Pastoral Council
PASTORAL COUNCIL
NW Parishes of Racine Pastoral Council Minutes
Pastoral Council Members:
Fr. Thomas Vathappallil - Pastor tvathappallil@stpaulracine.org
Fr. Mark Obeten - Associate Pastor mobeten@stpaulracine.org
ST. LOUIS
Tammy LaMeer tlameer2013@gmail.com
Colleen Bohl dougandcolleen1961@yahoo.com
Corinne Angotti - Trustee clangotti@gmail.com
Andy Horstman - Trustee andrewhorstman@yahoo.com
ST. MARY BY THE LAKE
Lisa Christiansen (Secretary) lisaachristians@gmail.com
Jessica Olle ollejess98@gmail.com
Mary Loendorf - Trustee meljnl@yahoo.com
Jim Sisak - Trustee jsisak@wi.rr.com
ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE
Mary Jane Carreno mjc26@wi.rr.com
Jennifer Tremelling (Vice-Chair & Deanery/Arch Rep) 6trems@gmail.com
Randy Holub - Trustee randynpat1@gmail.com
Stephanie Warner - Trustee stemarwar@gmail.com
ST. RITA
Jean Weaver (Chair) jeanweaver000@gmail.com
Mark Schmitz smarkbarb@aol.com
Dennis Collins - Trustee macollins9@wi.rr.com
Sharon Gierahn - Trustee jsgierahn@sbcglobal.net
The St. Paul the Apostle Pastoral Council serves in an advisory role to the pastor. It helps to fulfill the pastoral mission of the parish by:
- Fostering growth within the parish family and the sharing of spiritual gifts and talents
- Encouraging positive relationships among all members of the parish
- Collaborating with other parishes and the wider community
The council is involved in planning to meet the needs of the parish, the archdiocese and the broader community, with a vision for the future and a strong basis in stewardship. After prayerful discernment, the council advises the pastor and support activities and programs that foster the spiritual, intellectual, moral and temporal well-being of the parish, and that make a contribution to archdiocesan goals and policies.
Members of the pastoral council are nominated by parishioners. Nine members are chosen through prayerful discernment. They serve three-year terms on a staggered basis. The pastor and the parish trustees serve as “ex officio” members. All parish organizations report to the council.
The council typically meets every other month. Parishioners are invited to observe the meetings. Arrangements to address the council may be made by contacting the pastoral council chairperson.
Characteristics of Effective Pastoral Council Members
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has identified the following characteristics of effective pastoral council members:
- Prayerful. They are believers who attend Mass and other liturgies regularly; willingly share their faith with others; and seek to know God more deeply.
- Faithful. They trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church; keep themselves informed of the Church’s stand on current issues; promote unity; and support the mission of the universal church.
- Pastoral. They actively listen to the needs of people; act with discretion and sensitivity in important parish matters; facilitate difficult conversations; work to reconcile differences; and offer comfort to members of the parish.
- Representative. They represent the interests of all parish members, not only a few.
- Discerning. They listen to other perspectives; and dialogue to reach consensus for the good of the parish.
- Prophetic. They respect the unique mission of the Church in the world; are willing to challenge the status quo to complete that mission; and engage in long-range and insightful parish planning.
- Empowering. They create and sustain an environment that values and maximizes the financial, personal, and material gifts of parishioners; work well with others; and understand the importance of stewardship.
- Collaborative. They realize and accept the challenges facing their parish, cluster, and archdiocese; and seek to work with others to meet those challenges.
Parish Commissions & Committees Manual
Commissions and committees are the task groups of councils.
The Parish Commissions & Committees Manual is published by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as a resource for pastoral council, finance council, commission and committee members. It provides guidelines, descriptions, and responsibilities and is organized as follows:
- Introduction to Commission/Committee Ministry
- Formation for Commissions/Committees
- Pastoral Council Commission/Committee Descriptions
- Finance Council Committee Descriptions
Pastoral Council members can utilize this information relative to their liaison roles, and it can be helpful to anyone active in parish commissions/committees.
Stewardship Commission
There is some truth to the observation that “God so loved the world that he sent His Only Son…..He did not send a committee!!” Although, it can be argued that the first thing His Only Son did was to form a committee (The Twelve Apostles). The Apostles were a vital part of the success of the mission of Jesus Christ. Despite their doubts and denial of Jesus, they were the first to eventually believe in Him and to try to imitate Him. They accepted the responsibility of being good stewards of His mission and His message.