What is a Parish Council?
There is no one answer to this question.  A Parish Council is reflective of the nature of the parish itself.  A parish such as ours, which is heavily dedicated to building community through prayer and which has a long history, will most likely have a parish council that seeks to further develop the spiritual aspects of the parish.  Of course, our neighborhood is undergoing great demographic change and our parish council must also be prepared to embrace this change while remaining true to proclaiming the Gospel.
 
A parish council is made up of members of the parish who are chosen by the parishioners.  The deacons and priests of the parish are automatically members of the council, although they should be present mostly to listen to ideas and to explain what is currently happening.  They should not be the leaders of the council.  Other staff members should feel free to attend the council meetings, but again only to listen or explain.  They should not take an active role in the council meetings.  Parishioners who are not members of the council and group leaders are also invited to the council meetings and may take an active role in the discussion, although they would not be able to vote on an issue.  Since the Pastor is the appointed leader of the parish, the parish council’s decisions are meant to advise the Pastor; the council cannot tell him how to lead the parish.  A wise Pastor works with his council, listening to them, and guiding them, so that the Pastor and Parish Council are one in the ministry of caring for the parish.