Councils

Pastoral Council of Saint George Church

 

The purpose of Pastoral Council is to discern the movement of the Spirit among the People of God, to work for consensus vision among its members, and to help the pastor and the parish meet the challenge of being church in the modem world.  It must be concerned with the fullness to the Church’s Mission, particularly evangelization and spiritual renewal.  With a strong commitment to developing a solid life of prayer among the members, the community can achieve these purposes.

 

The Pastoral Council shall in the manner and to the extent set forth in this constitution, be the advising body for all matters of the parish including but not limited to the spiritual education, social and financial except to the extent limited by Church law, faith and morals, diocesan policy and civil law.  It reaches its conclusions by a process of prayerful discernment and consensus decision making.

 

The Pastoral Council will call the parish to action through four major Commissions.

 

 

Ministry of Worship and Spiritual Life

 

Ministry of Community Life and Social Concerns

 

Ministry of Education and Formation

 

Ministry of Administration

 

 

The Constitution of Saint George Parish Council

 

We, the People of God, in the parish of St. George union with each other, with our Pastor, with the Chief Shepherd of our Diocese, and in union, too, with all the members everywhere of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ and Governed by His Vicar, the Bishop of Rome and successor of St. Peter, do hereby unite to form a Pastoral Council.

 

We do so conscious of the fact that every one of us is a member of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:27) and that in this body “there are different gifts but the same Spirit (and) different ministries but the same Lord (ibid, vs. 4-5).”  We acknowledged that each of us is called upon to offer his or her particular gift of ministry for the service of the whole body, "so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ (l Peter, 4:11).

 

We do so in response to the recommendations of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council who, after urging that councils be formed in dioceses “to assist the apostolic work of the Church either in the field of making the gospel known and men and women holy, or in the charitable, social or other spheres,” added that so far as possible similar councils should be established in parishes also (Decree on the apostolate of the Laity, V. #26).

 

 

Executive Board Members

 
Msgr. Robert Brugger, Pastor
Chuck Weindorf, President
Janet Russell, Vice-President
Kris Rudy, Secretary

 

 

 

  

Saint George Financial Council

The norms for Parish Finance Council in the Diocese of Erie were first set forth in a Decree issued by Bishop Michael Murphy on August 2, 1985. Following consultation with the Presbyteral Council and Diocesan Finance Council, Bishop Donald Trautman has approved the following revised norms which are to become diocesan policy, effective January 1, 2001 and thereby supersede that earlier Decree as well as any other norms which are not in compliance with these norms.

Each parish of the Diocese of Erie is to have a Finance Council as required by Canon 537.

 

Canon 537
 

“Each parish is to have a Finance Council which is regulated by universal law as well as by norms issued by the Diocesan Bishop; in this council the Christian faithful, selected according to the same norms, aid the pastor in the administration of the parish goods with due regard for the prescription of Canon 532.”

 

The Finance Council is a consultative body whose primary task is to assist the pastor in the administration of the temporal goods of the parish.  This often takes the form of recommendations to the pastor concerning financial plans, controls, policies, and other appropriate guidance on business matters.  In making such recommendations, the Council is to be guided by gospel values as well as by sound business practices.  Since the resources of the parish are provided by the contributions of parishioners and others, it is also expected that the Finance Council assist the pastor in being accountable and responsible to the people.

The Finance Council, however, does not substitute for the pastor as the chief administrator and legal representative of the goods of the parish.

 
Canon 532

 

“The pastor represents the parish in all juridic affairs in accord with the norm of law; he is to see to it that the goods of the parish are administered in accord with the norms of Canons 1281-1288.”