Pastorate Parish Council

The pastorate pastoral council is a consultative body[1] to investigate pastoral matters (see 3. Scope), considers them thoroughly, and proposes practical conclusions about them.[2] The council’s task is first to study those matters brought to its attention and shed light on them. Its second task is to reflect on them thoroughly, discern their true nature, and evaluate and ponder them. Its final mission is to draw sound conclusions. The council presents these conclusions to the missionary pastor as recommendations. This threefold task of the council-investigating, considering, and recommending conclusions-is pastoral planning. After the missionary pastor has accepted the council's recommendations, he directs their implementation. Council members may assist him, but strictly speaking, implementation is the responsibility of the missionary pastor, not the board.

The scope of the council is pastoral matters. These may include everything that pertains to the missionary pastor’s ministries of proclaiming God’s word, celebrating the sacraments, caring for the faithful, promoting the mission of the Church to the world, and being a good steward of pastorate resources. The scope includes all the practical matters of pastorate life. The missionary pastor may consult the council on everything, apart from faith, orthodoxy, moral principles, or laws of the universal Church.

Pastorate pastoral council members are chosen by the missionary pastor, above all, for their ability to accomplish the council's main task- investigating, considering, and recommending practical conclusions. They are baptized and confirmed Catholics in good standing with the Church, who reflect the pastorate’s various neighborhoods, social and professional groups, and ministries. Finally, they are parishioners noted for their faith, good morals, and prudence.

Members are selected and appointed by the missionary pastor using the membership criteria and Uniting in Heart Pastorate Plan. There will be a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 members. Normally, the membership will be 50% representative of student parishioners and 50% of resident parishioners. Members will commit for three years, when their role can be discerned for renewal or retirement. In addition, the missionary pastor and one or more staff leadership team members will serve on the pastorate pastoral council. Other clergy may serve as ad hoc members of the council.

In the first quarter of each new year, the pastorate council members will be introduced to the pastorate at the weekend masses to introduce parishioners to the work of the pastorate pastoral council.

The missionary pastor presides at every meeting of the council as the president. He consults, accepts, or rejects recommendations and develops the agenda with the council officers. The missionary pastor and members select three officers from among their numbers. The officers should include both student parishioners and resident parishioners. They are the chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. With the missionary pastor, the chairperson develops the council agenda and facilitates council discussions, making sure that everyone speaks and is heard. The chairperson also monitors the work of the members between regular meetings. The vice-chairperson assists the chairperson and facilitates meetings in the chairperson’s absence. The secretary keeps the note. He or she ensures that they are sent, along with the agenda and supporting documents, to each member at least one week before every meeting. The officers will serve for one year.

The pastorate pastoral council has a three-year planning cycle, and members are appointed for a three-year term. The missionary pastor determines the theme of the planning cycle using the Uniting in Heart Pastorate Plan. Annually, the members discern their ability and desire to continue in the council’s work.  They then facilitate a pastorate assembly to report on their progress and elicit parishioners' advice. At the end of the third year, the council completes its work. Then a new council is appointed, and a new planning cycle begins.

The council may establish ad hoc committees to focus on the activities defined in the pastoral plan. The committees will be led by a staff member overseeing the committee's work.
 

The missionary pastor develops the agenda with the council officers. It states the goals for each meeting, the means and group process for reaching the goals, and the materials needed to accomplish them. The agenda guides the meeting. It begins with a review of the notes of the previous meeting and concludes with a brief evaluation. If the missionary pastor is dissatisfied with the consultation, he expresses his reservations and asks the council to clarify whatever remains obscure. He formally accepts or rejects the council’s recommendations when satisfied with the consultation. He may then ask the pastorate staff or other parishioners to implement them.
 

The missionary pastor consults others besides the pastorate pastoral council about pastorate governance. He relies upon the pastorate staff for their expertise and consults them daily about the management of pastorate operations. Indeed, he may occasionally ask pastorate staff members to attend council meetings to put their knowledge at the service of the pastorate pastoral council. Moreover, the missionary pastor relies on the finance council to develop, monitor, and report on the pastorate budget. Finance council members are chosen for their technical skills in the realms of accounting and finance by the missionary pastor. The pastorate pastoral council, by contrast, offers practical wisdom to the missionary pastor; that is, the ability to investigate pastoral matters in a general way, to reflect on them deeply in dialogue, and to propose conclusions appropriate to the pastorate.
 

The pastorate pastoral council meets monthly as needed, minimally four times a year. Meetings are a maximum of 90 minutes in length. Between the meetings, council members are expected to follow up on the previous meeting and prepare for the next. This may entail work on ad hoc committees.

During the final meeting of each year, the members reflect on the progress of the three-year planning cycle. The missionary pastor thanks them for their service and reflects on the progress made by the council toward reaching its goals.