Diocese of Parramatta

Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv is calling for nominations for:
• The Diocesan Pastoral Council

Bishop Vincent seeks to enhance our communion and mission, and recognises that pastoral councils express a rightful co-responsibility for the mission of the Church. These bodies, aligning with the Bishop’s call to Go Out into the Deep, seek to strengthen the growing and sharing of faith in Christ within our Diocese. The Diocesan Pastoral Council is a vital aspect of communion with the Church. Considering the pastoral questions of our day and making appropriate recommendations to the Bishop, the members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council are imbued with a pastoral spirit to aid the Bishop with the pastoral governance of the Church. The Diocesan Pastoral Council seeks a cross-section of people from different places in the Diocese and from different backgrounds and experiences.

Parishioners are invited to nominate themselves or others. Nominations require the assent of the person being nominated, who needs to fill out the nomination form. The Nomination Kit is available here.

Parishioners are invited to nominate themselves or others. Nominations require the assent of the person being nominated, who needs to fill out the nomination form. In addition, a nomination also requires the endorsement of the person’s parish priest or another priest ministering in the diocese.

Completed nominations are to be returned to the Pastoral Planning Office:
Bethany Centre, 470 Church Street Parramatta NSW 2150
Fax: 02 8838 3462, Email: richard.mcmahon@parracatholic.org

Nominations close on Monday, 2 November 2020.

All nominees are asked to set aside time on Saturday, 21 November 2020 from 9.30 am to mid-afternoon. This will be the initial formation session for those nominees appointed to the Diocesan Pastoral Council.

• Diocesan Pastoral Councils are described as being; “under the authority of the Bishop… to study and weigh those matters which concern the pastoral works in the diocese, and to propose practical conclusions concerning them.” (Can.511).
• In Parramatta Diocese, the Bishop consults with the Diocesan Pastoral Council concerning pastoral realities, directions and possible strategies as well as priorities to support the ongoing formation of the diocese’s people and the diocese’s character.
• The Diocesan Pastoral Council relies on and actively maintains thorough communication with the five Deanery Pastoral Councils. It divides this action among members to enrich the members’ first hand awareness and maximise what is known and heard by the Council.
• The Diocesan Pastoral Council’s process and any recommendations are based on listening, necessary research and faith centred discernment.
• The Council consists of ten to twenty members who together represent good awareness and experience of the Diocese. It includes the Bishop and generally one other clergy, plus other ex-officio appointments or one-off special purpose invitations as required. Members are generally to be separate from the members of the Deanery Pastoral Councils.
• The Diocesan Pastoral Council meets three to four times per year (or more if required) with necessary support resources and a thoughtful process for facilitation prepared in advance. Members pursue necessary actions, consultation and ongoing research between meetings.
• The Bishop is the president of the Diocesan Pastoral Council with a suitably able member formed and appointed as the chair/animator.