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The Pastoral Council: Its Purposes And Functions
The New
Practical Guide for Parish Councils, W. Rademacher
Organized after the Second Vatican Council,
parish pastoral councils have become part of the post-councilar expression
of shared responsibility and shared ministry in the church. They witness
to the basic equality of all the baptized. They serve as models of the
church as a communion of the People of God.
A parish pastoral council is an organism of
shared ministry that plans and coordinates the overall policy of the
parish in order to carry out the mission of Christ in the church. It is a
consultative body of leaders within the boundaries of the doctrine,
liturgy, and laws of the church. The revised Code of Canon Law, c 536, #1,
in providing their formation states:
The pastor presides over the Pastoral
Council. The Pastoral Council is composed of members of the congregation
together with those on the parish staff who have pastoral care by reason
of their office. The Pastoral Council assists in promoting pastoral
action in the parish.
Functions of the Pastoral Council
- to pray together, to nurture faith and
reflect on the gospel
- to be a sign of a truly Christian
community before the church and the world
- to provide servant leadership and
direction for the parish by enabling parish people to share
responsibility for parish life
- to engage families in parish planning
and overall policies for parish ministry and mission
- to serve as a permanent, but flexible,
structure for constructive dialogue in fulfilling Christ's saving
mission
- to assure through its committees a
continuous and integrated survey of both spiritual and temporal needs
of the parish, community and diocese and after setting priorities, to
provide for the development and implementation of programs aimed at
meeting these needs
- to coordinate parish activities with the
deanery councils and with the diocesan pastoral council
- to identify, support and maximize the
gifts and talents of all the members of the parish and provide for the
training of lay ministries
- to be stewards of all parish resources
and gifts: personnel, facilities, and monies
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