Administrator
An administrator is a person, ordained or non-ordained, whom the archbishop entrusts with the pastoral care of a parish on a temporary basis when it is vacant or when its pastor or pastoral administrator is unable to fulfill the functions of their office.
A.P.C.
Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (See Consultative Body for definition)
Associate Pastor
An associated pastor is a priest who renders service in pastoral ministry as co-worker with the pastor in common counsel and endeavor with him and under his authority.
Auxiliary Bishop
The auxiliary bishop of a region assists the archbishop in carrying out his ministry of pastoral and administrative care. The auxiliary bishop of a region performs certain Episcopal and pontifical functions when asked to do so by the archbishop.
Central Services
The Archdiocesan Departments and Offices. Taken together these departments and offices touch virtually every facet of Church life and concern. Their common goal is to help individuals, parishes and vicariates in fulfilling their Christian endeavors by providing coordination with the archbishop and archdiocesan policies, by serving as resource centers, and by making available professional expertise.
Closing
Closing is the canonical declaration by the archbishop in consultation with the priests' council that a parish ceases to exist. Members of the parish join one of the neighboring parishes.
Collaborative
A process of planning, establishing and operating together to achieve a common goal or purpose. It is a process through which parishes explore different options and search for solutions that go beyond what they can do on their own. In the Church, the belief that every baptized person is gifted and called to ministry is the basis for collaboration. According to Sofield and Juliano (Collaborative Ministry, Ave Maria Press, 1987, p. 11) collaboration is the identification, release and union of the gifts of all baptized persons.
Collegial
Working with a common purpose or common duties as a body. Quality of authority or power shared equally among colleagues; union apparent in the mutual relations among members of a group as they assume responsibility for the common good.
Commission
A body that relates to the council and its own committees responsible for one of the aspects of the mission of Jesus. Its purpose is to assess needs, develop objectives, propose policy, and implement programs through committee work.
Committee
A subgroup of a commission, charged with the responsibility for a specific area within a commission's mandate.
Communion
Persons sharing one same life, an organic unity. Our "communion" as Church flows from and mirrors the Trinitarian communion, the model and source of giving and receiving. Since "communion" can be translated as "sharing gifts," it is an excellent description of our identity and vocation as Church.
Community
Independent persons working toward a common goal.
Consensus
The process of arriving at a decision through open discussion and resolution of major discrepancies. Without compromising any strong conviction or needs, consensus results in a decision that all members of the group can accept and uphold.
Consultation
A process of shared decision-making. Canon 127 establishes the seriousness of the consultative process. According to this Canon, if church law requires consultation, then the group to be consulted must be legitimately convoked. As least a majority of the members must be consulted. If consultation is required with certain persons or individuals, the pastor is required to listen to such persons and ordinarily not act contrary to their advice, especially if consensus is achieved.
Consultative Body
A group of people that seeks to arrive at a consensual agreement on significant issues in order to develop policy recommendations for the spiritual growth and pastoral activity.
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Parish - Parish Pastoral Council |
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A group of people representative of all facets of the parish, chosen, called forth and commissioned to join together in striving to be a communion of faith and to serve the parish in the ministry of leadership. The Parish Pastoral Council works in cooperation with the pastor and the total parish in setting policy and establishing goals, objectives, and action plans. |
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Vicariate - Vicariate Pastoral Council |
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Reflects the structure of the Parish Pastoral Council on the vicariate level. |
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Archdiocese - Archdiocesan Pastoral Council |
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The APC is a consultative body to the archbishop which studies and makes recommendations regarding all areas of pastoral ministry; its members are priests, deacons, religious and lay persons elected by their respective groups, or appt. by the archbishop. |
Cooperatively
Working or acting together toward a common end or purpose.
Coordinate
To harmonize in common effort. To work together.
Deacon
A deacon is an ordained minister of the Church assigned to serve a parish in certain sacramental and non-sacramental roles, according to his ministry agreement.
Diocesan Bishop
Bishop to whom the care of a diocese has been entrusted. The diocesan bishop's office has a threefold range - teaching, sanctifying and governing.
Discern
The process of arriving at a decision in accord with God's will through prayerful reflection and deliberation. Communal discernment is related to consensus but adds the following dimension to the consensus process: prayerful reflection, gathering evidence, discussion of positive and negative factors of proposed alternative plans of action and confirmation by the group.
Empower
To free people to be true to their own thoughts and feelings, to give them the opportunity to think these through, and to help them feel valued within the group.
Evaluate
A process of measuring and judging progress according to accepted standards.
Evangelization
The activity whereby the Church proclaims the Gospel in the world today so that the faith of all persons may be aroused, may unfold, and may grow. A parish activity, which serves to instill or strengthen faith among members and non-members.
Facilitator
A facilitator is a person identified to have the responsibility of keeping the committee clearly focused on the discussion at hand in an ordered, purposeful way so that the participants' time together is more productive.
Goals
Statement of a desired end, which reflects the overall purpose and is related to a major area of concern. Goals need to be written in specific and challenging terms so that they are recognizable when achieved. A goal usually has a terminal point of three to five years and its achievement is recognizable when it has been reached. Goals are reviewed annually.
