Catholic parish governance arises from the requirements of canon law (Church law) as interpreted by the bishop of the diocese. To each parish the bishop assigns a priest to serve as pastor (Latin for shepherd) who is directly responsible to the bishop for the administration of the sacraments, teaching, and parish property and finances.
Every parish is required to have a finance council comprised of laity of the parish to aid the pastor in the administration of parish finances and property (canon 537). There are six members (we currently have two vacancies). The pastor is the chairman, but may appoint a treasurer who acts as vice-chair coordinating this council’s meetings (establishes schedule, organizes the agenda, sees that minutes are prepared, etc.)
A pastoral council (sometimes referred to as a “parish council”) is made up of lay members of the parish as an advisory group to the pastor to aid in the development and promotion of pastoral activity. These exist at the discretion of the bishop, who may or may not require them (canon 536). In the Diocese of Hamilton, the bishop has given pastors the discretion to create such councils. At St. Augustine’s we have a “Pastoral Council” that fulfils that function. There are six members. The pastor is the chairman, but may appoint a vice-chair who coordinates this council’s meetings (establishes schedule, organizes the agenda, sees that minutes are prepared, etc.) The current vice-chairman is Dave Weber. He also has responsibility for communicating the content of discussions and the decisions of both councils to the parish community.
The relationship of the two committees to each other is one of cooperation in offering counsel to the pastor. It is not unusual for one or two persons to be a member of both councils to facilitate cooperation and coordination of each councils’ activities. Together these councils form the Parish Advisory Council which meets less frequently, and usually to establish overall priorities for the many committees and work groups engaged in governing the parish.
Other committees and advisory groups may be formed as needed, either to exist permanently (e.g. property committee; worship committee) or for a special project or initiative (e.g. One Heart, One Soul project committee; parish anniversary committee). At the time the committee is struck its line of accountability is established. For example, the One Heart, One Soul project committee reports to the Parish Advisory Council but refers financial questions to the Finance Committee. Some committees may report directly to the pastor who then reports on their behalf (e.g. worship committee) to the council most appropriate for a given issue.
The term of service for committees is not fixed, but for the governing councils (finance and parish advisory) two-year terms are usual with a limit of two renewals. Special committees exist for the life of the project/initiative they oversee. Other permanent committees would generally follow the example of the governing councils with exceptions where justifiable.
Governing council terms run from January to December with new appointments made in October and November. Other committees and advisory groups set their terms from the start of their activity, or by agreement choose their term start date.
