The parish Pastoral council

Media

Part of Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas

Title: The parish Pastoral council
Creator: Archbishop Cruz, Oscar V., D.D.
Language: English
Year: 1980
Subject: Church work; Practical theology
Rights
Fulltext: THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL By Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. I. Official Church Teaching: 1. The People of God: The People of God are the Hierar chy, the Clergy, the Religious and the Laity. “Although they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priest hood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priest hood are nonetheless ordered one to another; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ.” (Vat. II: Dog. Const, of the Church, par. 10). 2. The Clergy: The ministry and activity of Priests is intrinsic to and profoundly significant in the life of the Church: “The Council is fully aware that the desired renewal of the whole Church depends in large measure on the ministry of priests vitalized by the spirit of Christ.” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Train ing of Priests, Introd.) In fact, Priests are “true shepherds of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Teacher, Priest and Shepherd.” (Idem, par. 4). 3. The Laity: The apostolate of the Laity is of Divine Origin. Lay people are not merely helpers nor optional auxilia ries in the apostolate: “Incorporated into Christ’s Mystical Body through Baptism and strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation, they are assigned to the Apostoiate by the Lord Himself.” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Apost. of the Laity, par. 3). In effect, laymen and women “have an active role to play in the life and activity of the Church as shares in the role of Christ the Priest, the Prophet and the King.” (Idem, par. 10). 4. The Clergy and the Laity: The Clergy and the Laity complement each other. Thus: “Let the lay person not imagine that his pastors are always such experts that to every problem that arises, however complicated, they can readily give him a concrete solution ... Rather, enlightened by Christ’s wisdom .... let the laymen take on his distinctive role.” (Vat. II: Past. Const, on the Church in the Mod. World, par. 43). Wherefore: Priests “should unite their efforts with those of the lay faith ful... should have an unfailing respect for the just liberty that belongs to everybody in civil society... should be willing to listen to lay people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes, and recognize their exeprience and competence in the BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS 563 different fields of human activity. In this way, together they will be able to recognize the signs of the times.” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Minis, and Life of Priests, par. 9). Reason: “Lay action within the Church communities is so necessary that with out it the apostolate of the pastors will be frequently unable to obtain its full effect.” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Apost. of the Laity, par. 10). 5. The Parish: The Parish is the venue of a united apos tolate. "The parish offers an outstanding example of commu nity apostolate, for it gathers into a unity all human diversities found therein 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 question regarding man’s salvation, to examine them together and solve them by deliberating in common. According to their abilities, the laity should cooperate in all the apostolic and mis sionary enterprises of their ecclesial family” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Apost. of the Laity, par. 10). 6. The Particular Councils: Particular Councils are in order for the apostolic activity of the Church. “In dioceses, councils should be set up to assist the Church’s apostolic work, whether in the field of evangelization and sanctification, or in the fields of charity. — social relations and othei* spheres — the cleryy and the reliyious working with the laity in whatever way proves satisfactory. These councils will be able to promote the mutual coordination of the various lay associations and undertakings, wth the autonomy and particular nature of each duly recognized. Such councils should be also established in parochial and int er parochial... levels.” (Vat. II: Deer, on the Apost. of the Laity, par. 26). 7. The Small Ecclesial Communities: The Small Ecclesial Communities (Basic Christian Communities) form a part of God’s People within Parishes. "Having solidarity with her life of the Church, being nourished by her teaching and united with her Pastors, they spring from the need to live the Church’s life more intensely, or from the desire and quest for a more human dimension such as larger ecclesial communities can only offer with difficulty. .. and lend to life in mass and anonymity .. ., to bring together, for the purpose of listening and meditating on the Word, for the sacraments and the bond of the agape, groups of people who are linked by age, culture, civil state or social situation..., to be united in the struggle for justice, 564 THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL brotherly aid to the poor, human advancement. Thia is all pre supposed within communities constituted by the Church, espe cially individual Churches and parishes.” (Paul VI, Evangeli zation in the Modern World, no. 58). II. Premises of Parish Apostolate: Through the Parish Pastoral Council 1. The establishment of Parish Pastoral Council in a paro chial community is a pastoral mandate based on sound theolo gical reflection, ecclesial necessity, sociological reality and prac tical truth. A Pastor can be all things for all men only through the principle of collegiality and szibsidiarity with others in his ecclesial community professing the same Faith, communicating in the same sacraments and inspired by the same Gospel teach ing. 2. The close collaboration and respectful regard among Friest(s), Religious and laypersons in the parish apostolate are not really standing factors that need no formation nor in susceptible of greater realization among those concerned, but are features of-‘ecclesial action to be learned and promoted through the observance of basic ethical norms and the practice of Christian virtues. 