Pastoral Council

Pastoral Council New Direction

Dan Bacon

Pastoral Council New Direction

Parish vs. Pastoral - There is a difference

Historical Background - Pre-Vatican II

Prior to Vatican II, many parishes had a Parish Council.  The primary purpose of these councils were to:

  • Advise the Pastor of the parish regarding issues and concerns running the day-to-day operations of the parish.
  • Review and approve the budget of the parish.
  • Handle parishioner complaints both large and small.

According to church canon however the pastor has complete autonomy when running the parish as overseen by the Bishop.  This type of council inevitably caused conflict between the pastor and the council members, if the pastor chose not to take the advice of the parish council

 

Historical Background - Post Vatican II

One of the many outcomes of Vatican II was to bring in a different model of a council.  Some of the important changes include:

  • The council is now called a "Pastoral Council" instead of "Parish Council" to more fully reflect the role and emphasis for the council
  • The new council is to be more long-term goal oriented as opposed to trouble - shooting short term problems and concerns.
  • The new council should strive to address issues that concern a large swath of the parish not individual ministries or groups.
  • The council should strive for participatory decisions and avoid voting on issues which can break the council into groups.

St. James Pastoral Council New Direction

During the council year of 2022-2023, the council took a look at its by-laws and felt they needed a big revision.  A committee was established to take on this task.  As part of that process the entire council was made aware that we were functioning more like a Parish Council not a Pastoral Council.

At the end of May 2023 the council had approved the new by-laws and embarked upon the changes needed to become a Pastoral Council in more than name only.

In August of 2023, the council asked Jay Meachum, to lead us in a retreat off campus which would help everyone to understand what our new focus would become.  Mr. Meachum had a wealth of knowledge on the topic.  He was heavily involved at our Diocese in helping other parishes and staff implement the concept.

Our progress has been significant but there are still steps we will be taking to fully implement our new direction