As I noted two weeks ago, it’s time to elect three new members for the Parish Pastoral Council.  The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Rationale, Principles and Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils states so well,

 

The purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to foster full participation of the entire parish in the life and mission of the parish and the Universal Church.  The parish faith community participates in this mission by:

 

  • Worshiping God;
  • Creating and nourishing Christian Community;
  • Growing in Faith and Holiness; and
  • Serving those in need, especially the poor.

 

This same document goes on to explain the function of the Pastoral Council:

 

The general function of the Parish Pastoral Council is to advise the Pastor in those pastoral matters presented to it by the Pastor.  It carries out its function by:

  1. Informing the Pastor of the needs and concerns, gifts and resources of the whole parish and its members;
  2. Developing and reviewing a parish mission statement (which will always contain the name of Jesus) and periodically re-evaluating and revising it;
  3. Developing a parish pastoral plan;
  4. Participating in ongoing pastoral planning;
  5. Recommending policies, procedures and programs which would assist in the implementation of the mission statement and parish pastoral plan;
  6. Reviewing and evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs; and
  7. Reflecting on Archdiocesan pastoral priorities and recommending how they can be implemented in the parish.

 

Throughout my years as a parish priest, I have found Parish Pastoral Councils to be indispensible in assisting me to lead the parish in fulfilling its mission.  Ever since I came here, I have benefitted from the insights that the Council members have offered on a wide variety of topics.  Together, we developed a Parish Pastoral Plan in 2013 and then again last year.  These Pastoral Plans have given us focus as we continually strive to lead all of our parishioners closer to God and the entire parish to become an ever stronger community of faith.  So, I hope you can see the importance of the Parish Pastoral Council and I encourage you to step forward and lend your gifts and talents for this important work in our parish.

 

Next week, you will find nomination forms in all the pews and in the Sunday Bulletin.  Please take a form home and seriously consider nominating someone who has the following characteristics (feel free to nominate yourself if you are interested):

 

  • A strong desire for spiritual growth in themselves and in the parish;
  • Enthusiasm about the future direction of our parish;
  • Flexibility and openness with people and ideas;
  • Willingness to listen and learn, and to speak honestly and respectfully;
  • Ability to work toward consensus and to inspire and empower others.

 

Those who are nominated will be contacted to see if they are available and interested.  They will then be asked to attend a meeting on the evening of 21 February to learn more about Parish Pastoral Councils and to discern if they are ready and able to serve.  Those who decide to run for election will be asked to provide a brief résumé and an explanation of their reasons for wanting to be on the Parish Council.  These will be published in the Sunday Bulletin on the weekends of 24 and 31 March.  Then, on the weekends of 7 and 14 April, we will hold elections for the three new members of our Parish Council.

 

I look forward to continuing to work with our Parish Pastoral Council – including its new members – to continue to respond to our Lord’s mandate: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature!”