3. The renewal of the Church ultimately means the revita lization of the evangelical life and apostolic activity of the Parish, whose organizational structure such as its Parish Coun cil of previous long standing should also undergo renewal for a more efficient and effective apostolate pursuant to the needs of the times. 4. The participation of the Clergy, the Religious and the Laity in the priestly, prophetic and kingly role of Christ cannot but find due expression in the parish apostolate through the Parish Pastoral Council, the members of which are consequently and necessarily Priest(s), Religious if any, and lay persons active in the Ministry of Formation, the Ministry of Liturgy, and the Ministry of Service. 5. The Parish Pastoral Council may not be an exclusively lay composite entity because it must reflect the concerns of the whole parochial community which is the Clergy, the Reli gious and the Laity, because the ministry of the pastor must remain the leading, uniting, inspiring and central figure in the BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS 565 Parish no matter how well organized and competent the Council has become, and because sharing pastoral authority in no way means abdicating responsibility and accountability. 6. The concrete circumstances of time and place, the existence of particular customs and traditions, the changing and emerging peculiar situation provide relative latitude to Pactors and their parishioners in specifically fashioning their Parish Pastoral Councils to meet their definite and defined pastoral needs, without prejudice however to the universality of the Gospel Truths, the catholicity of the Church and the force of common law and diocesan statues. 7. In the establishment and presence of Small Ecclesial Communities, the Parish through its Pastoral Council carries out an integral ecclesial function as it accompanies individuals and families throughout their lives by fostering their faith and directing their morals, assumes the center role of coordinating and guiding organizations, movements and Small Ecclesial Com munities, helps these Communities through its threefold Minis try in a series of services beyond their reach or above their initial capability. III. Goal, Purposes and Functions of a Parish Pastoral Council: Goal: The goal of a Parish Pastoral Council cannot but be sub stantially identical with the very goal of the Parish itself which is a portion of God’s People in a given place whereto a Parish Priest is assigned for their pastoral care. The goal of a Parish Pastoral Council is community (brotherhood and belonging), communion (sharing and divid ing) and participation (responding and collaborating) in the Parish through formation, liturgy and service in favor of indi viduals, families, Small Ecclesial Communities and the faithful as a whole, in union with the local, particular and universal Church. Purposes: The purpose* of a Parish Pastoral Council should be in accordance with its substantial finality as an instrument of the apostolic work of the Church in the pursuit of its goal: 566 THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL 1. To promote the apostolate of the Parish in its evange lizing, sanctifying, serving and governing endeavors. 2. To serve as a forum for dialogue, deliberation and con sultation among the representative People of God in matters affecting the life and activity of the Church. 3. To provide collaboration, leadership, direction, guidance, inspiration and unity in the ecclesial apostolate. 4. To coordinate and integrate apostolic movements, organizations and service entities in the Parish in order to maximize their potentials and to avoid duplication of labors. 5. To know the needs of God’s People, design pursuant programs and implement consequent action plans in view of satisfying these felt needs. 6. To attend in particular to the plight of the poor, the dying, the sick, the age, the orphans, the oppressed, the prisoners, the children and the youth. 7. To collaborate with civic, government and non-catholic agencies in areas of common concern and interest. Functions: The functions of a Parish Pastoral Council must in essence meet the requirements for the realization of its finalities: 1. The organization of the Parish Pastoral Council parti cularly as to its officers, members, authority, term of office, meetings, and other related matters, always subject to the con tinuous apostolic formation and the on-going Christian renewal — which are fundamental agenda — of the Council people as a whole. 2. The establishment of the Ministry of Formation, the Ministry of Liturgy, the Ministry of Service, and the formation of standing and ad hoc Committees, responsive to the goal and purposes of the Parish Pastoral Council. 