What is a Parish Council?
A Parish Council is a group of people who together are representing the entire parish and who plan and guide its growth. They are chosen by the parish to join with the pastor in a special service of long-range planning, the setting of parish priorities, and the implementation of programs through the Six commissions. The role of the Parish council cannot be understood apart from the work to which the entire parish is called; and so this section looks first at the role of the whole parish before it examines more closely the role of the Parish council.
Called by God
Sometimes Catholics seem to feel that their relationship with the church is a mechanical, impersonal thing. They feel they belong to the church in the same way that they belong to the Jaycees, the School Booster Club, or the Library Discussion Group. Their belonging can seem like a choice all their own, like a decision to join any organization or group, but that is not really the case. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles, "You did not choose me; no, I chose you." (John 15:16). The reality of the matter is that God has called each one of us by name to be in his Church. This is the call we received at our baptism. Though the role to which each is called differs, the call to every one of us is no less personal, no less real, than the one Jesus gave to the apostles when he went right up to them and said, "Come follow me." (Matthew 4:19). We need to keep in mind that we have been individually called and chosen by God. Belonging to the church does not just mean being registered in a parish, but being personally called by the Father.
Called To Active Service
What is the reason for our call to be Catholics? After all, God's call to share in his own life reaches out to all persons over the whole world. Through various ways men and women of many different religions are able to learn about God and to grow in the holiness that comes from having a relationship with him. As Christians, however, we have been called through our baptism not only to share in the life of God but also to carry on the work of Jesus. We are called not only to holiness but also to a special activity or service. That activity is more than doing good and avoiding evil. Each of us is called to make God's presence felt in the world in which he lives. The spiritual service of Christians must point out something about God's love and concern for justice. In the Scriptures the idea is illustrated by Jesus when someone asked him to reveal the Father and he said in response, "When you see me, you see the Father." (John 14:9). To serve is not just to follow the laws of morality or to carry out worthwhile activity, but to have the Spirit that was Christ's in our words and actions. Thus, when with the eyes of faith others see this kind of activity, they will see a person and have a sense of God's presence in that person.
The Parish: Shared Responsibility For Service
Every one of us Catholics, then, is called to a life of both personal holiness and explicit service. We cannot just be holy. We must do Christ's work. The service to which we are called may vary from time to time, within our own lives and from one person to the next. Sometimes we may express it through involvement in organized programs and at other times outside any organized program. Together, however, all members of the parish share to responsibility to carry on the work of Jesus in all its dimensions--proclaiming the gospel, worship, social justice, and building Christian community. The special gifts that God gives us to carry out our individual services are always for the common good of the whole parish ministry. The term "shared responsibility" refers to our common responsibility as a parish to continue the mission or work of Jesus in its fullness. Each Catholic, through his baptism and confirmation, has personally been called by God to share in that responsibility. The great variety of ways in which Catholics can respond to their baptismal call creates a challenge for the direction of the parish programs. There is a vast number of possible parish programs; and there is a limited amount of resources available, especially in terms of people's time and energy. Which areas of involvement are more important? Which should be addressed at this time and which require preparation now, so that they may come to fruition in several years? How can the programs be carried out so that they involve as many people as possible? How can such a variety of programs be well-directed? The Parish Council is established to respond to these questions. This structure allows coordinated planning and a sense of vision to be brought to the parish programs. It also ensures the basic unity of parish activities, so that the work of the parish is not carried out by isolated individuals but is a shared responsibility of persons working together as part of an organized whole.
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