Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano

MISSION BASILICA SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO Parish Pastoral Council Foundational Document August 2004 *Revised October 25, 2010

1. INTRODUCTION

Recognizing that the people of God have practical wisdom and acknowledging that this wisdom can assist the pastor in making pastoral decisions, Monsignor Arthur A. Holquin, Pastor, Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano, hereby establishes a Parish Pastoral Council as of October 10, 2004.

All members of the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano are called to exercise both their right and responsibility to participate fully in the life and mission of our parish community. Our mission is rooted in Christ who commanded everyone—clergy, religious, and laity—to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all of Creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Each member of our parish family is called to collaborate in the responsibility of fulfilling this mission. Active involvement by each parish member in the mission and life of this parish through collaborative responsibility, consultation, and lay participation under the guidance and leadership of our Pastor is essential. The pastor is the shepherd of the parish and he exercises pastoral care for our community, and the Parish Pastoral Council cooperates in carrying out our common vision for our parish community.

Pastors themselves were not meant by Christ to shoulder alone the entire saving mission of the Church toward the world. On the contrary, they understand that it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and recognize their service and charismatic gifts that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one heart. (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Section 30) The Pastor as leader of the parish community needs to consult with the laity who in turn has the responsibility to express their views and concerns to the Pastor. An important structure initiated to foster this collaboration in proclaiming the good news is the Parish Pastoral Council. The Parish Pastoral Council provides the Pastor with wise counsel regarding the decisions he must make to provide pastoral, spiritual, and practical leadership for the parish community. The membership of the Parish Pastoral Council will cooperate to provide counsel that is: (1) rooted in the skill and experience of Council members; (2) respectful of the multi-ethnic nature of our parish community and dedicated to uniting the diverse populations within the parish community; and (3) cognizant of the broader needs and concerns of the community rather than solely focused on the needs of one or the other constituencies that make up our parish family.

Canon 208 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law speaks of the faithful’s responsibility to work together in building up the Body of Christ.

In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian Faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function. (Code of Canon Law, 208)

The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body in the parish, rather than legislative or executive in function, which advises the Pastor who presides over the Council. The Council does not manage parish operations. The Council is composed of laity who are representative of the membership of the parish. The Parish Pastoral Council is guided in its work as a consultative body by four core values: 1. Collaboration: the act of working together through reflective listening and genuine articulation of ideas in a partnership of mutual respect, openness, and trust;

2. Spirituality: an invitation to deepen our relationship with God that involves prayer, study, and activities that nurture our spirit and call us to grow;

3. Diversity: respect for the diversity of our parish community and the gifts that each of our brothers and sisters bring as members of God’s family. The essentials of parish life are recognition, appreciation, celebration, and the use of these gifts in our mission of proclaiming the good news to the whole world, of which our parish community is a reflection.

4. Accountability: “Our Church of Orange will become more transparent, responsive and accountable. We will become more receptive to the needs of our faithful and our priests.” (Bishop Tod Brown, Diocese of Orange, Covenant with the Faithful, January 18, 2004). The Parish Pastoral Council will work with all members of the parish community to promote an atmosphere of openness, trust, and justice, empowering our parishioners to be partners in the parochial efforts of our parish community.

2. PURPOSE

The primary purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to provide the pastor with wise counsel based on the wisdom possessed by Council members. The Council researches and considers matters relating to pastoral activity and formulates practical conclusions concerning them. The Council’s primary purpose is to study those matters brought to its attention and shed light on them. Its second purpose is to review and evaluate all the pertinent information thoroughly and to discern the true nature of the information. Its final purpose is to present thoughtful conclusions to the pastor. The Council presents these conclusions to the pastor in the form of recommendations. After the pastor has considered the recommendations of the Council, he decides upon their implementation. Council members may assist the pastor, if asked, but the implementation is the responsibility of the Pastor together with the Pastoral Staff, not the Council.

3. SCOPE

The scope of the Council is pastoral matters. These may include everything that pertains to the pastor’s ministries of proclaiming God’s word, celebrating the sacraments, caring for the spiritual and material needs of the faithful, promoting the mission of the Church to the world, and being a good steward of parish resources. The scope includes all the practical matters of parish life. There is, in short, nothing about which the pastor may not consult the Council, apart from faith, orthodoxy, moral principles, or laws of the universal Church. The Council’s term lasts for three years (January through December).

4. CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP

Pastoral Council members are registered parishioners of Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano who are active, baptized, adult Catholics, in good standing with the Church, who reflect the parish’s various communities, social, and professional groups, and ministries. Finally, they are parishioners noted for their faith, good moral integrity, and prudence. 5. SELECTION OF MEMBERS

The Parish Pastoral Council is composed of thirteen members, the Pastor and twelve council members. Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano parishioners elect eight of the Council members. The remaining four Council members and any vacancies that occur during the Council’s term are appointed by the Pastor. Each Council member serves at the pleasure of the Pastor and any Council member can be removed by the Pastor. The eight elected members go through a discernment, application, election, and orientation process.

1. Discernment: The discernment process is approximately four weeks long and includes a parish information meeting, which is usually held on a weekday in the Pastoral Center. During the third and fourth weekends prior to the information meeting, both written and verbal announcements will be made at all Masses. In addition to general parish announcements, Parish Pastoral Council members will solicit the involvement of the Parish Staff and other key ministry leaders in identifying and personally inviting parishioners to discern if they are being called to service on the Council. Two weeks prior to the meeting, the Pastor will discuss at all Masses the role of the laity and why the laity should participate in this important ministry. He will encourage attendance at the information meeting by all interested parishioners.

2. Application:The application period is two weekends in October. A verbal announcement will be made at all the Masses that a copy of the application form is in the bulletin and on the parish website. Additional copies will be passed out after each Mass. All applications must be received in the Parish Office by 4:30 PM on the Monday following the second weekend. An ad hoc election committee of the Parish Pastoral Council will review each application and contact each applicant prior to printing the ballot form.

3. Election: The election weekend is one week after the application due date. The ballot is passed out at all the Masses and ballot boxes are placed at each entrance to the Basilica. All ballots must be received in the Parish Office by 4:30 PM the following Wednesday. The election committee counts the ballots and the results are given to the Pastor. The Pastor contacts each new Parish Pastoral Council member in writing with the date of the installation ceremony, typically the first or second Sunday of Advent.

4. Orientation: The Pastor and selected members of the outgoing Parish Pastoral Council will conduct an orientation meeting for the newly-elected Pastoral Council.

6. OFFICERS

The Pastor or his representative, the Parochial Vicar, must be present at the Parish Pastoral Council meeting in order for the Council to conduct any business. The Council officers will be the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary, and an alternate Secretary who are selected from among the twelve Council members. The Pastor and the Council officers develop the meeting agenda. The Chairperson prepares and distributes the agenda prior to each meeting and facilitates Council discussions, ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to speak and express their ideas. The Chairperson monitors open agenda items between regular meetings. The Vice- Chairperson assists the Chairperson and assumes the duties of the Chairperson in their absence. The Secretary (or alternate Secretary) keeps the minutes and ensures that they are made available to each Council member prior to every meeting. When the Parish Pastoral Council goes into “Executive Session,” the Minutes that are taken will be made available to parishioners after reviewed and authorized by the Pastor.

7. AGENDA

The Pastor develops the agenda with the Chairperson, incorporating input from the Council officers. It states the goals for each meeting, the method to be used to reach the goal, and any materials needed to accomplish each goal. The Agenda guides the meeting. Meetings begin with prayer and faith- sharing and include a review of the minutes of the previous meeting.

8. RELATION TO THE STAFF AND FINANCE COUNCIL

The Pastor relies upon the Parish Staff for their expertise and consults with them on a regular basis about parish operations. Parish Staff members may be invited to attend Council meetings in order to offer their knowledge and expertise to the Council members. In addition, the Pastor relies on the Parish Finance Council to develop, monitor, and report on the parish finances. A Parish Finance Council member may be asked to attend a Parish Pastoral Council meeting when the Council needs parish financial information.

9. MEETINGS

The Parish Pastoral Council meets once a month except for July and August (unless circumstances dictate meetings during this timeframe). Meetings are no more than two hours in length. Between the monthly meetings, Council members are expected to follow up on any open items and prepare for the next meeting. This may entail work on ad hoc committees or other activities as assigned. The beginning of each new three-year cycle starts with the first meeting of the newly elected or appointed Parish Pastoral Council members in January.