Thank you to those parishioners who offered names of proposed nominees for consideration and discernment to stand as nominees for election to serve on the Pastoral Council.

For more on the invitation that went out for submission of proposed nominees, as well as the background and the nature of the Pastoral Council, please see the Pastoral Council Responsibilities & Goals Link on this page.

Every parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a pastoral council chaired by the pastor and with parishioners as members. Here at the Church of Saint Joseph, our pastoral council meets regularly and is coordinated by Mrs. Barbara Arena, who has done an exemplary job with her important role of organizing and facilitating the work. The current members of the pastoral council have served an extended term in light of the COVID pandemic and the transition to a new pastor two years ago. I am exceedingly grateful to the members for their hard work and care for the parish. Please join me in thanking them for their sacrifice, time and service.

The Archdiocese sets out the directions by which the council works. The goal of the Council is to foster participation of members of the parish in the life and mission of the Church. The members accomplish this goal by the development and implementation of a pastoral plan for the parish. Membership on the Council is by appointment of the pastor, ex officio, and by election. Generally, the total membership of the Council can vary depending on circumstances, but a recommended size is 12 members.

This past year our Council worked with Ms. Evelyn Brannan Tarpey, Associate for Pastoral Planning for the Office for Parish Services and Pastoral Support for the Archdiocese. Evelyn visited with our Council and helped to update our Council and re-immerse it in the nature of the life and work as it comes to us from the Archdiocese. Based on Evelyn’s presentation, this is a snapshot of the work of the Pastoral Council:

• • worshipping God in Holy Mass and the Sacraments;
  • openness to the will of God and guidance of the Holy Spirit;
  • announcing the Word of God, especially in formation and education;
  • growth in holiness;
  • vision and planning;
  • accents key questions such as where do we want the parish to be in 3, 5, 10 years;
  • evangelization and renewal;
  • care of the sick and dying;
  • outreach to the poor;
  • promotion of lay involvement;
  • cooperation between parishes and the Archdiocese;
  • assist in identification of achievable pathways on how we live out our mission today based on our needs and trends;
  • foster discipleship;
  • ministry updates;
  • accenting inter-related aspects of parish life.

• • is a consultative body that works closely with the Pastor, but is not a decision making group;
  • members advise and assist the Pastor in pastoral matters and keep the call to holiness as a key trajectory;
  • operates in a setting where they can share thoughts and listen to one another to offer insights as part of the process of pastoral life;
  • is confidential in its work and conducts its work in a spirit of prayerful discernment;
  • works to study issues and review aspects of pastoral life;
  • makes recommendations that are both practical and realistically achievable within the available resources of the parish;
  • the membership of the Council reflects the diversity of the parish;
  • collaborates with the Finance Council;
  • is not responsible for day-to-day activity or management of the parish; is not a complaint board, a project team, or a board of governance or lobbying;
  • the representation offered by a member of the Council is distinct from what we think of when we hear “represent” in a popular civic sense of the word; members don’t “advocate” for a point of view or a specific group/constituency within the parish, formal or informal; representation in the sense of membership on the Pastoral Council means to make present a diverse perspective that can integrate with other perspectives in the Pastoral Council meeting;
  • does not make decisions for the parish or set its own agenda; likewise, it does not hire or fire parish staff or employees, meet without the pastor or hold open meetings like a town council;
  • meets in January, February, March, May, September, October, and November;
  • members serve a three-year term;
  • is governed by directives from the Archdiocese.

As I mentioned, our Council meets regularly. One of our goals of our current planning has been to emerge from the immediate effects of COVID on the community and to work to bring on new members. Several current members will continue into the next year to assure a beneficial and positive continuity. This fall / winter the opportunity arises to have new members join. I have asked the current membership for recommendations for appointment by me and I am also happy to learn from individual parishioners if they have any recommendations.

There is also the opportunity for members of our parish to elect two members. Shortly, the Church Bulletin will include an invitation to submit proposed nominations for consideration, and, if the nominee desires, discernment to be candidates to stand for election to the Pastoral Council.

One of the elements that Ms. Tarpey highlighted in her visit to our Council last year is that the Archdiocese asks that the election process include an important moment of discernment with the nominees to help guide them from the initial, private nomination to the decision to actually stand for election.  Specifically, the process would be, once names for proposed nominees are received, for the pastor to work with the current leadership of the Pastoral Council to discern with the proposed nominees on an individual basis, and in light of the nature and work of the Council, if the nominee is willing to have his or her name stand for election.

Following that discernment, a slate of formal nominees to stand for election will be presented to the members of the parish for election. Hopefully, that will allow us to have elections during Advent or shortly into the New Year depending on the number of nominations and in light of the busy nature of parish life, especially during the Advent and Christmas Seasons.

Thank you for the occasion to share this update on the life and work of the Pastoral Council with you. Thank you, also, for your dedication to the Church of Saint Joseph and the mission of the Church.

God bless,
Msgr. Bransfield