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What
is a Parish Pastoral Council? The Parish Pastoral Council is a
leadership body within the parish whose role is to develop and implement
a mission-focused pastoral plan for the parish. As servants to the wider
community, Parish Pastoral Councils provide parishioners with forums for
consultation and reflection on the mission of the Church in light of the
signs of the times in the local neighborhood and the world. Parish
Pastoral Councils develop pastoral plans, based on the insight of the
community, to enable the faith community to continue to live out the
mission of the Gospel. Parish Pastoral Councils then call forth leaders
from the parish to implement and achieve the goals of the pastoral plan.
When completed, the information gathered from these dialogues is taken
by the PPC and the pastor and used to create a pastoral plan for the
future. The pastoral plan articulates the goals and priorities of the
parish community for the coming years. The Parish Pastoral Council also
calls forth individuals from the community to implement the goals of the
pastoral plan. In this way, the Parish Pastoral Council members are
parish leaders charged with developing other leaders.
What
do parish pastoral councils do? Parish Pastoral Councils are charged
with creating and implementing a pastoral plan in the life of the
parish. Pastoral planning begins with a parish-wide dialogue on the
mission of the Church, the perceptions of the community, and the current
reality of the parish. This dialogue is facilitated by the Parish
Pastoral Council.
What
is pastoral planning? Pastoral planning is a community-based process
that seeks to direct all activities of the parish toward the fulfillment
of the basic mission of the Church in light of the current circumstances
within the parish. Pastoral planning seeks to create opportunities for
all members of the parish to share their hopes and dreams for the future
of the parish through the lens of mission. Pastoral planning seeks to
organize the efforts of the parish while calling forth new leaders to
implement parish goals.
What
are the hopes of the pastoral planning process? The goal of the
pastoral planning process is to develop vibrant mission-driven faith
communities which actively address the signs of the times around them,
encourage participation in parish life, and are able to adapt to change
while retaining a strong sense of mission. It is also the hope of the
process that the wider Catholic community becomes more informed and
excited about the mission of the Church.
How
long is the pastoral planning process? Pastoral planning is ongoing
in the life of the parish and the Diocese. Planning will continue to be
necessary as long as the world around us continues to change or until
the Christian mission is accomplished. The Parish Pastoral Councils that
are now being formed and those that already exist are ongoing
consultative bodies in the life of the parish. With this said, the
initial pastoral planning process and the formulation of a parish
pastoral plan should take about one year from the beginning of the
process to the end. At this point, the cluster planning process will
begin. Parishes are entering the process in a staggered manner. Cycles
of pastoral planning will begin in Fall 2005, Winter 2006 and Spring
2006. All parishes have been invited to enter into one of these three
cycles.
Will
all parishes be involved in parish pastoral planning? Yes. All
parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn have been asked by Bishop DiMarzio
to create a pastoral plan for the future of the parish.
Why
is the Diocese beginning a pastoral planning process now? The
Diocese of Brooklyn has and continues to experience tremendous change.
Populations are shifting rapidly and neighborhoods continue to change.
For many parishes, this means that the neighborhood in which the parish
was established is made up of an entirely different group of people. In
this situation, the parish must reevaluate its identity within the
neighborhood and its mission to serve the people of God and proclaim the
Gospel.
In
addition to the changing reality in which parishes exist, there is also
a need to plan in light of the internal situation within our Diocese.
The Diocese of Brooklyn is also experiencing the same decline in
priestly vocations that has been experienced throughout the western
world. These declines are expected to continue quite dramatically over
the next 10 years and steadily over the next 20 years. In addition to
the decline in clergy there is also a real financial concern which must
be addressed. Many parishes have not been able to support themselves
financially and must address these situations to create a sustainable
plan for the future.
Therefore,
Bishop DiMarzio is encouraging all parishes to enter into a pastoral
planning process, inviting all parishioners, pastors, and parish staff
members to work collaboratively to address these concerns and promote
more vibrant faith communities. Pastoral planning is a practical process
to address the most urgent concerns of the Diocese by focusing our
efforts on continuing to live the mission of the Church in a new way,
for a new time. |