FREQUENCY OF MEETINGS
Parish Pastoral Council meetings are convened by the Pastor at least sixtimes a year. Extraordinary meetings can be held at the request of the
Pastor. All meetings require a quorum of members consisting of the simple
majority of members.
COORDINATING COMMITTEE
The Coordinating Committee is composed of the Pastor, who is thechairperson, the vice-chairperson and the secretary. It is responsible for
formulating the Council's agenda and dealing with Council matters between
meetings.
The vice-chairperson and the secretary are members of
the
Council who
have served preferably one year on the Council and who have
a basic
understanding and working knowledge of the Council process.
They are
chosen by the Council members and serve a two year term,
unless their
membership expires prior to completion of a two year term.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VICE-CHAIRPERSON
- Presides at meetings in the Pastor's absence;
- Assists the Pastor in conducting the Council's work;
- Serves on the Coordinating Committee which formulates the Council's agenda;
- Carries out other duties as described in the parish guidelines.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECRETARY
- Records the minutes of the Parish Pastoral Council and Coordinating Committee meetings and sees that the minutes and the agenda are made available to the Council members;
- Maintains attendance and other records;
- Handles all Council correspondence;
- Serves on the Coordinating Committee which formulates the Council's agenda;
- Carries out other duties assigned in the parish guidelines.
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARISH COMMITTEES
The Parish Pastoral Council cooperates with parish committees and parishorganizations such as worship/spirituality, evangelization, education, parish
life and human/social concerns, finances, etc. These are not Pastoral
Council committees.
Parish staff members and parish committees are a
resource to
the Parish
Pastoral Council. Parish committees through the Pastor and
staff are linked
to the Parish Pastoral Council.
To encourage unity and integration and to foster a
close
working
relationship among all parish groups, the Parish Pastoral
Council meets at
least once a year with the leaders of parish
committees and parish
organizations.
RELATIONSHIP WITH PARISH FINANCE COUNCIL
The Parish Finance Council, mandated by the Code of Canon Law, isseparate and distinct from the Parish Pastoral Council. Communication
between the two Councils is, however, essential. In order to ensure the
communication, a member of the Parish Finance Council serves on the
Parish Pastoral Council as an ex officio member.
The Parish Finance Council shares with the Parish
Pastoral
Council
information regarding the parish finances and temporalities on
a regular
basis. The Parish Finance Council assists the Pastor in
implementing the
pastoral plans suggested by the Parish Pastoral
Council by making fiscally
responsible recommendations.
Rationale, Principles and Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils
- Introduction By, Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia
- Rationale for Parish Pastoral Councils, Based in Documents of The Second Vatican Council Based on the 1983 Code of Canon Law
- Principles Guiding Parish Pastoral Councils
- Purpose of Parish Pastoral Councils
- Function of Parish Pastoral Councils
- Role of the Pastor in Parish Pastoral Councils
- Parish Pastoral Council Size, Membership & Terms of Office
- Parish Pastoral Council Meetings and Relationships with Other Committees