What's this about a parish pastoral council?

In February of this year, ten lay people were asked to become part of a working group and to think about how Kilcullen could elect a parish pastoral council (PPC). The group, which includes Fr Murphy and Fr O’Sullivan, has drawn up guidelines for starting a council. It is expected that this work will be completed well before Christmas, at which stage the working group will go out of existence.

A pastoral council is an organisation of priests and lay people who share responsibility for a living Christian community in a parish. The election of lay people to the PPC will be a matter for parishioners.

The working group has spent some time learning about the role of a pastoral council and has received useful information and help from Blessington Parish, which already has a successful PPC.

As part of its work, the working group carried out a limited local census and also research on aspects of society in Kilcullen based on selected statistics and the experiences and opinions of people working in the local community.

The working group has now moved on with its preparations, and following the June meeting the Guidelines and Mission Statement for Kilcullen PPC were agreed and submitted to Archbishop’s House in Dublin for approval.

The mission statement for Kilcullen PPC states that it will consist of “the priests of the parish and a group of lay people who work together to enhance pastoral well-being and to build Kilcullen Parish into a vibrant Christian community reflecting the gospel values of love, justice and peace.” The guidelines specifically refer to the purpose and areas of concern of Kilcullen PPC as being to “establish goals and objectives which will contribute to the fulfilment of the mission of the PPC”, and to “design and implement procedures and processes through which the pastoral work of the Church will be accomplished in Kilcullen parish.”

The working group is now organising a campaign to inform parishioners about their PPC. This campaign has already begun with the placing of posters in the Church and articles on A Kilcullen Diary, and in The Bridge magazine. Look out for the information campaign in September. Members of the group will speak at Sunday Masses on the formation of the PPC, and they will also be in touch with existing parish organisations to learn more about their role and views. Public meetings will also be held to provide information and to answer any questions that parishioners may have.

In the meantime, this leaflet contains answers to some questions that have already been asked.

What exactly is the working group doing? 
Just one job – helping to work out how the pastoral council can be elected and get started.

Who are the members of the working group? 
Fr Murphy, Fr.O’Sullivan, John Martin, Maureen O’Toole, Rose McMahon, Matt Doyle, Maurice O’Mahoney, Elaine Whyte, Vivienne Byrne, Deirdre Collins, Evelyn McKenzie Smith and Charlie Talbot.

Will the people on the working group automatically be members of the PPC? 
No. Only Fr Murphy and Fr O’Sullivan will be automatic members. The lay members of the group can be elected to the PPC but that is neither automatic nor guaranteed.

Is the parish finance committee part of the pastoral council? 
No. Both organisations will be working on behalf of the parish, but they are separate from each other.

How can I be involved in the work of the parish? 
This will be an area of special interest to the pastoral council when it is set up. In the meantime you can talk to Fr Murphy or Fr O’Sullivan about parish work.

PPC Working Group.