PARISH COUNCIL

 

Parish Council

​The Code of Canon Law refers to the Parish Council as a pastoral council for the parish.

​Canon n. 759 stresses that the council is a golden opportunity to have the laity participate in the mission of the Church when it states, “The lay members of Christ’s faithful, by reason of their baptism and confirmation, are witnesses to the good news of the Gospel, by their words and by the example of their Christian life. They can also be called upon to cooperate with bishops and priests in the exercise of the ministry of the word.”

​It is therefore necessary to emphasise that Parish Council members should be witnesses to the Gospel by their words and by the example of their Christian life. The Parish Council members are important so that the planning of the parish will fulfil the Mission of the Church. It is expected that they are to be good ambassadors, educating the people on the objectives of the parish and helping them to benefit from the mission of the Church. While respecting the authority of the priests, the council can give guidance and assistance to the priests, thereby freeing them to concentrate on matters which are proper to them by virtue of their ordination and which the laity cannot fulfil.

​Even though Parish Councils have only a consultative vote, the priests would well be advised to follow the good counsel of the Parish Council members unless that advice goes against the doctrine of the Church or the regulations laid down by the Bishop or for any other proper reason. In this event, it would be in the interest of good working relationships for the priest to explain his reasons for not going along with the advice of the council.

​Finance Committee

​Each parish is required to have a Finance Committee to help the parish priest in the administration of the goods of the parish, even though the parish priest retains the primary responsibility (Canon n. 537). The Finance Committee should generally be a subcommittee of the Parish Council responsible to the Parish Council and, ultimately, to the parish priest who represents the Bishop in the parish.

​The Parish Council guidelines describe the role of the Finance Committee. The administrative aspects of the parish, which generally fall to the Finance Committee, are:

​Planning for the acquisition, retention and disposal of temporal goods which are used by the parish in pursuit of its proper objectives. Canon n. 1254 describes these proper objectives as "principally the regulation of divine worship, the provision of fitting support for the clergy and other ministers, and the carrying out of works of the sacred apostolate and of charity, especially for the needy."

​Preparing parish budgets in view of the above objectives.

​- Educating the people on the needs of the parish.

- ​Monitoring the budget and suggesting courses of action to implement the budget.

​- Ensuring the payment of the diocesan levy and other special collections.

​- Assisting in the preparation of accurate and timely financial statements as required.

- ​Helping draw up an inventory for parish property as and when required.

- ​Advising the parish priest on the proper management of parish property.