Diocese of Toledo, Ohio

Browsing From the Pastor

A Parish-Wide Process: Recommending Persons to Serve on Pastoral Council

   In the life of our parish communities, the Pastoral Council plays an important, unique role. Based upon the Mission Statement of the parish, the Pastoral Council, working with the Pastor, plans for the spiritual growth of our parish community. It is vital that the members of the Pastoral Council develop as a faith community, which includes prayer and faith sharing.

   The Pastoral Council develops and recommends plans for spiritual growth in key areas of parish life, such as evangelization, Christian formation, worship, social dynamics, stewardship and ecumenism. This group is visionary in nature. A number of groups in our parishes are primarily task-oriented, such as the Finance Council, a Grounds and Maintenance Committee, the Liturgy Committee and other groups that perform vital ministries. A parish cannot function effectively without these groups.

   A basic goal of pastoral planning, which is the work of the Pastoral Council, is to enable more and more persons to have a growing sense of ownership in the life of our parish communities. The Pastoral Council works to find individuals who are willing and able to assist in developing and implementing plans for spiritual growth in our parishes. Pastoral Council members need to avoid falling into the pit of acting as though they can accomplish all that is envisioned by themselves. In this way, they will avoid getting burned out.

   Some plans for spiritual growth, e.g., marriage enrichment, can be carried out more effectively when our parish works collaboratively with other parishes. In this situation, it is important that pastoral council members be willing to work with leadership persons from other parishes, such as in our Deanery.

   Please pray for an awareness of persons whom you sense would serve well on our Pastoral Council. On the weekend of Oct. 29th & 30th, each registered parishioner, 18 years and older, will have the opportunity to recommend persons whom they believe would serve well on our Pastoral Council. You will be requested to indicate the gift(s) that each person whom you recommend has to offer. If you are attracted to a visionary and planning role in the life of our parish, please feel free to recommend yourself, indicating the gift(s) you have to offer. We will distribute recommendation sheets to be filled out and returned within Mass on that weekend. For those who will not be present on the weekend of Oct. 29 – 30, recommendation forms will be included as a bulletin insert on the weekend of Oct. 22 – 23. These need to be filled out and returned to the parish office by Sat., Oct. 29th. Three vacancies exist for our Pastoral Council. Persons receiving the highest number of recommendations and then going in descending order will be contacted about serving on the Pastoral Council. Persons who accept the invitation to serve on the Pastoral Council will be invited to attend the next Pastoral Council meeting. The new terms begin on January 1st and run for three calendar years. Terms are not renewable. The following persons presently are serving on our Pastoral Council at Resurrection Parish: Mike Bichsel, Kathy Capaldo, Melissa Heichel, Doug Keppler, Tom Morell, Vincent Palmer, Jeremy Secrist, Melanie Shultz, Brenda Starr-Jude and Marilyn Young.  Therefore, please do not select any of them.

   Please pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit on our selection process.

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

Fr. Nelson Beaver – Pastor

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