OUR LADY OF THE WAYSIDE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL GUIDELINES

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1 OUR LADY OF THE WAYSIDE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL GUIDELINES April 2014 PREAMBLE Born from the Second Vatican Council, Parish Pastoral Councils are charged with implementing the Church s renewed concept of shared responsibility (among laity, religious and clergy) for the mission of the Church. Our Lady of the Wayside s ( OLW s ) vision is to be a parish which lives the message and mission of Jesus. OLW s mission is to accomplish this by building a nurturing Catholic community thorough prayer, service and celebration. ARTICLE I TITLE This organization is to be known as Our Lady of the Wayside s Parish Pastoral Council ( PPC ). ARTICLE II PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES The purpose of the PPC is to prayerfully: engage OLW s parishioners and pastoral staff in common reflection about the parish s vision and mission; and plan, support and evaluate the parish s Commissions, ministries and overall activities in light of the gospel, Church teaching, the mission of the Church, the needs of the community and the parish s financial and other resources. The PPC s four core responsibilities are: to assist the pastor and the pastoral staff in making sure that the spiritual, corporal and communal needs of the parish are met; to plan for the parish s future by evaluating the needs, the ideas and the hopes of the faith community, with an eye towards developing new ministries, where needed, and creating activities and events that will build community and fellowship; to encourage and support existing Commissions and ministries while also monitoring and reviewing their purpose, effectiveness of execution and continued necessity; and 1

2 to provide input with respect to proposed new ministries and activities. Section A to the pastor ARTICLE III RELATIONSHIPS The PPC is one of the pastor s primary consultative bodies. As such, the PPC s duty is to assist the pastor and the pastoral staff as they strive to fulfill parish goals derived from OLW s mission. Section B to the pastoral staff Both the pastoral staff and the PPC play an integral role in the parish s mission. The PPC has a special relationship with the pastoral staff due to the staff s role in the day to day running of the parish, implementing programs, and performing the various tasks concomitant with their positions. The pastoral staff is represented on the PPC by those staff members who lead OLW s four Commissions: Care and Outreach, Education, Parish Life, and Worship and Spiritual Life. (See Article VII below for a description of these Commissions and the Appendix for a chart collecting their respective ministries and activities.) Section C to the Commissions Commissions help to organize and coordinate parish activities while also providing a communication link between the PPC and the parish s various ministries and groups. The PPC s relationship to the Commissions should be one of interdependence, collaboration and trust. The PPC develops policies and establishes goals and priorities to deal with parish wide matters after consultation with the Commissions. Implementation then becomes the responsibilities of the Commission(s) and the pastoral staff. It is the PPC s responsibility to provide the Commissions with feedback, direction, encouragement and affirmation. In turn, the Commissions are to maintain an open communication channel with the PPC. Section D to the parishioners The PPC listens to parishioners and strives to promote the common good by presenting the parish s needs to the pastor, pastoral staff and Commissions with a goal of encouraging fuller participation by all parishioners in the life and mission of the parish and the Church. 2

3 Section E to the Management Council The Management Council relates to the use of the temporal goods and resources of the parish, and is not part of the PPC. The pastor, within the limits allowed by the Management Council s confidentiality requirements, acts as a liaison to insure that there is appropriate communication and coordination between the two groups so they operate in harmony rather than at crosspurposes. It is important for the Management Council and the PPC not to enter into each other s areas of competence. ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP Section A Membership The PPC shall be comprised of the following members: pastor associate pastor(s) four pastoral staff members (representing each Commission) two members from each Commission four at large representatives Section B Qualifications/characteristics age 18 or older good reputation and moral character active, registered member of the parish faith filled, prayerful Catholic adequate knowledge of the parish and its mission willing to offer his or her energy, skill, gifts and talents willing to serve the Church and to grow spiritually willing to participate in ongoing leadership formation, including an initial orientation able to devote considerable time to meetings and committee work able to work and relate well with others Section C Discernment/selection Each Commission is responsible for discerning and selecting their respective representatives to serve on the PPC. That process shall take into account the qualifications and characteristics 3

4 listed in Section B above. At large membership shall be determined by the PPC itself; through a discernment and selection process. The process shall be the responsibility of the Discernment/Selection and Orientation standing committee. Their procedures shall be vetted with and approved by the PPC s Executive Committee, as needed. Section D Term of office The pastor and associate pastor(s) are permanent members. Pastoral staff (who represent the Commissions) serve in yearly increments. Commission representatives serve an initial two year term; they may be discerned and selected for an additional two year term (for a total of four consecutive years). At large members serve an initial two year term; they may be discerned and selected for an additional two year term (for a total of four consecutive years). Other than parish staff, no PPC member may serve more than four consecutive years; whether as a Commission representative, an at large member or any combination of those roles. After a two year absence from the PPC, an individual becomes eligible again to be discerned and selected for membership. Section E Participation Attendance at meetings is expected of all PPC members. It is the responsibility of the pastor to ensure regular attendance by pastoral staff members. Upon a third unexcused absence in a PPC calendar year, non pastoral-staff members will be considered non participative and will be replaced at the end of that year. For an absence to be excused, the member should contact the PPC Chairperson or, if not available, the Vice Chairperson. Section A Titles ARTICLE V OFFICERS The PPC officers shall consist of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and such other officers as the PPC shall deem necessary or desirable from time to time. Section B Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and the Pastor. Section C Election and term 4

