member should be at least 21 years of age, be in good standing with the Church, be prayerful, and care about the spiritual well-being of the entire community. The council member is willing to learn about the church, have a sense of mission: to bring Christ to people and people to Christ, and be involved in the life and activities of the parish. A council member must be able to attend meetings on a regular basis.

How is a parish pastoral council formed?

A four-step process is employed to form the Parish Pastoral Council. This process includes prayer, education, discernment, and commitment.

Step 1: Prayer: Each meeting of the council begins and ends with a prayer experience as we focus on our baptismal call to build the kingdom of God. We ask everyone to pray for wisdom and openness for our parishioners and our pastor.

Step 2: Education: All parishioners learn more about the purpose and norms of Parish Councils through materials provided by the pastor. All parishioners interested in the Parish Pastoral Council are invited to an Information Meeting along with those who want to learn more about serving on the council. Anyone can come or recommend someone to come to this meeting.

Step 3: Discernment: A Discernment Meeting is held for those who attended the Information Meeting, are open to serving on the council and are invited by the pastor. The people in attendance consider the gifts and talents of each person and discern who is being called by the Holy Spirit to serve. Anyone wishing to be considered for discernment must attend the Information Meeting.

Step 4: Commitment: The final step to the process is the commissioning of new council members during the weekend Masses. Then the work of the council begins with an orientation of new members, followed by gathering information about the needs and desires of the parishioners so that the council can undertake the development of recommendations for short-term and long-term plans.

How will the pastoral council succeed?

This consultative body will succeed by assisting the pastor and the community in the development of a mission-focused parish, rather than a programmatic or finance-driven one. This does attempt to put at the heart of the parish a consciousness of and zeal of the mission of Jesus Christ.

The following table illustrates the movement: