ST. WILLIAM
THE ABBOT PASTORAL COUNCIL
CLICK HERE FOR THE PASTORAL COUNCIL APPLICATION
The council serves as a forum of consultation for the pastor and members, primarily by engaging them in ongoing dialogue about the needs, feelings, hopes and reactions of parishioners. The purpose of this interaction is to foster the process of pastoral planning and decisions, in the light of the parish mission and vision.
The council normally consists of ten members, plus the pastor.
Appointment:
The process of selecting members takes place in the spring and the term begins in September. Names of potential appointees are developed by an open invitation to parishioners, existing Council, and Parish Staff to identify potential parish leaders. Some effort is made to have persons of varying ages and backgrounds on the Council. It is made clear that no member “represents” any constituency in the parish. The pastor with consultation of the Pastoral Council and Parish Staff will make final selection.
Qualifications:
Members are selected on the basis of their wisdom, ability to work collaboratively, and credibility to the parish at large. They should be active, believing parishioners who participate in the ongoing life of the parish, especially Sunday Eucharist.
Term of appointment:
Members are appointed for a term of three years. Membership is limited to two consecutive terms.
Termination of
membership:
Members may resign at any time upon written notice to the pastor. The pastor may also terminate the membership of any member upon written notice when he believes the good of the parish requires it. If either of these circumstances occur, the pastor may appoint someone to complete the term.
Training:
Training of new members will include review of the Diocesan Guidelines For Pastoral Councils, meeting with existing members, and participation in any available Pastoral Council training by the Diocese.
Council Annual Cycle:
The Council normally meets 10 times a year, monthly
September through June. Meetings are
usually the second Tuesday of the month,
The pastor chairs the meeting.
Agenda:
The pastor sets the agenda. Any member or parishioner may propose an item for the agenda by submitting it to the pastor in advance of any meeting. Agenda is sent to members prior to scheduled meetings.
Minutes:
Minutes are normally kept and approved by the membership before becoming official. The role of recorder of the minutes is done on a rotating basis, schedule to be set in September. Minutes are summarized quarterly and made available to parishioners.
Quorum:
A quorum for official business is one-half the members, not including the pastor.
Presence of
Non-members:
Meetings are limited to Council members except by invitation or at the discretion of the pastor.
Annual Review:
Each June the Council reviews its own performance and processes, and may create an outline of its tasks for the year to come.
Pastoral Council on
the Parish Web Site:
Parishioners may find out information about the Pastoral Council on the parish web site as well as post questions or comments for the Council.
Changes to these
Procedures:
Any member, or the pastor, may suggest changes to these procedures for an individual instance or as an ongoing change. Such changes must be approved by the pastor before going into effect. When an ongoing change is made, this document will be changed to reflect the Council’s modified processes.
Reviewed and accepted at the meeting of