5 Officers shall be discerned by PPC non pastoral staff members annually, at the first meeting of the PPC calendar year. Pastoral-staff members on the PPC may help facilitate that discernment and may also provide input if requested. PPC Officers shall hold office for one calendar year (from the time of their discernment and selection). To ensure continuity, it is advisable for the Vice Chairperson to ascend to Chairperson if at all possible. Section D Eligibility All PPC members are eligible for office, unless they are members of the pastoral staff, an associate pastor or the pastor. ARTICLE VI MEETINGS Section A Regular and special meetings Unless it affirmatively chooses not to, the PPC shall hold a general meeting for all members once each calendar month. The meeting agendas shall be set by the Executive Committee. Special meetings may be held when deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee. A simple majority of the PPC must be present in order to hold any regular or special meeting. Section B Executive meetings The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month during the months that the PPC meets. ARTICLE VII COMMISSIONS Commissions help to organize and coordinate parish activities while also providing a communication link between the PPC and the parish s various ministries and groups. There are four pastoral Commissions (see the Appendix for a chart collecting each Commission s respective ministries and activities). If a Commission decides to modify or further clarify its Mission (from that set forth below), the Commission s new Mission Statement should be shared with and forwarded to the PPC. 5

6 Care and Outreach This Commission strives to live the message of Jesus Christ by reaching out and caring for those in need, both within and beyond our parish boundaries. It works to identify and address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of God s children in a faith filled way, trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide its efforts. The caring and healing ministries that fall under this Commission s umbrella range from PADS and the St. Vincent DePaul Society to St. Mark s our sharing parish in Chicago and Meals on Wheels. Education Our parish offers education for all ages under the direction of the Education Commission and three Boards: the Religious Education Board; the School Board and Adult Enrichment: o Religious Education: supports, promotes, evaluates, and assists with policy making for our youth religious education program from Baptism through teen years; including the Middle School confirmation program. o School Board: assists the pastor and principal with providing quality education for the students in the parish school, which includes meeting the needs of each student to reach his/her potential spiritually, intellectually, physically and socially; where Christian values, mutual trust, and respect permeate all programs and activities; where each individual is encouraged to live and to share the Gospel message; and where the goal of the curriculum is to provide proficiency in basic skills, an appreciation for the pursuit of excellence, and preparation to meet the challenges of the world. o Adult Enrichment: strives to provide Food for the Journey by offering opportunities to learn the background of our beliefs, to recognize God s presence in our lives, to appreciate our heritage of faith, and to apply timeless wisdom to today s issues. Parish Life The Parish Life Commission provides events so that people can look at each other, up close, talk to one another, and find out what is going on in one another s lives. The Commission s principal focus is to nurture a hospitable Roman Catholic Christian Community for everyone, through social gatherings, spiritual meetings, and service activities. It wants to help everyone appreciate the joys and challenges going on in their lives, with the realization that Christ s love and grace is all around us and makes all things possible. 6

7 Worship and Spiritual Life This Commission seeks to enhance and nurture the spiritual and liturgical life of the parish community. To support this liturgical commitment, it actively promotes: joyful festivity and solemnity as essential, balanced elements of our liturgical celebration; liturgical education that deepens understanding and appreciation of the various liturgies; appropriate adaptations of the liturgy that highlight the rich and diverse talents and needs of our parishioners; and liturgy as a means for carrying forth our expressions of faith into the world on daily and weekly bases with emphasis on the Archdiocesan Strategic Pastoral Plan. This Commission also works to ensure that the parish is constantly striving to achieve the full, conscious and active participation of everyone in the parish. Section A Standing committees ARTICLE VIII COMMITTEES The PPC shall have the following standing committees: Communication o This committee is responsible for communicating and reporting on the PPC and its activities to the parish. Deanery o This committee is responsible for representing OLW with respect to its Deanery 1 by attending and reporting on Deanery meetings, responding to Deanery requests, and keeping the PPC informed of Deanery developments. 1 OLW is part of Vicariate I, Deanery D; which is an Archdiocesan grouping of Catholic parishes in close proximity to one another. 7

8 Discernment/Selection/Orientation o This committee is responsible for developing and seeing that: an annual discernment/selection process takes place; and an orientation process is offered to new members. Evaluation o This committee is responsible for a year end review and assessment of the PPC. Formation o This committee is responsible for obtaining/imparting information to the PPC that will strengthen the members skills and abilities to work as a team and to pursue the PPC s mission, e.g., through prayer, speakers, books, workshops, videos, etc. Guidelines o This committee is responsible for conducting an annual review of the PPC s guidelines and for making proposals to the PPC if modification/updating is deemed appropriate. Each Committee shall be comprised of at least two PPC non pastoral-staff members. Additionally, the Formation Committee and the Discernment/Selection/Orientation Committee shall contain one pastoral staff member. Each PPC non pastoral-staff member must participate on at least one committee each calendar year. Where practicable and to ensure continuity and efficiency, it is advisable for the non pastoral-staff members to serve non overlapping two year committee terms. Each standing committee shall provide the PPC with a year end report summarizing its work. That report shall also include any challenges and/or opportunities the next year s committee members should be aware of. Section B Ad hoc committees Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Chairperson in his/her discretion. ARTICLE IX BY LAWS The PPC may adopt by laws as it determines necessary to its operation and to conduct its business. 8

9 ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS Section A Required vote These guidelines may be amended by a vote of two thirds of the total membership of the PPC. Section B Notice of amendment Amendments to the guidelines must be presented in writing to each of the PPC members at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which action on such amendment is proposed to be taken. APPENDIX 9

10 1. Our Lady of the Wayside s vision and mission statement. 2. Organization chart of Our Lady of the Wayside s parish structure, including the PPC and the Commissions. 10