The recommended forum for

discerning together

The Parish Community is:•God’s instrument in enabling the Kingdom of God to flourish in people’s lives•Empowered by the Holy Spirit•Guided by the local bishop•Called to build the Kingdom of God through proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ

The signs of God’s Kingdom can be seen where:•The dignity of all people is upheld and supported•People relate in ways that are true and just•Everyone has the possibility of becoming the person they are called to be•The integrity of creation is respected

The primary task of the Parish Pastoral Council is to enable parishioners to fulfil their baptismal callof building up the kingdom of God in the local community

The Parish Pastoral Council engages in the development of strategic plans that will cultivate the faith of the people so that they proclaim the Good News through:

Through the lifestyle of parishioners Christian values of love, justice and peace permeate all aspects of their lives at work, play and in the familyIn this way the Word becomes fleshOur response to God’s word is lived out in everyday life

Liturgies, prayer and sacraments celebrated in the parish enable everyone to be plunged ever more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.These encounters with God in Christ sustain and nourish faith

The awesome love of God is manifest to the world by the way in which the Christian community relate to one another‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ Jn 13:35

The quality of parish life can be measured by the way in which the community reaches out to those who are poor and marginalised.The parish is called to move beyond mere parochialism towards ‘bringing Good News to the afflicted’ Luke 4:18

•It’s a RECOMMENDED structure within the Church•Concerned with the PASTORAL activities of parish life•It is made up of a REPRESENTATIVE BODY of the faithful which includes the Parish Priest•The Parish Pastoral Council SHARES THE RESONSIBILITY for building the parish into•A VIBRANT CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY that promotes gospel values of love, justice and peace•It is a CONSULTATIVE BODY•It is GUIDED by the TEACHINGS, LAWS & RECOMMENDATIONS of the Universal Church and the local diocesan Church

•The Bishops of Vatican II strongly recommended this as a vehicle for promoting ‘the life and activity of the People of God’ ES 1a, 16 • It is a structure of participation that facilitates collaboration•It encourages the baptised to work together•Sustaining parish needs from catechesis to liturgy, from education to the widest array of charitable works NMI 46•It is composed of parishioners, parish priest and parish staff responsible for pastoral care•Their task is to promote pastoral action in the parish

The PPC is concerned with issues that affect the faith lives of parishioners, rather than administration or finance.Areas of pastoral concern include:•Proclamation of the Word of God•Faith formation and catechesis•Liturgy, justice and peace•Family life•Evangelisation•Caring for the Sick and the Poor canons 528 - 530•Encouraging parishioners to be actively involved in the mission of the Church

Members of the PPC should reflect:•‘the entire portion of the people of God, taking into account different regions, social conditions and professions.’ canon 512:2• A mixture of skills, gifts and expertise to accomplish the mission of the parish•The representation should be broad•All PPC members should constantly take a community view of issues discerning what is best for the whole parish and not just one group•PPC members represent the voice of the parish not their own voice

•Rooted in baptism•Every baptised person has a share in the life of the body of Christ•The entire baptised community share in the:

• Priestly• Prophetic and• Leadership mission of ChristThe mandate to take up the mission of Christ comes

from Him in baptism and confirmationLaypeople are co-workers with ordained ministersDiversity of roles and responsibilities needs to be

respected so that lay and ordained compliment one another

•Parish Pastoral Councils are responsible for building community•They provide the conditions for community spirit to flourish•They should be grounded in 4 elements:•Community comes from God who is Trinity•Community is grounded in being part of the Body of Christ•Community enables the giftedness of the baptised•Community is lived out daily by responding to our baptism•Community enables growth

•If these are not present then the PPC can become a structure without a soul

•In a PPC there is fruitful dialogue which leads to pondered agreement•As the official delegate of the bishop, the parish priest is responsible for decisions made at parish level•He consults the PPC in order to make discerned wise decisions for the overall good of the parish•Consultation involves a process of listening, proposing, making recommendations which are then actioned

•Discernment is the key to good decision making•Prayer is central to the life of the PPC and its source of inspiration•This is prayerfulness that changes the mind and the heart•The PPC then recognises that the work is of God•The PPC share in the divine task of transformation•If prayer is omitted then the PPC has lost sight of what it is about

A parish is not an isolated unit but part of a diocesan ChurchThe diocese is a family of communitiesThe parish priest is the official delegate of the bishop, so he is the link with the diocese

PPC’s express their relationship with the diocese by:•Engaging the support of diocesan agencies•Availing of resources and assistance from agencies•Nominating a delegate for the Deanery Pastoral Council•Linking in with the vision of Archdiocesan Pastoral Council•Participating in Diocesan gatherings•Planning joint initiatives with other parishes