Parish Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council is a representative body of the faithful whose focus is on the whole community. The council is an exploratory and advisory group made up of nine members that serve a three-year term, with three council members elected each year.

The responsibility of the council is to aid the pastor in coordinating, encouraging, and promoting the activities of the parish - to serve all members of the parish in the best way possible. The council also has the responsibility of assisting the pastor in developing the most effective means of carrying out guidelines and directives given by the bishop.

The Parish Pastoral Councils in our Diocese have been established by the bishop for several purposes. A Council is a valuable source to the pastor  of information on parish, civic, legal and pastoral realities. A diverse Council is able to provide the pastor with insights vital for decision making,among them:

• Knowledge of the talents, skills and abilities of parish members
• Knowledge of parish history and customs
• Knowledge of the multiple populations in the community
• Knowledge of the wider civic community's resources, legal and political considerations

Although personnel issues are not in the Council's scope, other, sometimes sensitive issues, need to be frankly discussed. It should be obvious that conversations must be treated as confidential. Council members have promised to maintain the trust placed upon them. Parish members are always welcome to address the Council about a concern. But they need to realize that the Council requires privacy to openly handle its issues. So a parish member is invited to speak, and then to leave the Council to continue its business. From time to time, a large issue will be put forth for a general parish meeting for comments and discussion.

The Current Pastoral Council members are listed on the left hand side of this page.

Heidi Schuyler
Chairperson

If you are interested in serving on this council, please complete the form below.