3. The provision of adequate facilities and resources for the efficient apostolic activity of the Parish Pastoral Council as a whole, the effective implementation of pastoral program and the realization of given particular options. IV. Parish Pastoral Council Constitutional Guidelines: The Parish Pastoral Council should be constituted, struc tured and organized pursuant to its nature as an instrument in the apostolic work of the Church, and in accordance with its basic goal, substantial purposes and functions. BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS 567 The Parish Pastoral Council as a coordinating and unify ing apostolic instrument of the Church in a given Parish may in fact and in truth differ from other Parish Pastoral Councils in its particular operational dimentions on account of incidental situational factors. This howevei- notwithstanding, all Parish Pastoral Councils have the same basic substantial apostolic concern based on dated ecclesial findings and pastoral cares, viz., the Ministries of Formation, Liturgy and Service in favor of the individual, the family, the Small Ecclesial Community and the Parish as a whole which is a portion of the Local Parti cular and Universal Church. The Parish Pastoral Council of a concrete Parish, whose primary goal is community, communion and participation in that given portion of God’s People, must itself equally promote community, communion and participation in relation to other Parish Pastoral Councils and other Parishes, and in relation to the Local, Particular and Universal Church: In the same way that no true Small Ecclesial Community as such may dis sociate itself from its Parochial Ecclesial Community, no Parish Pastoral Council, no Parish as such, may1 really isolate itself from other Parish Pastoral Councils and other Parishes, from the Local, Particular and Universal Church. 1. Membership: Membership in the Parish Pastoral Council is a position of honor but not an honorary position. As an apostolic body, its members should be particularly gifted with a strong faith, an exemplary Christian life in the community, the attributes of leadership and executive talents together with the availability to serve, the willingness to grow and the humility to listen and to learn. Experience seems to indicate that to fall very short of these attributes opted in the members of the Parish Pastoral Council is to undermine the very essence and rationale of this apostolic entity. Membership in the Parish Pastoral Council as to incorpora tion therein, be these members of the Clergy, the Religious or the Laity, may be ex-officio, through appointment by the Pastor, by nomination of those concerned and subsequent free confirmation by the Pastor or the pertinent Chairpersons, and through election by the constituents, all according to the talents and disposition of the chosen Council Members, as required of 568 THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL a given apostolic concern. Experience seems to indicate that it is not pastorally wholesome to have but by appointment membership in the Parish Pastoral Council. Membership in the Parish Pastoral Council as to functional organization may be Principal or Auxiliary: Principal for the Pastor as the ex-officio Council Apostolate Director, the Presi dent and his Vice, the Secretary and the Treasurer, the Chair persons of the Ministries of Formation, Liturgy and Service, and of the various Committees, and the Ecclesial Relations Officer. Auxiliary for the members of the Ministries and Com mittees, for Resource Persons and others. Experience seems to indicate that for a truly representative, manageable and operative Parish Pastoral Council pursuant to the apostolic demands of the times, the Principal Members thereof as a rule should not be less than eleven and not more than thirty one. 2. Authority: The authority of th Parish Pastoral Council is manifestly confined to Parish Affairs and clearly subject to Vicariate Norms, Common Law and Archdiocesan Statutes. The Parish Pastoral Council must always operate within the framework of the laws, policies and practices enacted and observed by higher ecclesiastical authority. It is incumbent upon the Pastor as the ex-officio Council Apostolate Director to know, to affirm and to define those areas of administrative action that are beyond the competence of the Parish Pastoral Council. The authority of the Parish Pastoral Council in the ques tion of policy and decision making may be purely consultative, truly deliberative, or partly consultative and partly deliberative. It is simply consultative when the members thereof render their advice to the Pastor on questions and issues brought to their attention. In this case, the Pastor is bound to listen to the recommendation although he is still free to decide other wise for serious overriding factors. It is properly deliberative when the members thereof make a decision or adopt a policy that in effect binds the Pastor and all those concerned. It is in part consultative and in part deliberative depending on whether the Pastor expressedly asks the advice or requires the decision of the members on concrete matters hereto submitted for discussion. BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS 569 3. Term of Office: The Term of Office of the Principal and Auxiliary Members of the Parish Pastoral Council is something that should be expressedly provided for, and not left indefinite and undefined. The same is true with reference to Removal from Office which admittedly is a delicate matter — save in the case of resignation, supervening incapacity,, transfer of pastoral residence and the like — particularly when the cause enters the realm of Faith and Morals. The Term of Office of the ex-officio Apostolate Director is manifestly dependent on his tenure of office in the Parish concerned as Pastor thereof which is in the competence of superior ecclesiastical authority. In determining the Term of Office of the other Principal and the Auxiliary Members, while it is possible to provide the same tenure for all so that every body begins and ends the office at the same time, it appears more practical to adopt a staggard system of tenure in order to promote the continuity of the apostolic spirit and activity of the Council. In effect, different Terms of Office could be given to Principal and Auxiliary Members or to Ex-Officio, Appointed, Nominated and Elected Members — subject to provisions on re-appointment, renomination and re-election — in such a way that only but one-third of the total number of Council Members is possibly changed every year. In the event that the Principal Members all have ex-officio Council Membership by reason of their Presidency or the like in the different Parish Religious Organizations, needless to say, their Tenure of Office in the Council altogether depends on their very Tenure of Office in the Organization they represent in the Council. 