St. Edward Catholic Church, Pastoral Council

Recognizing that sound pastoral decisions are informed by the wisdom of the People of God, the pastoral council of St. Edward Catholic Church, Newark, CA was established on September 30, 2005. The documents of the Second Vatican Council recommended the establishment of such councils. They state that Catholics have a right and duty to express their opinion on what pertains to the good of the Church. Pastors should willingly consult their people, say the documents, and use their prudent advice. By establishing a pastoral council, the pastor acknowledges the wisdom of his parishioners and expresses his desire to share with them his responsibility for the governance of the parish.

The purpose of the parish pastoral council is to investigate pastoral matters, to consider them thoroughly, and to propose practical conclusions about them. The council's task is, first of all, to study those matters brought to its attention and shed light on them. Its second task is to reflect on them thoroughly, to discern their true nature, to evaluate and to ponder them. Its final task is to draw sound conclusions. The council presents these conclusions to the pastor and the pastoral team in the form of recommendations. This threefold task of the council-investigating, considering, and recommending conclusions-is called pastoral planning. After the Pastor and the Pastoral Team have accepted the recommendations of the council, they direct their implementation. Council members may assist the Pastor and Team, but strictly speaking, implementation is the responsibility of the pastor and the Pastoral Team, not the council.

The scope of the council is pastoral matters. These may include everything that pertains to the pastoral ministries of proclaiming God's word, celebrating the sacraments, caring for the faithful, promoting the mission of the Church to the world, and being a good steward of parish resources. The scope includes all the practical matters of parish life. There is, in short, nothing about which the pastor may not consult the council, apart from faith, orthodoxy, moral principles or laws of the universal Church.

Pastoral council members are chosen, above all, for their ability to accomplish the main task of the council-the work of investigating, considering, and recommending practical conclusions. They are baptized Catholics, having made their First Communion and Holy Confirmation, members of the parish in good standing with the Church, who reflect the parish's various neighborhoods, social and professional groups, and apostolates. Finally, they are parishioners noted for their faith, good morals, and prudence.

Twelve pastoral council members are elected every three years. The election takes place on the last of a series of four weekly assemblies during the month of September to which all parishioners are invited. The first assembly introduces parishioners to the work of the pastoral council. The pastor explains his motives for establishing it and invites parishioners to express their hopes for it. Participants at the second assembly identify the strengths of the parish and those areas in which the council may help it to develop. The third assembly is devoted to a reflection on the qualities of a good councilor and it culminates with nominations. In the fourth assembly, participants elect, in an atmosphere of prayer and discernment, the twelve new councilors. Members may serve two terms. After being off the council for one term they may again be discerned for the council.

The pastor presides at every meeting of the council. He consults, he accepts or rejects recommendations, and he develops the agenda with the council officers. The pastor and councilors select three officers from among their number. They are the chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. With the pastor they develop the council agenda. The chairperson facilitates council discussions, making sure that everyone speaks and is heard. The chairperson also monitors the work of the councilors between regular meetings. The vice-chairperson assists the chairperson and facilitates meetings in the chairperson's absence. The secretary keeps the minutes. He or she ensures that they are sent, along with the agenda and supporting documents, to each councilor at least one week before every meeting.

The Pastoral Team develops with the Pastoral Council’s assistance a five to six year plan with goals and objectives. The pastoral council has a three-year planning cycle, and members are selected for a three-year term. The pastoral team defines the theme of the planning cycle during the September assembly at which the council is selected. In the beginning of the council's second and third year, the members facilitate a parish assembly to report on the council's progress and to elicit the advice of parishioners. At the end of the third year, the council completes its work. Then a new council is selected and a new planning cycle begins.

The pastor develops the agenda with the council officers. Each meeting begins with prayer from the Liturgy of Hours. The Agenda states the goals for each meeting, the means and group process for reaching the goals, and the materials needed to accomplish them. The agenda guides the meeting. It begins with a review of the minutes of the previous meeting and concludes with a brief evaluation. If the pastor is dissatisfied with the consultation, he expresses his reservations and asks the council to clarify whatever remains obscure. When he is satisfied with the consultation, he formally accepts the council's recommendations. He may then ask the pastoral team or other parishioners to implement them.

The pastor consults others besides the pastoral council about parish governance. He relies upon the pastoral team for their expertise and consults them daily about the management of parish operations. Indeed, he may occasionally ask pastoral team members to attend council meetings in order to put their knowledge at the service of the pastoral council. Moreover, the pastor relies on the finance council to develop, monitor, and report on the parish budget. Finance council members are chosen for their technical skill in realms of accounting and finance. The pastoral council, by contrast, offers practical wisdom. That is the ability to investigate pastoral matters in a general way, to reflect on them deeply in dialogue, and to propose conclusions appropriate to the parish.

The pastoral council meets once a month from September to May. Meetings are two hours in length. Between the monthly meetings, council members are expected to follow up the previous meeting and prepare for the next. This usually entails work on ad hoc committees. The first meeting of the new pastoral council is dedicated to the call and mission of the newly-chosen members. The council's second and third year begin with a parish assembly. After each assembly, the council assimilates the assembly results. During the final meeting of each year, the councilors reflect on the progress of the three-year planning cycle. The pastor thanks them for their service and reflect34s on the progress made by the council toward reaching its goals.

This document was amended and approved by the Pastoral Team on February 15, 2005. It is sent to the Pastoral Council for their advice, comments and suggestions. It was formally acted by the Pastoral Council on April 18, 2005.