Parish Pastoral Council

Back to [Bulletin Board]

Parish Pastoral Council

Preamble

Back to [Bulletin Board]

The Vatican II Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People states:

Participators in the function of Christ, priest, prophet and king, the laity have an active part of their own in the life and action of the Church.  Their action within the Church communities is so necessary that without it the apostolate of the Pastors will frequently be unable to attain its full effect. (n. 10)

The parish offers an outstanding example of community apostolate, for it gathers into a unity of all the human diversities that are found there and inserts them into the universality of the Church.  The laity should develop the habit of working in the parish in close union with their priests, of bringing before the ecclesial community their own problems, world problems, and questions regarding man's salvation, to examine them together and solve them by general discussion.  According to their abilities the laity ought to cooperate in all the apostolic and missionary enterprises of their ecclesial family.

The laity will continuously cultivate the "feeling for the Eparchy," of which the parish is a kind of cell; they will be always ready on the invitation of their bishop to make their own contribution to eparchial undertakings.  Indeed, they will not confine their cooperation within the limits of the parish or Eparchy, but will endeavor, in response to the needs of the towns and rural districts, to extend it to interparochial, intereparchial, national and international spheres. (n.11)

The CCEO states:

In the parish there are to be appropriate councils dealing with Pastoral and economic matters, according to the norms of the particular law of its own autonomous Church. (c.295)

In the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and in accord with the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO), the following text is to serve as a model constitution and bylaws for the parochial Pastoral councils and Stewardship councils in the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn.  The provisions of this  Constitution and Bylaws are supplemental to the CCEO; in the case of apparent divergence, the CCEO is supplants the provisions contained herein.

Back to [Pastoral Council]

Statute 404.  In this document, a "parish" is a stable community of faithful as defined in c.279 or a canonically established mission.

Statute 405.  A "Pastor" is the presbyter entrusted with the care of souls in a parish as defined in c.281 and the counterparts in law, i.e., and administrator (cc.298-299), a rector of a church (c.304) and one who assumes the care of a parish prior to the appointment of a parish administrator (c.300)

Back to [Pastoral Council]

Statute 406.  As its name implies, the Pastoral  Council is to be concerned under the direction of the pastor with the pastoral life of the parish.  Areas of pastoral life include:

Liturgical life, music, maintenance of the church, vestments, sacred vessels, candles, wine and water, liturgical ministers (readers, servers, cantors, choir, ushers;)

Religious education of children, young persons, and adults;

Pastoral care for the sick, elderly, and handicapped;

Preparation of those involved in the reception of the Sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation, First Holy Communion, and Marriage;

Care of immigrants and economically disadvantaged persons;

Promotion of ecumenism;

Fostering bonds of friendship with non-Christians.

Statute 407. It is the competency of the Pastoral Council to advise and cooperate with the Pastor in the Pastoral care of the parish. As such, the Pastoral Council serves as a permanent structure for constructive dialogue among the clergy, religious and laity.

Statute 408. The Pastoral Council is to provide leadership, counsel, resources and encouragement to apostolic and spiritual development of all parishioners.

Statute 409. The Pastoral Council is to serve as a coordinating body for Parish organizations and activities, with the exception of the Stewardship Council.

Statute 410. All members of the Pastoral Council must maintain the confidentiality of the deliberations of the council, especially with respect to privacy and personal reputations.

Back to [Pastoral Council]

Parish Stewardship Council

Role and Function

Statute 438. As its name implies, the Stewardship Council is to be concerned with the acquisition, administration, and alienation of the temporal goods of the parish:

Educating the parishioners of their responsibilities in the support of the Church, its apostolate and its ministers;

Formulating and executing fund-raising programs;

Oversight of the maintenance and development of parish properties;

Oversight of the management of parish funds;

Care of immigrants and economically disadvantaged persons.

Statute 439. It is the competency of the Stewardship Council to advise and cooperate with the Pastor in matters related to the properties and finances of the Parish. As such, the Stewardship Council serves as a permanent structure for constructive dialogue among the clergy, religious and laity.

Statute 440. All members of the Stewardship Council must maintain the confidentiality of the deliberations of the council, especially with respect to privacy and personal reputations. Documents relating to the affairs of the Stewardship Council are the exclusive property of the Parish and cannot be divulged to anyone without the written permission of the Pastor.

Back to [Bulletin Board]

 Pastoral & Stewardship Members 2006-2007

• The Pastoral Council meets on the first Monday of each Month at 7:30p.m. in the rectory.
• The Stewardship Council meets on the first Thursday of each Month at 7:30p.m. in the rectory.

Back to [Bulletin Board]

Council Elections 2006

According to the “Statues of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn,” the elections of the Parish Pastoral and Stewardship Councils, are to be conducted in the following manner:

Statue 411. Membership of the Pastoral Council is not to exceed nine (9) lay persons and is not to be less than five (5) lay persons.

Statue 413. The majority of the Pastoral Council are to be elected. The Pastor can determine that officers of certain organizations, commissions, or committees can serve as ex officio members of the Pastoral Council.

Statue 414. At the time of constituting the Pastoral Council, fifty-percent of the elected members are to be elected for a one-year term and fifty-percent of the elected members are to be elected for two-year term. Succeeding elections shall be every year for fifty percent of the members for a two-year term.

Statue 415. Alternate members can be elected to fill any vacancies that occur among the elected members.

Statue 441. The Stewardship Council is comprised of three (3) persons.

a) Two of the members of the Stewardship Council are to be elected.

b) One member is to be appointed by the Pastor.

Statue 442. The elected members of the Stewardship Council are to be elected for a two-year term. The appointed member is to be appointed for a one-year term. Members are eligible for re-elections or reappointment.

Statues 416 & 443. a) Elections to the Pastoral and Stewardship Councils are to be conducted in September.

b) Sixty days prior to the election, the Pastor is to appoint an Election Committee who will prepare a list of candidates for election to one-year or two-year terms of service. Prior to publication, this list is to be kept confidential and is to be submitted to the Pastor for approval. The Pastor is not obliged to provide reasons for the removal of any potential candidates from the list.

c) It is the responsibility of the Election Committee to determine the manner, time and place of the elections.

d) It is the responsibility of the Election Committee to conduct the election and report to the Pastor, who will communicate the results to the Parish.

e) A person enjoys the power to vote in the elections if he/she is a member of the parish in good standing.

Statue 417. A person is ineligible to be a member of the Pastoral Council if:

a) A person from the same household is a candidate or is currently serving on the Pastoral Council.

b) He/she has been removed from the list of candidates by the Pastor.

Statue 443 (e). A person is ineligible to be a member of the Stewardship Council if:

i) A person from the same household is a candidate or is currently serving on the Stewardship Council.

ii) He/she has been removed from the list of candidates by the Pastor.

Statue 418 & 444. The members of the Pastoral & the Stewardship Councils are to be installed during an appropriate liturgical or para-liturgical ceremony.

Statue 419 & 445. All members of the Pastoral & Stewardship Councils, except for the Pastor, have the right to vote.

Statues 420 & 446. The Officers of the Pastoral & the Stewardship Councils are the Chairpersons and the Secretaries and serve under the direction of the Pastor.

Statues 421 & 447. The lay members of the Pastoral and Stewardship Councils shall elect from among the lay members Chairpersons and Secretaries.

Statue 448. The Chairpersons and Secretaries are elected for term of one (1) year and are eligible to be re-elected.

Back to [Bulletin Board]

This page last modified on 02/23/07