What is a Parish Pastoral Council/Assembly?
Parish Pastoral Councils/Assemblies are “the presence of God in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.” (Pope Francis)
The Parish Pastoral Council/Assembly is a “faith-filled leadership group through which priests and people work together as co-responsible partners in furthering the mission of Christ in their own parish.” (Living Communion, Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference)
It is a faith-filled group, because Jesus and His mission are at the heart of why we gather.
A faith-filled leadership groupIt is a leadership group where priests and lay people work together as co-responsible partners, because all the faithful (priests and lay people) receive both the grace and the responsibility to further Christ’s mission by virtue of our Baptism. We are given complementary gifts which we are to use together in building up the Body of Christ, the Church.
In furthering the mission of Christ… What is the mission of Christ? The mission Jesus entrusted the Church with is:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
How do we make disciples? The first step to make disciples, is to be disciples. If we want others to follow Jesus, we need to follow Him. We need to imitate Jesus, to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives, to be people who are moved by compassion to help others etc. Being a disciple is not always easy. As G.K. Chesterton said: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried” (What’s Wrong with the World). God’s help is always available to us, however, on this journey. We may fall, but we get up again (Proverbs 24:16).
We make disciples by being witnesses. We need to speak about God. We need to share God’s Word with others. As St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans:
“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)
We need to be people who are not afraid to share the Good News with others.
In their own parish…
Some of us may be called to be missionaries elsewhere, but one of the most important mission territories now is our own hearts, our own families, our own friendship groups, our own workplaces, and our own communities. We are called to be missionary disciples. A disciple is one who follows. A missionary disciple is one who is sent. At the end of each Mass, we are sent out as missionary disciples:
- Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord
- Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life
What are we sent to do?
- Love god and love one another as God loves us.
- Bear witness to God and to all He has done in our lives.
- We are sent to evangelise, that is, to bring Jesus into every human situation.
The purpose of a Parish Pastoral Council/Assembly is to be a visionary group, a group that meets to reflect on the mission of Christ, and what we can do here and now and in the future to further that mission. It looks at the resources and needs of a Parish community and puts the two together.
Pope Francis encourage us to work together in a way that will “plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.”
Formation for new Parish Pastoral Councils/Assemblies
The Office for Mission and Ministry offers three 2-hour sessions for new Parish Pastoral Councils/Assemblies.
Session 1 – focuses on the purpose and mission of a Parish Pastoral Council. Practical activity: Beginning the Parish Audit.
Session 2 – examines the experience, qualities and skills of a Parish Pastoral Council member, unpacks the responsibilities of all members. It looks in particular at the roles of Presider, Chairperson and Secretary. Practical Activity: Working on our Mission Statement.
Session 3 – discusses how we come to agreement as a Parish Pastoral Council by exploring the concepts of communion, discernment and consensus. The final session introduces the Parish Pastoral Planning cycle. Practical Activity: Designing a SMART goal.
The Practical Activity resource sheets are as follows:
- Parish Pastoral Planning
- Current Reality – Parish Audit
- Mission Statement
- Vision Statement
- Identifying Priorities
- Setting SMART Goals
Formation for existing Parish Pastoral Councils/Assemblies
We also offer a 2-hour session for existing Parish Pastoral Councils/Assemblies on the theme of “What is our mission as a Parish Pastoral Council/Assembly.”
Please contact us through your Co-Parish Priest or Moderator if you are interested in availing of formation for new or existing Councils/Assemblies.
