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Hi, Mary —
Thank you for your question.
The number and type of councils and
committees will vary from parish
to parish depending on:
- the size of the parish
- the charisms
of the faithful in each parish, and
- the spiritual needs of the various
parishioners.
This is a general outline
of one setup we had at our parish
when I was the Web Administrator.
Sharing and Celebrating in Ministries
at St. Patrick's Parish.
The Eighth Synod of the Archdiocese
of Boston states:
"A Parish is a community
of the People of God who are joined
together by their common faith
in Jesus Christ as expressed in
and through their baptismal commitment.
It recognizes that, essential
to its very existence, is its
belonging to the Archdiocese,
and through the Archdiocese, to
the universal Church.
Today's parish community is called
to be a center and source for
the faith development of all its
people, while at the same time
it must be an extended family,
one that is marked by a sense
of belonging, a desire for participation,
a need for commitment and a spirit
of welcome."
To live the parish life means to
grow in faith and love. This is most
fully realized in the celebration
of the Sunday Liturgy. And it is
most fully expressed in living a
Stewardship Way of Life. We are a
people whom God has abundantly blessed.
Our first attitude to this blessing
is thanksgiving, and this is expressed
in the sharing of:
- time
- treasure,
and
- talent.
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There are the three councils, each
of which is advisory to the pastor
in its own unique way:
1. Parish Pastoral Council
The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC)
has the role of listening and
visioning. Its purpose is to prayerfully
discern the voice of the Lord
as He leads us from where we are
to where He wants us next to be.
The Pastoral Council must watch
over the entire parish and give
counsel to the pastor as to what
needs must be met and what talents
can be tapped. This council must
dream realistically about the
future and always work to keep
the parish moving in the ways
of the Lord's truth and love.
There are four commissions under
the PPC to facilitate attainment
of the goals projected by the PPC.
They are:
- Liturgy
- Religious Education
- Consistent Ethic of Life, and
- Stewardship
Each ministry is assigned to a commission
to aid in communication.
Our hopes and dreams for the future
of St. Patrick Parish are:
- that more
people will experience a greater sense of belonging,
- a willingness
to share talents and
- a better sense
of involvement
in their church.
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2. Parish Finance Council
The Parish Finance Council (PFC)
is a body designated by Church
Law to advise the pastor (and
parish) in matters pertaining
to the material needs of the parish
community. It must provide this
counsel with the understanding
of the "Gospel" mission
of the Church.
The PFC's mission is to develop
the financial strategy needed
to carry out the goals of the
parish as discerned by the Pastor,
Pastoral Council, Administrative
Council and parishioners. In carrying
out this local mission the Council
must also be aware of its relationship
and obligations to the Archdiocese
and the Universal Church.
The Council is specifically required
by Canon Law to report annually the
parish's financial position to the
parish community. Its other duties
include:
- financial procedure/controls
- church property maintenance and
improvements
- financial planning
- providing assistance to the parish
Business Manager implementing
Archdiocesan policies
- promoting the stewardship way
of life in the sharing of:
- time
- treasure, and
- talent.
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3. Parish Administration Council
The Parish Administrative Council
is comprised of our parish staff,
including Parochial Vicars (priests),
Deacon, Pastoral Associate, Director
of Religious Education, Youth
Minister, Director of Music, Business
Manager and Sexton.
This Council
provides the pastor with the advice
on the practical administration
of the parish but is also an executive
board responsible for proper running
of our parish programs.
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Other committees we had included:
St. Patrick Building Committee
This committee is appointed by
the pastor and is comprised of
parishioners with specific trade
and real estate skills. The chairman
of the committee is our church
sexton, [name withheld],
and committee members rotate every
two to three years. The goal is
to act as an ad hoc advisory committee
to the Finance Council. They periodically
check parish and cemetery facilities
and visit property leased to other
organizations for the sake of
assuring proper maintenance. They
make recommendations as to the
prioritization of projects and
help in the estimation of the
costs to be expended on particular
projects. |
St. Patrick Cemetery Committee
This committee is appointed by
the pastor and is comprised of
parishioners who are lot holders
at St. Patrick Cemetery. The chairman
of this committee is our church
sexton, and committee members
rotate every two to three years.
The goal is to be an advisory
committee to the pastor and cemetery
sexton. Members periodically tour
the cemetery grounds and make
suggestions about the property.
This committee is aware of our
cemetery's policies and can make
suggestions for improvements to
make these consecrated grounds
so they will be seen at their
best. Our sexton is [name withheld].
He, is a member of the National
Catholic Cemetery Conference,
the New England Cemetery Association
and the Massachusetts Cemetery
Association.
A Sexton is a Church
custodian charged with keeping
the church and parish buildings
prepared for meetings, caring
for church equipment, and performing
related minor duties such as
ringing the bell and digging
graves. |
Additional ministries we
had in our parish are
listed in alphabetical order
below.
Depending on the size
of the parish and number of
parishioners who are able to
participate, the ministries
at any one parish, will vary
from parish to parish.
A
Adoration Ministry
Altar Servers Ministry
Altar Society
B
Barnabas' Men of Encouragement
(Kudos to my good friend:
Bob Centamore RIP
)
Baptismal Instruction
Bereavement and Hope Ministry
Bible Study
D
Disability Ministry
E
Elderly Outreach Ministry
Extraordinary Minister of the
Eucharist
F
Fellowship of Young Adults
Firefighter Prayer Ministry
G
Grief Ministry
H
Hospital Visitation Ministry
Hospitality Ministry
L
Lector Ministry
Library Ministry
M
Marian Sodality
Marriage Preparation Ministry
Music Ministry
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P
Parish-Based Health Care Ministry
Peace and Justice Ministry
Pine Street Inn Ministry
Prayer Group Ministry
Prison Ministry
R
Religious Education Ministry
Respect Life Ministry
Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults (RCIA)
S
Sister Parish Ministry
Scouting Ministry
Sports Ministry - Adults
Sports Ministry - Youth
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Sunday Morning Coffee Ministry
U
Ushers Ministry
V
Video Library Ministry
Vocation Ministry
W
Welcoming Ministry
Willing Hands Ministry
Y
Youth Ministry
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I hope this answers your question.
Mike
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