Parish Pastoral Councils
“A parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers.”
Evangelii Gaudium, 28. (On the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World),
Pope Francis, 2013.
In 1971 it became mandatory for each parish in the Diocese of Auckland to have a Parish Pastoral Council.
“Parish Pastoral Councils are mandatory in the Auckland Diocese and the guidelines are issued to assist parishes become what Pope Francis describes as ‘the presence of God in a given territory, an environment in hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.’” Bishop Pat
Evangelii Gaudium, 28. (On the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World),
Pope Francis, 2013.
In 1971 it became mandatory for each parish in the Diocese of Auckland to have a Parish Pastoral Council.
“Parish Pastoral Councils are mandatory in the Auckland Diocese and the guidelines are issued to assist parishes become what Pope Francis describes as ‘the presence of God in a given territory, an environment in hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.’” Bishop Pat
Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines - 2017
In 2017, Bishop Patrick Dunn introduced revised Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Council to assist councillors in their role in encouraging and training the faithful as indispensable agents of the new evangelisation. Click here to download.
The Guidelines offer a framework of principles, procedures and practical ideas for effective collaboration and co-operation between the clergy and the lay faithful in shared responsibility for leading the parish.
The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines are divided into the following sections:
The Guidelines offer a framework of principles, procedures and practical ideas for effective collaboration and co-operation between the clergy and the lay faithful in shared responsibility for leading the parish.
The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines are divided into the following sections:
- Purpose, function and structure of Parish Pastoral Councils
- Pastoral Planning
- Pastoral Council Make-up and Terms of Office
- Selecting Parish Pastoral Councillors
- Operations
- Executive and Committees
- Relationships
A Pastoral Council seeks to enrich the quality of Parish life by providing opportunities for parishioners to grow in holiness, to discover and live out their personal and community call to mission and to live as Catholics who effectively transform society.
Pastoral issues are those that impact on the lives of parishioners and on the integration of their faith into everyday life, home, work and community. These issues relate to initiatives that support and sustain people in their efforts to live and promote Christian values in their local area of influence. They also relate to the on-going development of a vital Christian community whose focus extends beyond itself to the influence and service of the wider community.
Our Parish Pastoral Council consists of: -
Pastoral issues are those that impact on the lives of parishioners and on the integration of their faith into everyday life, home, work and community. These issues relate to initiatives that support and sustain people in their efforts to live and promote Christian values in their local area of influence. They also relate to the on-going development of a vital Christian community whose focus extends beyond itself to the influence and service of the wider community.
Our Parish Pastoral Council consists of: -
Father John Fitzmaurice has been the Parish Priest since February 2017. |
Father Terry Montgomery is a Priest in Residence. He is in charge of RCIA, leads Alpha courses, helps at the school with their Chess club and helps children there with their reading.
Also the webmaster. So send him an email if you see something that should be added, removed or changed. During COVID he was the technology behind Zoomed Masses, and is now putting those skills to work in two Zoomed Scripture Reflection evenings. |
Diran Arthur has been a member of the Parish since 2012 and joined the Parish Pastoral Council in 2022. In this parish he serves as a Minister of the Word, and due to begin service as a Sacristan. He is passionate about instilling Catholic values in his children, keeping his faith at the centre of his life, and providing service and support to his community.
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Ben Payne serves as the Youth Minister for the Parish. He is currently studying Commerce and Science at the University Of Auckland. Please do not hesitate to contact him via email here.
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Linda McQuade has been a member of the Parish since 1994 and joined the Parish Pastoral Council in 2020. In this parish I have previous served on the Liturgy Committee and served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for about 20 years. I am currently the Safeguarding Coordinator for the Parish. I am passionate about Catholic education and am now a Bishop's Appointee on the Board of our parish school, Our Lady Star of the Sea School.
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Detta Fairweather is Deputy Principal and Director of Religious Studies at our parish school. Detta has been an active member of the parish since 1990. She has served the parish through different Ministries for many years and looks forward to doing so for many more years.
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Richard Keene has been a member of the OLSOS parish since 2000 and been on the Pastoral Council since the beginning of 2015. He is also a Minister of the Word and involved with our very vibrant and rewarding youth group.
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Margaret Quiding has been in the parish since 1975. She has been on the Parish Council since 2015 and has served in various capacities ever since she has been here.
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