The primary purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to provide the pastor with wise counsel based on the wisdom possessed by council members. The council researches and considers matters relating to pastoral activity and formulates practical conclusions concerning them. The council’s purpose is, first, to study those matters brought to its attention and shed light on them. Its second purpose is to review and evaluate all the pertinent information thoroughly and to discern the true nature of the information. Its final purpose is to present thoughtful conclusions to the pastor. The council presents these conclusions to the pastor in the form of recommendations. This threefold task of the council—researching, considering, and recommending conclusions—is called pastoral planning. After the pastor has accepted the recommendations of the council, he directs their implementation. Council members may assist the pastor, if asked, but the implementation is the responsibility of the Pastor together with the Pastoral Staff, not the council.  

Parish Pastoral Council Foundation Document, English

Parish Pastoral Council Foundation Document, Español

Parish Pastoral Council Q & A (Questions and Answers)

Parish Pastoral Council Q & A (Preguntas y Respuestas) Español