The Pastoral Council

This weekend I called forth the members of the Pastoral Council during Mass to receive a special blessing.  The pastoral council is an advisory council to the pastor.  The members advise the pastor in regards pastoral planning.  For example, last summer I was approached by a member of the council who wanted to move forward with a program called Family Bridge.  The parish would host and provide shelter for families throughout the week.  The goal was to host Family Bridge the week of Christmas.   The Pastoral Council help me to discern that there is a need in Forest Grove to provide shelter to the homeless and that the Spirit is calling this local church to provide this service to the local community.  How could I refuse the work of the Spirit!  With planning we were able to follow through with God’s work. 

Typically I meet with the Pastoral Council once a month.  We begin with scripture based prayer to connect us directly to God’s living word among us.  We come with a formal agenda, review the minutes of the previous meeting, listen to an Admin Council representative, move forward with old business and sometimes pick up new business.  All is done with reflection on the scripture of the evening.  Toward the end we bring forth issues for the good of the order which mostly means I make some announcements about activities in the parish.  Finally we end with prayer and go home. 

I need the Pastoral Council.  Through it I hear the needs of the parish and see the faith of the community in a corporate way.  People can bring their pastoral concerns to me via the members of the council.  Through a combined effort as one body of Christ we move forward in His saving mission.  I am truly blessed to have the council to guide me here at St. Anthony’s.  Let us all pray for our councils that they may be moved by the Spirit and continue the mission of Jesus Christ to love and serve the Lord.

 

The Business Life

A priest’s life can get busy with regular business parish life.  I cannot say all that goes on during a specific week, but generally every week there are things that need addressed.  Most weeks I sign checks to pay the bills.  Just like a regular residence we must maintain heat, lighting, and water in all the parish facilities.  It takes time to go over business statements to make sure they seem accurate and then pay the appropriate company.  This may sound very simple but there are so many statements to read that it can take an hour or more to go through them all.  If we add any projects to the mix it can quickly become a full time job!  Ultimately it is the job of the pastor to make sure that the buildings have standard utilities, that the buildings are cleaned, that cosmetic damage is repaired, that the lawn is mowed and that the roof, walls, and floor of each building can house small group meetings with parishioners looking to further their spiritual growth.  I am fortunate enough to have an employee handle most of these things, but nevertheless, I am involved with this type of ministry two to eight hours a week depending on the need.  It can be busy, but the Church needs places for people to enhance their relationship with God.   It would have been handy to have a business degree, but I must let the Spirit and other competent people guide my actions here at the parish.  All this and more is part of the life of a parish priest.