Pastoral Council

Role of the Council

The Parish Pastoral Council (“PPC”, “Pastoral Council” or “Council”) is a consultative body to the Pastor through which the Christian faithful can offer their gifts and “their help in fostering pastoral activity”. This is both the role and purpose of the parish pastoral council.

Pastoral activity is constituted by the following:

• Proclamation of the Word of God and Catechetical Formations.
• Celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments as well as the fostering of family and individual prayer.
• Service of those in spiritual and bodily need.
• The fostering of this pastoral activity within the parish should be the primary function of the Parish Pastoral Council before any other activity.

Ministry Liaison

As Pastoral Parish Council members, we assume responsibility for monitoring the activities of one or more of the many ministries operating within our Parish.

Ultimately, our goal is to serve as supporters and liaisons between the ministries, the PPC, and the Pastor.

How we do this:

• First and foremost, we introduce ourselves to the ministry leader.
• We acquaint the ministry leader with the role of the PPC liaison and reinforce that through that liaison, the ministry has access to the PPC and the Pastor.
• We periodically contact the ministry leader and at least once annually, attend an activity/meeting of the ministry.
• We review the ministry page on the parish website assuring that the current leadership and ministry mission is properly and accurately displayed.
• We update PPC with any changes to ministry leadership and/or mission.
• We support the efforts of the ministry to assure there is an orderly succession of leadership and aid in volunteer recruiting.

St. Francis ministries are a key component in sustaining our faith community within the Parish and community. The role of the PPC is to provide the support necessary to assure our ministries continue to thrive.

Pastoral Council Membership

• Members of the Parish Pastoral Council are to be the pastor, members of the staff designated by the Pastor, and members of the parish who are in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and who are registered members of St. Francis by the Sea Roman Catholic Church.
• Council membership should reflect the different facets of parish life and is to number 10 members, not including the Pastor or his staff, but can function with nine, without replacements. One of the selected members should represent the Hispanic community, if no Hispanic is selected, the Pastor, at his discretion, can appoint one to serve a one-year term, with the option for reappointment each year for a maximum of three years of service. This action may result in increasing Council to 11 members, which is permissible.
• Council members are to serve a three-year term (July-June) with vacancies to be filled as soon as possible. After serving three years, an individual will rotate off Council; however, that individual may apply for another three-year term. For stability, member terms will be on a staggered basis, with the number of members selected each year being dependent upon the number of open positions to be filled.
• Members are expected to attend all meetings. Failure to attend four meetings without an excused absence will be considered a resignation.
• At the beginning of the new Council year, the names of the members of Parish Pastoral Council are to be made known promptly to the parishioners.

Current Activities:

• Review new ministry applications.
• Assist the pastor in evaluations at his requests.
• Review parishioner input on the parish activities and strategic planning reviews and recommendations to the pastor.
• Assist with effective communications within the parish

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

ELECTION PROCEDURES - Pastoral Council is currently seeking Candidates for open positions created by retiring members. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Ron Angner by using the form below.

• At the regular council meeting in January of each year, the chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee. This committee will be made up of three council members, one acting as the chair, and up to five members of the parish.
• The Nominating Committee will advertise for new candidates for the Council by announcements from the pulpit and in the weekly Bulletin. The Nominating Committee members are also charged with soliciting candidates. Parish members will be requested to submit recommendations to the committee no later than the last Sunday in March, using a form provided to parishioners by the committee.
• The Nominating Committee will develop a candidate list from members of the parish to serve on the Council for three-year terms, to replace those members with expiring terms. It is important that the prospective candidates be willing to serve a full three-year term.
• The Nominating Committee shall consider all relevant factors on prospective candidates, i.e., experience, talents, and any other attributes beneficial to the Council. A balance of sex, age and ethnic background should be represented on the Council whenever possible. All candidates must have the approval of the pastor to serve on the council if elected.
• The Nominating Committee will submit the Bios of all candidates, including its recommendations for filling Board vacancies, to the PPC. The Council will make the final selection of candidates to fill all vacancies.
• Names of those selected to serve on the Council, with their Bios, will be communicated to the Parish via the Parish Bulletin on the first Sunday in June.