4. Ministries: The Ministry of Formation, Ministry of Liturgy and Minis try of Service are dated ecclesial language and pursuant apos tolic endeavors based on scriptural passages on the role of Christ as Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd. Although this threefold role was assumed by one and the same Christ, they are nevertheless distinct in nature and consequently thus identified in their prac tical consideration and concordant particular action in the apos tolate of the Church . It must be very well noted however that these three Ministries should function hand in hand or an integral apostolic labor. To altogether separate or isolate any of the 570 THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL Ministry from the other two Ministries in the exercise of the apostolate is not only to divide Christ but also to thwart their intrinsic significance and integrative connotation. The Ministry of Formation (Kerygmatic Function, Chris tian Education) briefly refers to the relationship between man and God and his fellow men in Faith and Morals. The Ministry of Liturgy (Koinoniac Function, Christian Worship) essentially indicates the relationship between man and God. The Ministry of Service (Diaconic Function, Christian Social Action) sub stantially denotes the relationship between man and his fellow men. It is evident that for a man to worship God and serve his fellow men as a matter of course, he must be first well formed in Faith and Morals. This demonstrates the cardinal importance of formation. It stands to reason that in the Chris tian world, when a man serves his fellow men without any reference to God at all Whom he must worship, his service could be anything but Christian. This establishes the intimate interrelationship among the three Ministries. 5. Committees: The Committee System primarily serves to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in duly attending to the special or specialized areas of apostolic concerns for which they are accordingly formed. Committees, be they Standing or Ad Hoc, are designed to undertake the necessary study of their respective apostolic commitments, make its consequent recommendation and imple ment the policy or decision arrived at by the Parish Pastoral Council. Committees in the Parish Pastoral Council are equally meant to broaden the base representation of the parochial com munity at the Council, and to spread the burden of and account ability for the various apostolic labors. The Committee System can be adopted even within the Ministries of Formation, Liturgy and Worship in relation to individuals, families, Small Ecclesial Communities, the Parish as a whole, the Local, Particular and Universal Church. The Officers of the Parish Pastoral Council may also act as Chair persons of different Committees, v.g., the President for the Committee on Justice and Peace, the Vice President for the Committee on Conciliation and Arbitration, the Treasurer for the Committee on Finance, the Secretary for the Committee on Survey, Planning and Programs, and the Ecclesial Relations Officer for the Committee on External Affairs. If needed, Com mittees can also be formed for the Youth in and out of school, for Vocations, for Non-Catholics, and the like. BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS 571 6. Meeting: The meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council should be either preceded or followed by the meeting of the different Ministries and Committees, whose reports on their respective apostolic concerns constitute the usual principal agenda of the Council Meeting. Regular monthly meeting on clearly predetermined day or date, time and place is strongly recommended for the continuous activity, effective endeavor and consistent progress of the Council in the apostolate. Special meeting is in order in the event of urgent, serious or complicated agenda items that require immediate attention or prolonged deliberation. The meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council that as a rule requires the presence of at least half of the members expected, to constitute a quorum and perform official acts, could adopt the following regular agenda: a) Opening Prayer, Scripture Reading and Reflection, b) Roll Call and Minutes, c) Report of Ministries, d) Report of Committees, e) Unfinished Business, f) New Business, g) Closing Prayer and Blessing. 7. Consensus Process: The Consensus Process and the Robert’s Rule of Order (Revised) differ as decision or policy making techniques with reference to the emphasis placed on persons and tasks. The Robert’s Rule simply requires 51% votes agreement for passage, thus allowing the possibility of 49'/< dissenting votes which is a rather large portion of the decision or policy making body. The Rule is task oriented. The Consensus requires more deliberation and greater reflection on the arguments in favor and against a given issue, until a common feeling is reached. There is con sensus when all those concerned can accept and live with the decision reached or the policy made. The Process is person oriented.