Parish Council

Parish Council Mission

The Parish Council provides service and leadership for the Parish, the Pastor, and the community at large. The Parish Council, through prayerful discernment of God’s will and responsiveness to the Parish's needs and responsibilities, will guide and enable the community to live a conscious and active Christ-centered faith.

Goals and Objectives

The Parish Council focuses on service and leadership for the parish, pastor, and the community at large. Their role is to bring concerns that affect the whole parish to the attention of the pastor. The Parish Council, through prayerful discernment of God’s will and responsive to the parish needs and responsibilities, will guide and enable the community to live a conscious and active Christ-centered faith.

Goals and Objectives:

Discover the needs of the Parish
Discern and plan direction of the Parish
Cultivate a spirit of unity and dynamic growth within the Parish Council
Cultivate an open, collaborative relationship with the Pastor and staff
Coordinate and support Parish Commissions and their missions
Enable parishioner awareness of the Parish Council nature, purpose, and mission.

The Parish Council consists of approximately nine (9) members each asked to serve a 3-year term, with one-third of the team cycling each year. They collaborate with the Pastor in giving concrete direction in implementing his vision and the mission of the church. Members will also serve as liaisons to other councils, such as Finance and Stewardship, along with the Pastor. They will attend their regular meetings and communicate between the ministries, the Parish Council, Pastor, and staff. The intention is to have a diverse parish representation through a multi-step process. The Parish Council utilizes a consensus decision-making model. Members work together in subcommittees to complete goals and work on projects towards the ends mentioned above. These include but are not limited to:

Recommending to the pastor a set of priorities and timelines for action
Mobilizing support of the parish and other organizations of the parish
Working with the pastor to implement new initiatives proposed in the pastoral plan
Relaying our ministries' funding needs to the Finance Commission
Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the pastoral plan.

Volunteer Opportunities

In the spring of each year, parishioners are invited to attend an information session to replace the three members cycling off. At this information session, current Parish Council members explain the workings of the Team and invite those attending to prayerfully consider their interest in joining the Parish Council. If interested, the candidates complete a questionnaire, which is reviewed by the Parish Council Candidate Nominating Committee, who present their recommendations to the whole Servant Leadership Team and the Pastor for selection.

Eligibility

To be eligible to serve on the Parish Council, one must be:

At least 21 years of age
A registered and active Catholic member of the parish
Free of any other concurrent significant leadership positions within the church
Experienced with other ministries within the church (preferred)
Agree to accept and live up to the Parish Council's mission statement, goals, and objectives.

Time Commitment

The Parish Council meets monthly on the last Monday of the month with the Pastor to discover the needs of the parish and plan the direction of the parish. It may include participation in other Commissions, ministries, and events, such as the Fall Festival and Salt and Light Awards reception.