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| PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL |
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After the family, the parish is the most important form of community within the diocese. In the parish Christ’s faithful are gathered together into one, under the direction of the pastoral leader, priest or pastoral administrator, who represents the bishop among them. Each parish, then, truly reflects, at the local level, the life and mission of the diocese and of the Catholic church throughout the world. Most fundamentally the parish reflects how Gospel values are lived out by individuals, by families, by the community. The parish exists to assist parishioners in their Christian mission as followers of Jesus, Prophet, Priest and Servant-King[1].
The concept of a Parish Pastoral Council emerged from the ecclesiological principles of the Second Vatican Council. Documents issued by the Council stressed the need for church structures consistent with the Council’s emphasis on the church as the People of God. To ensure the expanding role of the laity within parishes, structures were needed to facilitate.
Pastoral Council structures began to emerge throughout the world in the 1970s.
With the promulgation of the revised Code of Canon Law (the First Sunday of
Advent, 1983) Councils received official recognition by the church. Canon 536 [2] provided direction to diocesan bishops with regard to Council formation. Bishops were advised that after consulting with their Presbyteral Councils, they could
mandate the establishment of Parish Pastoral Councils in all parishes.
The parameters for such consultative bodies were to be determined by each
bishop, and guidelines reflecting the spirit of the Second Vatican Council were
to be drafted for promulgation within each diocese.
Bishop Anthony M. Milone recognized and approved the guidelines originally promulgated by then Bishop Thomas J. Murphy in 1985. With promulgation of this document Bishop Milone is renewing the diocesan commitment to Pastoral
Councils. This revised text is based upon the experience of Councils throughout
the diocese over the last years. |
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| Denise Ramos |
| office@stca.org |
| 408-779-3959 |
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