Highlights
Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting
April, 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.
April Agenda Discussion
- As part of the Finance Council report, a 2004-2005 budget summary was reviewed and a preliminary recommendation was passed. The complete budget will be presented and discussed at the May meeting.
- Bishop Nienstedt brought to the Council’s attention the building of a wall in the city of Jerusalem. The wall is intended to protect Israeli citizens from Palestinian terrorists but it will also prevent pilgrims from visiting sites like parts of the Way of the Cross, Bethany, the Mount of Olives, and the city of Bethlehem. The Council recommended that pastoral leaders encourage parishioners to contact their congressional representatives and senators. The suggestion will be communicated to the pastoral leaders.
- Bishop Nienstedt also discussed the Priests’ Council suggestion that more education should be provided in the diocese about same-sex unions. The Council recommended that the USCCB’s document, "Between Man and Woman" or a summary, be published in The Prairie Catholic.
- A draft survey to gather ideas and suggestions for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the diocese in 2007 was reviewed. The survey was recommended along with a cover letter and a direction that the surveys should be sent to all diocesan councils and committees and parish or area pastoral councils.
- The Executive Committee of the Diocesan Pastoral Council presented interim guidelines for membership and meetings. It was determined that the present number of regional representatives should be retained but that some method of "assigning" parishes and Area Faith Communities to each representative would be further discussed. The number of annual meetings was changed from five to four. The Council will meet for a retreat in September and have regular meetings in October, December, March and May.
- A video presentation by Father Bob Rivers, a Paulist priest involved with evangelization initiatives, was viewed. The tape, from the spring Pastoral Leader Days, described the evangelization process that has begun in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis and could be modified for the Diocese of New Ulm. The discussion will continue at the May meeting.