The Divine Mercy Pastoral Council was established in the spirit of Vatican II to assist the Pastor in the administration and coordination of parish activities and to participate in the planning and policy-making process of the parish.
The purpose of the Council is to establish policy and make decisions on all matters, spiritual and temporal, which pertain to the needs and mission of the parish, all under the authority of the pastor and within the limits of the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the statutes and policies of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The members counsel and advise the pastor in the area of pastoral activities, to help the pastor identify pastoral needs of the parish, to assist him in planning pastoral programs, and the improvements of pastoral services.
The Council consists of 12 members, and any baptized registered member in good standing may discern service on the Pastoral Council. Several staff members also serve on the Council. The meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month.
The Pastor has charged the Pastoral Council with creating and implementing a pastoral plan for the life of the parish. Pastoral planning begins with a parish-wide dialogue on the mission of the Church, the perceptions of the community, and the current reality of the parish. This dialogue is facilitated by the Parish Pastoral Council.
When completed, the information gathered from these dialogues will be taken by the Pastoral Council and the pastor and used to create a pastoral plan for the future. The pastoral plan articulates the goals and priorities of the parish community for the coming years.
The Pastoral Council will also call forth individuals from the community to implement the goals of the pastoral plan. In this way, the Pastoral Council members are parish leaders charged with developing other leaders.
Angela Gorman
[email protected]