Holy Comforter Catholic Church

Pastoral Council

Purpose of the Pastoral Council 

  1. To act as a consultative body to the Pastor.
  2. To discern the needs, temporal and religious, short and long term, of the parish and to establish programs and locate resources to meet those needs.
  3. To develop visionary goals for the parish.
  4. To encourage, assist and affirm an effective lay ministry and to work for an environment which will foster the faith growth of parishioners.
  5. To provide a forum of communication regarding parish affairs among the Pastor, the Parish Finance Council, parish ministries, the parish staff and the parishioners.
  6. To encourage leadership by improving the quality of life in the community in accordance with the Spirit of God.
  7. To create a prayerful, collaborative environment in which the Council can work effectively.

Responsibilities of the Pastoral Council 

  1. To assist the Pastor in the administration of the parish through recommendations.
  2. To oversee and coordinate the work of the various Ministries and Committees.
  3. To provide the proper environment for the ministries to work effectively.
  4. To prepare and publish a statement of the needs and goals of the parish over the next three and, in union with the Pastor, determine priorities with regard to time, talent and treasure.
  5. To insure that all parish events in the area of its responsibility are scheduled and included in the master calendar.
  6. To publish an annual report on the state of the parish including a statement of the needs and plans for the coming year.

Membership of the Pastoral Council 

  1. The Pastor
  2. Nine at-large members elected in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Three at-large members shall be elected each year to serve three-year terms. At-large members may serve up to two consecutive three-year terms, after which they may not be reconsidered for membership until at least one year has elapsed. No more than one member of a family unit may be a member of the Council at any time. Ministry chairs are not eligible to serve as at-large members.

Meetings 

The Pastoral Council meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7 PM in the Bernard Moore Room in the Church basement. Meetings are open to all parishioners and we welcome their attendance. We welcome comments from all in attendance as time allows. Issues of a significant nature should be brought to the Chair’s attention so that they can be included on the agenda.

Current Members 

Name                                 Position                  

Fr. Joseph Mary                  Pastor
John Battiston                     Chair
Theresa Lynch                     Executive Council Member and Secretary
Jackson Kulick                     At-Large
Aaron Pannone                   At-Large
Lauren O’Neill                     At-Large

OUR MISSION STATEMENT 

We, the members of Holy Comforter Catholic Church, given life by God, offered salvation by Jesus Christ, and led by the Holy Spirit, believe that we are called to worship, discipleship, outreach, and evangelization within our parish and to the downtown community, consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.