Highlights
Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting
May, 2004
According to Church law (Canon 511),
"In each diocese, to the extent that pastoral circumstances recommend it, a pastoral council is to be established whose responsibility it is to investigate under the authority of the bishop all those things which pertain to pastoral works, to ponder them and to propose practical conclusions about them."
Membership of the Diocesan Pastoral Council is comprised of representa-tives from diocesan committees and councils, and two representatives from each region, who meet five times each year with the bishop.
May Agenda Discussion
- Mr. Thomas Holzer, Director of Finance, presented the diocesan budget for 2004-2005. Projected income is $2,359,135.26 and an equal amount is projected as expense. The budget was unanimously recommended.
- A number of policies were reviewed and recommended:
1. The use of low gluten hosts and mustum at Mass
2. Revised guidelines for the Diocesan Building Committee
3. A Feasibility Study for parish building projects
4. Revised guidelines for the priest as a minister of Confirmation
5. Revised statutes of the Finance Council of the Diocese of New Ulm
6. Revised policy on national and other collections
- Discussion continued on a possible diocesan three-year evangelization process. The Council suggested adding a question, along with some supporting information, to the survey that will be sent to parishes and organizations regarding the diocesan fiftieth anniversary. The Council also recommended that the survey questions be printed in The Prairie Catholic so that every person in the diocese has an opportunity to offer suggestions regarding the celebration. (See bottom right, and page 4 for Spanish version.)
- The Council discussed a report from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Laity regarding diocesan and parish pastoral councils. It was decided that time will be set aside at the September Retreat Day to further discuss the article with new members.
- The Executive Summary of a Report to the Diocese of New Ulm by consultants from the National Association for Lay Ministry, who conducted an on-site visit in September of 2003, was discussed. The Council intends to study the recommendations from the report and establish priorities and a timeline for implementation. The discussion will be continued at the October meeting.
- A video presentation and handouts by Deacon Leonard Fuller, Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Winona, were viewed and discussed. The video provided an overview of how a diocesan appeal is conducted.