October, 2016

Bishop Caggiano has asked all of the parishes in the Diocese of Bridgeport to have a vibrant Pastoral Council in every parish. St. James will now re-institute its Pastoral Council to bring it line with the Bishop’s vision.

The Council will regularly meet with the Pastor to offer advice and assistance on the short-and-long terms needs of the Parish. The Council will be responsible for continually refining and maintaining the Pastoral Vision.

The Council will be:

1. Comprised of the Pastor, the two Trustees of St. James Parish Cooperation, as well as 9 chosen members of our Community of Faith.   They will be the voting members of the Pastoral Council.   The Chairperson of the Finance Council and Lead for the Planning Task Force will serve as non-voting members.

2. Each year, one third of the chosen members will replaced. The specifics for which members to replace will be defined by the Council. Replaced people can be re-nominated.

3. Parish members to be nominated need to be 18 years old and older, who:

   • Love and care for St. James and who have experienced the difference it has made in their lives

   • Embrace the Pastoral Vision as set out in the Parish Pastoral Plan Team

   • Have a passion for moving St. James forward

   • Have knowledge of the Parish, its resources and its Mission

   • Regularly participate in the Eucharist, and have at least 3 years of active involvement in the Parish.

4. Method of Selection:

   • Parishioners will nominate Candidates for the Council (parishioners can self-nominate)

   • If the Candidate accepts the nomination, Parish leadership will vet the Nominee

   • The Parish will be asked to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the final selection of accepted candidates

   • The names of the accepted candidates will be placed in a bowl in front of the altar for two weeks. The parish will pray over these names and the Pastor will randomly pick the Council members

The Pastoral Council will:

• Support Parish Leadership in monitoring, advising and decision-making of Parish Operations, Spiritual Development and Financial Oversight

• With input from the Finance Council, the Pastoral Council will be responsible for the Objectives set by the Parish Planning Task Force

• Oversee and approve the implementation and evaluation of the Parish Planning Task Force objectives

• The promotion, implementation, and expansion of Disciples’ Way – “Living the  

• Social Gospels – Charity, Justice, and Peace-making”

• The promotion, implementation, and expansion of “Live Your Faith”

• Approve the Parish Budget, Budget modifications, and Parish Spending