Parish Pastoral Council
The purpose of the Oratory Church of St. Boniface Parish Pastoral Council is to act as group of prayerful disciples supporting the Pastor in the development of a vital Christian Faith community.
Maintaining a close and collaborative relationship with the Pastor of St. Boniface, the Council is the principal coordinating body for the activities of the Community. It also has a responsibility to communicate its actions, to encourage the involvement of all parishioners, and to be responsive to the ideas of the community.
The Parish Pastoral Council is the principal coordinating body for the activities of the Community.
The Council acts as an ongoing process to reflect and embody the values and goals expressed in the Oratory Church of St. Boniface's Mission Statement . Through programs, activities, and thoughtful deliberation and input, the Council strives to aid the community's spiritual growth and to facilitate the community's actions of social responsibility.
Parish Pastoral Council:
Goals for 2011 - 2012
Dear Members of the Oratory Church of St. Boniface,
Every year your Parish Pastoral Council meets for a one-day retreat to discuss matters and issues related to our parish and to formulate our goals for the year. When the PPC met this year on October 15 in Newman Hall it was under the wonderful guidance of Sr Honora Nolty. With community in mind and in heart the Parish Pastoral Council worked throughout the day, through thought provoking exercises and illuminating discussions. The retreat is a great experience. Our community is represented by an impressive and dedicated group of people with very different backgrounds.
I am presenting to you our goals we hope to accomplish in 2011-2012. I invite you to read what we have come up with and to participate because we feel that participation solidifies our presence here. Together we can help foster the further flourishing of this community that we love and cherish
GOAL 1 To deepen our understanding of the unique nature of our character as an Oratorian community and to articulate that understanding to others
GOAL 2 To increase participation in parish life by all parishioners (participation helps cement your presence here)
GOAL 3 To improve and strengthen the quality of liturgy at all weekend Masses
GOAL 4 To educate parishioners about the benefit of consistent stewardship of the church at parish/diocesan/international levels.
These goals are deliberately broad and will be worked into specific objectives and tasks that will comprise the focus of some extraordinary council work this year. Some of the goals are so central to the continued growth of the community that they resurface over years in different guises. The goals will aid in preserving and strenghtening the joy and charism that live here. With deepest respect, Gerri Hernández, Council Chair.
Parish Pastoral Council Goals – 2010-2011
GOAL 1 For the purpose of improving the Parish Pastoral Council’s ability to
discern the will and needs of our faith community, an ad hoc committee
will:
inventory current practices, identify, and implement specific tools and methods of ongoing engagement and dialogue.
GOAL 2 An ad hoc committee will submit a report to the pastor and Council
analyzing the changing demographics of Downtown Brooklyn and
identifying new pastoral needs, and will present recommendations for
pastoral response.
GOAL 3 An ad hoc committee will review the current means and processes of
dialogue between the Parish Community and the Oratory clergy, Diocese,
and Downtown Brooklyn. The Committee will develop guidelines to foster
communication.
Council members are available to help answer questions and listen to ideas.
Respectfully yours, Gerri Hernández
Parish Pastoral Council Goals – 2009-2010
GOAL I Implement last year's recommendations for welcoming new
parishioners into the community, while identifying ongoing needs and
opportunities.
Ongoing Sunday Lunch at the Oratory continues, welcoming new
parishioners and encouraging conversations with veteran parishioners of
the Oratory. New member registration form was once again revised, and a
committee was formed of existing council members to ensure the correct
action is taken with each and every new parishioner. These steps are now
institutionalized in our system.
GOAL 2 Implement last year's recommendations for improving parish
communications, while identifying ongoing needs and opportunities.
A study was completed over the summer of 2010 that identified
communication needs within our faith community as well as the
communication needs with the community at large.
GOAL 3 Create a Council manual to establish standard operating
procedures and assure smooth transition for new Council members and
Committee chairs.
To ensure that rules and procedures are understood, a Council member
orientation session now takes place in September at the beginning of our
new calendar year using this newly created manual.
GOAL 4 Dedicate a Council meeting in Spring 2010 to reflect on
preserving the charism of St. Philip Neri in light of changing local
demographics, economic conditions and other factors.
Our regular April Parish Council meeting was dedicated to this discussion.
We plan to continue this discussion in future meetings.
