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Directives
for Parish Pastoral Councils
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Summary
The following
is a summary of the mission and function of
parish pastoral councils as mandated in the Diocese
of Scranton Directives for Parish Pastoral
Councils.
It is meant to assist pastors,
potential council members and the faithful
in general to understand the role and
purpose of parish pastoral councils.
It is by no means a substitute for,
nor should it be read in place of, the Directives,
but rather as an introduction to them.
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They
devoted themselves to the teaching of
the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of the bread and to
the prayers. Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done
through the apostles. All who believed
were together and had all things in
common; they would sell their property
and possessions and divide them among
all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves to
meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation
and sincerity of heart, praising God
and enjoying favor with all the
people. And every day the Lord added
to their number those who were being
saved.
(Acts 2:42-47)
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Mission
Statement of the Diocese of Scranton
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“We
the Catholic faithful of the Diocese
of Scranton, in union with our Holy
Father, the Pope, are called through
baptism to share in the mission which
Jesus Christ has entrusted to the One,
Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic
Church.
Priests, deacons, religious and laity,
under the leadership of our Bishop,
cooperate to proclaim the Gospel in
accordance with the teaching of the
Church to celebrate the sacraments,
especially the Eucharist, for the
salvation of all, and to witness by
grace to the
Kingdom
of God
so as to promote a culture of life,
justice and peace.”
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A. LOCAL
HISTORY
These directives respond to Bishop
Martino’s call for a “New
Evangelization” of parish life as
expressed in the Diocesan
Mission Statement issued in February,
2005. They
highlight the fact that planning is
essential to any pastoral endeavor.
The current vision for pastoral
councils, embodied in these directives, has
grown and developed over the course of some
years. It is grounded in Church teaching and
in a wealth of pastoral wisdom and
experience.
It offers to parishes which have many
emerging needs a structure that embraces
consultation, collegiality and prayerful
discernment.
B.
THE PARISH
The
parish’s primary goal is to help every
member grow to the fullness of holiness
through his or her Christian vocation. The
mission of the Church is rooted in the
mission of Christ who commanded everyone –
clergy, religious and laity – to "go
into the world and proclaim the good news to
all of creation" (Mark
16:15
). Vatican
Council II urged active involvement in the
life of the Church by emphasizing the
principles of collaborative responsibility,
consultation and lay participation. The
Pastor's responsibility is to shepherd the
faithful and recognize their service and
charismatic gifts (Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, 30).
C.
THE
PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL
The pastor of a parish shares with
the Bishop of the Diocese the responsibility
to teach, govern and sanctify for the sake
of building up the
kingdom
of
God
.
Bishops and pastors do not do this
alone. By
virtue of Baptism, every Catholic has the
responsibility to work to build up the
Mystical Body of Christ.
For the good of the parish and the
Church as a whole, pastors need to consult
members of the parish regarding the
well-being of the parish.
The parish pastoral council is the
body designated for this purpose.
The parish pastoral council has
several specific functions:
(1)
to write a Mission Statement for the
parish based on the Diocesan Mission
Statement;
(2)
to provide an opportunity for people in all
vocations to collaborate for the good of the
parish;
(3)
to vision and plan for the overall spiritual
growth of the parish;
(4)
to make recommendations to the pastor based
on its findings.
Good
pastoral planning begins with, and is
sustained by, a process of prayer, study,
evaluation and recommendation.
The pastor and council reflect upon
objective criteria to determine whether the
parish is fulfilling its mission.
They look at pastoral issues, for
example, at the liturgical life of the
parish.
Is the mass celebrated in a reverent
and vibrant manner?
They look at parish programs.
Is the faith taught in a convincing
and inspiring fashion?
Is the Gospel and the Creed lived in
homes, businesses, and public places?
Are young people properly prepared
for marriage?
Does the faith of the people manifest
itself in acts of charity and social
concern?
The
need to root this process in prayer and
study cannot be overemphasized.
Through prayer and reflection on
Scripture and Church documents, council
members find standards by which to evaluate
the parish. For this reason, each meeting
begins with a period of prayer and
reflection on some pertinent Church
document.
The
parish pastoral council is purely a
consultative body.
It does not legislate, regulate or
authorize.
It does not enjoin, prohibit, correct
or enforce.
It makes recommendations to the
pastor based on its evaluation of the
strengths and weaknesses of the parish.
The pastor remains responsible for
all matters of parish governance; however,
ecclesial communion presupposes that pastors
will take seriously, and be guided by,
council recommendations to the extent
possible for the good of the parish.
The
parish pastoral council is not a substitute
for other parish committees that address
such areas as worship, catechesis,
evangelization, fostering vocations to the
priesthood, creating a culture for vocations
and service.
Nor is it a coordinating group for
such committees.
It is not a substitute for parish
staff. The
parish pastoral council is linked to other
committees through the pastor and parish
staff.
While
each parish has unique needs, there are some
problems that virtually all modern parishes
share, e.g., re-evangelization of
non-practicing Catholics, post-Confirmation
catechesis, etc.
Well-functioning parish pastoral
councils look to the practical experience
and wisdom of neighboring parishes and
dioceses for guidance in addressing these
concerns.
D. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE PARISH
PASTORAL COUNCIL
The Pastoral
Council exists to help the Pastor identify
needs and evaluate effectiveness of parish
programs and services. In addition, it helps
to create and maintain a parish atmosphere
that is reverent and welcoming and that
contributes to planning for the future of
the parish. Prayer, then, becomes essential
to the Pastoral Council members as a group
and individually. Pastoral planning begins
with, and is sustained by, a process of
discernment and assessment. Through prayer,
study, and listening, the Pastor and council
begin to identify and prioritize the ways in
which the parish is being called to live its
specific mission. Each meeting is to begin
with a period of prayer followed by a study
of some pertinent document.
All phases of the pastoral planning
cycle utilize the skill of decision-making
by consensus. Consensus is not reached by a
majority vote, nor is it a win/loss
situation. Rather, it is a method of
decision-making grounded in prayer through
which the group strives to reach substantial
agreements on matters of overall direction
and policy, which can be supported by all.
The Pastoral Council relationship is
expected to be collaborative in that both
Pastor and council listen carefully to each
other, and consider both what is being said
and why.
Members of the pastoral council do
not represent constituencies or specific
agendas; rather, every member has the
responsibility to represent the entire
parish.
E.
CONSTITUTION
AND BY-LAWS
Every
parish in the Diocese of Scranton will
establish a pastoral council in accord with
the Constitution and By-laws contained in
the Diocese of Scranton Directives for Parish Pastoral Councils.
September 21,
2006
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