The Parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Fareham and Gosport has a Parish Pastoral Council made up of representatives from all of the newly formed Parish. The PPC meets two monthly. Formed from this PPC is also a Leadership Group comprising the Parish Priest and three other members - this group meets in the intervening months.
Pastoral
The Council is ‘Pastoral’. In other words, its primary concern is pastoral issues, not administration, buildings, management or finance, which are all the responsibility of other groups.
‘Pastoral issues are those that impact on the lives of parishioners in the areas of
- integration of their faith into everyday life – home, work, community
- nourishment and support of their faith as they try to live as faithful disciples of Jesus
- outward focus for the development of a vital Christian community, actively engaged in Jesus’ mission of service and influence in the wider world.
Consultative
In Church documents, the Council is described as ‘consultative’ to the Parish Priest. The use of the word ‘consultative’ reminds the Pastoral Council that it is the Parish Priest who has ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding the overall mission of the Parish. This consultative role of the Pastoral Council is situated within a context of relationship and shared vision:
‘All Christians are to build community, pray, collaborate with the pastor, lead by example, and be spiritual. But only pastoral councils investigate, ponder and propose. They do so, not in an impersonal process, but in a relationship.
It is a relationship with a pastor who knows their readiness and wants their help, with fellow parishioners whose wisdom they seek, and ultimately with the God whom they glimpse in dialogue.’
This context means that while there may be very rare occasions on which the Parish Priest will choose not to follow the advice of the Pastoral Council, he will not usually ignore their advice because he has participated fully in the prayer, discussions and deliberations leading to the decision.