The Pastoral Table
In my many years as a priest and pastor I have struggled with the effectiveness and structure of Parish Pastoral Councils. The heart of the struggle has been a lack of clarity in the council’s purpose and its relationship with staff.
Most PPCs are meant to advise the Pastor and my feeling is that their advice does not result from a comprehensive knowledge of the pulse of the entire parish. I also believe that such a body should advise Directors as well as me.
Here at Holy Family we have had some of the most effective and helpful parish councils in my priesthood. They have been representations of our major ministering communities and two unique portions of our community, namely the Knights of Columbus and the Academy. We have always had two teens on the Council.
I want to change our current PPC to be more effective in listening to you – all of you – in a more intentional manner.
Even though the structure of membership will be different, my vision includes a movement to give an even stronger voice to all subgroups, including teens.
I am changing the Parish Pastoral Council to THE PASTORAL TABLE. Members and discussion will be more like gathering around the table, the pastoral table. I believe the members of the PASTORAL TABLE will represent all of you more comprehensively.
The overall purpose of this new structure will continue, namely to advance the Parish Mission which is: To empower all to new life in Christ through sacramental living, transformative worship, life long spiritual growth and community in service of others.
Currently I have asked a group of parishioners to help me fashion the structure of the Pastoral Table, and that means many details are yet to be worked out.
• Potential Structures
• Year 1 2021-22
• Enhance and promote the Pilgrimage
Items to be decided on include:
• How many members
• Terms
• Best way to get feedback/pulse
• An emphasis on obtaining feedback from those who come to church and are engaged and those who are not
• Call/interview 5 active parishioners/5 not active parishioners
• Decide on criteria for engaged and non-engaged
• How to support Pilgrimage (and socialize Pilgrimage to various age groups listed above)
• How do we collaborate with our Renew My Church partner, St. Anne in Barrington.
The last year and a half has changed a lot of things including the structure of the council. I offer my special thanks to Mike Myers for continuing as chair, and to Bill Leece and Pete Barber whose terms are now up, but who served us well over the last three years. We welcome new members Joy Kull and Lisa Gagliano. Current members include:
Greg Flanagan
Rick McMahon
Anne Madsen
Luis Gutierrez
Sue Geegan is our staff rep.
I thank them all on behalf of you.
Adventures in Grace:a pilgrimage
Our journey is underway! Thank you to all who participated in our recent Adventures in Grace:a pilgrimage kickoff events and to the presenters, musicians and volunteers who shared their gifts.
Based on your feedback, it’s clear that we’re setting off on the right foot. Here’s a short quote:
”All of the presentations, songs, and stories opened my heart and mind to be more aware of the gift of grace that is all around me each and every day.”
You can still join our pilgrimage at any time. All are welcome and it’s all free. To learn more, see the full itinerary and register, go to: www:holyfamilyparish.org/aig. Or, reach out to any Holy Family staff member or stop by our Travel Desk in the narthex after weekend Masses.
Mark your calendars for our December 1st reflective “Rest Stop” and our next main events during January 9th weekend Masses and on Wednesday evening January 12th.
Between now and then, look for ongoing communications about the program in emails, on our website and in the church Bulletin. Watch for our bits of “Trail Mix” – inspirations and thought starters – that we’ll be sharing with you weekly.
We look forward to continuing our pilgrimage together!