Pittwater Parish Pastoral Council

A Parish Council has operated in Pittwater Parish for some time and prior to the amalgamation of Avalon and Mona Vale Parishes, there was a Parish Council in each of those Parishes. You can click here to see the photos and names of the current Parish Pastoral Council or visit the main menu on the left of the front page.

The first Parish Council in the area was at Maria Regina to assist the ailing Parish Priest, Mons Ian Burns. You can read about it by clicking here.

These previous Parish Councils worked hard with the various Parish Priests to develop the Parish/es and manage a wide range of activities. The various members of those Councils are to be congratuilated on their fine work developing the Parish/es.

In 2009, it was decided to change the role of the Parish Council and make it more of a "Pastoral Parish Council" which would take a long term view of the Parish, discerning key needs and developing a long range Vision and strategic plans focussed on the Pastoral needs. This was a change from the past. The particular model chosen is used in the Archdiocese of Brisbane and has been in place for many years. It has been acclaimed as a very successful model.

Apart from several ex-officio members of the PPC, the other members are chosen through a nomination and discernment process. This is believed to provide better representation than (for instance) voting where particular people might be chosen because they are well known rather than necessarily for their skills, talents and other characteristics.

You can see the names and pictures of the current Parish Pastoral Council by clicking here or from the PPC Sub-menu.

There follows some further information about the new Parish Pastoral Council. It should be noted that some of this might change as the PPC furtther discerns its role through prayer, consultation and learning.

ROLE

Our Pastoral Council's role is to promote the Church's mission to live and communicate the love and values of Christ in the world around us.

Our Pastoral Council shares in the responsibility for the ongoing life and development of our parish community, working together with parishioners to provide support for their efforts to live as followers of Christ.

Our Parish Pastoral Council seeks to:
Listen to and gather information about the hopes, ideas, needs and concerns of parishioners
Generate responses to these identified issues
Encourage and support the continuing good work of existing groups within our parish
Provide opportunities for parishioners
- to grow in their relationship with God and with each other
- to support and encourage them in their continuing efforts to be a Christian influence in the wider community
Set realistic and achievable short-term and long-term pastoral goals for our parish community within the framework of the Diocese of Broken Bay Vision, Mission Statement and Pastoral Planning.
Oversee the implementation of these pastoral goals
Contribute towards making parish decisions that reflect the values of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church
Provide support for our Pastor, working collaboratively with him and with each other.

MEMBERSHIP
There may be a total of  approximately 16 members (maximum 18), consisting of our Parish Priest, Assistant Priest, Resident Priest, Music/Youth Director, Sacramantal Director, Principals of the three schools  and eight members recommended by parishioners.

The Council will have as broad a membership as possible, with a diversity of age (must be18 years or over), gender and ethnic origin. Each Pastoral Councillor is a representative of the whole parish community and not a representative of a specific parish group only.

There will be a session of formation for all Council members prior to the first meeting of the newly chosen Council and after each changeover of membership.

TERM OF MEMBERSHIP
The term of membership is two years. To facilitate continuity, it is anticipated that approximately half the Pastoral Council members will choose to continue for a second term. Anyone who serves two terms consecutively will then stand down for at least one term.

NEW MEMBERS
All parishioners will be asked to recommend other parish members for possible membership of the Council. Each person recommended will be invited either to a combined Information Meeting, to receive current information about Pastoral Councils. At the conclusion of this meeting, participants will be asked to indicate whether they wish to accept or decline possible membership.

If the number of acceptances of possible membership is more than required, the membership will be finalised discernment process.

CASUAL VACANCIES
The Council may fill any casual vacancy by invitation. Prior to joining the Council, the proposed candidate will receive a short briefing on responsibilities and expectations as a member. After completing the remainder of the current term of membership for this casual vacancy, the new member will be eligible for recommendation for a second term.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS
In a spirit of prayerfulness, each member of the Parish Pastoral Council will:
Attend the regular meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council
Develop a spirit of enquiry and the ability to listen and understand the issues affecting the lives of parishioners
Provide input to deliberations of the Council
Provide prayerful support and encouragement for other members of the Parish Pastoral Council
Actively participate in the implementation of finalised plans of action
Embrace opportunities for personal faith development and for gaining skills to assist with effective participation in the Council's operations
Represent the Parish Pastoral Council when required e.g. other parish meetings, deanery or diocesan meetings.

OFFICE BEARERS
The Parish Priest together with the office-bearers will form the executive of the Pastoral Council. The office-bearers, chosen by the members, will be chairperson, deputy chairperson and secretary.

The role of the executive is to:
Reflect on the effectiveness of each previous Council meeting. What went well? What can we do better?
Organise the agenda for each meeting, incorporating input from all pastoral councillors
Arrange distribution of the agenda, minutes and all relevant material one week in advance of that meeting
Coordinate the business of the Council between meetings
Arrange additional formation opportunities outside the regular meetings.

MEETINGS
There will be a minimum of ten monthly meetings of the Pastoral Council each year.

TASK GROUPS
Task groups may be set up under the auspices of the Pastoral Council for specific purposes for a definite duration and will report regularly to the Pastoral Council. These groups may include members of the Pastoral Council.

CONSENSUS
The consensus approach will be used in the process of contributing towards the making of parish decisions, with each member offering input towards the final outcome. Majority voting, lobbying, competition and domination are to be avoided.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE PARISH
The Pastoral Council will report to the parish community regularly. It will seek the input of parishioners through various means, e.g. parish consultations, focus meetings, conversations.

REVIEW OF GUIDELINES
These Pastoral Council Guidelines will be reviewed at the end of each Pastoral Council's term, or more frequently if the need arises. Consultation with the Parish community will occur regarding any changes to these Guidelines.

Resources:
Celilia Anning, Hendbook for Pastoral Councils, 2007

Pastoral Council Development, Faith & Life Vicariate, Archdiocese of Brisbane