Oh wait, I remember now. I've never been asked to serve on ... a parish council (or pastoral council, to use the canonical term).I've seen elections where people tout their administrative and managerial experience, when in fact the role is not legislative, but consultative (in other words, not concilium, but consilium). That alone should disqualify them. I've seen people put on committees armed only with good intentions, but a limited knowledge on the subject. (A gift for flower arrangements on the altar does not qualify you to chair the liturgy committee, whereas a masters degree in sacred music just might.) A pastoral council and finance council, together, are the main consultative body for the parish priest, on matters spiritual and temporal, respectively.
It seems to me that the majority of parish councils are either popularity contests (if elected), which I never seem to win, or a rubber stamp for the pastor (if appointed), which I never seem to pull off. My current position with a parish, where I am a liturgical master of ceremonies, is as close as I've ever come to being on a parish council. At the end of the day, I could not be more content. But you won't see my name on a parish masthead, not in this lifetime.
Maybe I know too much, don't you think?
Or don't you?
1 comment:
David:
Sometime we can trade stories of pastoral councils and parish committees; but not in writing, no Sir!
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