Guidelines
A statement of policy or procedure which clarifies how the directives are to be applied and observed.
Inclusivity
To involve as part of the whole regardless of gender, race or physical appearance.
Merging
The joining of two or more parishes in a single new or consolidated parish.
Ministry
Literally, a "service." Any service publicly designated by the Church to assist in the fulfillment of its mission.
Mission
That for which the Church has been "sent"; i.e., its purpose: to proclaim the Gospel in word, in sacrament, in witness, and in service.
Mission Statement
A broad statement that expresses the reason or purpose for the existence of a group. It unifies, motivates and clarifies. It answers the questions: "What are we called to be?" "Why do we exist?" "What should we be about?"
Parish
A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful, established on a stable basis by decree of the archbishop, and whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor.
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Non-Territorial Parish |
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A non-territorial parish has a priest as its pastor and a Parish Pastoral Council. |
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Mission |
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A mission is attached to the parish within whose geographic boundaries it is located, and is under the care of its pastor, but does not have its own pastor, geographical boundaries or parish pastoral council. |
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Chapel |
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A chapel does not have an assigned pastor, geographical boundaries or parish pastoral council. It may or may not be attached to a parish, and is a worship site only. |
Parish Leadership
Professional ministers and identified lay servant leaders (Parish Pastoral Council members, commission members) who share in visioning, planning and implementing pastoral plans for the good of the parish.
Parochial Administrator
A priest who substitutes for the pastor due to the pastor's captivity, exile, banishment, incapacity, ill health or some other cause. He is bound by the same duties and enjoys the same rights as a pastor but is not permitted to do anything which can prejudice the rights of the pastor or harm the parish goods.
Pastor
A pastor is a priest appointed by the archbishop as the spiritual leader and administrator responsible for the life and mission of the faith community.
Pastor - multi-site
A pastor residing in one faith community and responsible for one or more others.
Pastor - non-resident
A pastor who does not reside in the faith community.
Pastoral
Pertaining to the actual life of the Church, especially at the parish and archdiocesan levels.
Pastoral Administrator
A deacon, religious or lay person appointed by the archbishop as the spiritual leader and administrator responsible for the life and mission of the faith community; a priest is designated to provide Eucharist and other sacraments.
Pastoral Associate
A deacon, religious or lay person who serves the parish in multiple areas of ministry. This position is analogous to that of an associate pastor in that he/she assists the pastor in fulfilling the entire pastoral ministry of the parish.
Pastoral Minister
A pastoral minister is a deacon, religious or lay person who serves the parish in a specific ministerial role (e.g., Youth Minister, Director of Religious Education, etc.).
Pastoral Planning
A structured involvement of believing persons in developing and maintaining the connection between what they believe and what they do in determining their future as Church. It is an ongoing process in which the parish reflects upon its mission, assesses the internal needs of the parish, examines the external environment, sets goals and objectives and evaluates the extent to which the goals and objectives have been accomplished.
Pastoral Staff
The group responsible for collaborating with the pastor in the pastoral care of the parish and in implementing the policies of the parish. May consist of one or more associate pastors, deacons, men and women religious, Directors of Religious Education, Worship and/or Christian Service and lay pastoral ministers. This term typically to paid staff, but may also refer to volunteers when appropriate. They serve the parish in cooperation with the Parish Pastoral Council.
Policy
A guide for future actions in a particular area of parish life.
Presbyteral Council
The primary consultative body concerning archdiocesan governance. It assists the archbishop in his exercise of governmental authority but does not exercise governance directly. The council is completely consultative in nature without any authority to act on its own.
Priests' Personnel Advisory Board (PAB)
The PAB is an advisory body to the archbishop, which makes recommendations regarding the assignment of priests. Members are elected by the priests of the archdiocese.
Region
An area of the archdiocese composed of a number of vicariates; in which pastoral activity is supervised by an auxiliary bishop.
Resource
Something or someone that can be looked to for aid or support.
Sacramental Minister
A sacramental minister is a priest assigned to perform sacramental ministry in a parish whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a pastoral administrator.
Sharing/Collaborating/Clustering
The cooperation among several faith communities relative to pastoral leadership, staff, resources and/or programs.
Stewardship
The responsible maintenance, protection and utilization of the available resources.
Substantial Agreement
Decisions that can be supported and upheld by all.
Vicar
A priest elected by his fellow priests in the vicariate to 1) promote and coordinate the general pastoral activity of the vicariate, 2) supervise the life-style and ministry of the clergy, and 3) supervise liturgical functions, the care of churches, sacramentals, custody of the Blessed Sacrament, ecclesiastical records, and church administration in general. He is also to promote the continuing education of the clergy and be concerned with their spiritual needs.
Vicariate
Several parishes joined into a group for more effective pastoral action.
Vicariate Pastoral Council
Reflects the structure of the Parish Pastoral Council on the vicariate level.
Vicariate Pastoral Council Commission
Reflects the structure of the Parish Pastoral Council Commission on the vicariate level.
Definitions from:
Cluster Pastoral Planning Guidebook, from the Archdiocese of Dubuque, 1998.
Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines & Handbook, from the Archdiocese of Detroit, 1991.
