Highlights

Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting - October 6, 2002

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 representatives from diocesan committees and councils, and two representatives from each region, who meet five times each year with the bishop.

October Meeting Agenda discussion

- Mary Ann Kramer of Lucan was appointed as Region II representative.

- Ways of improving communication and information access were examined. Members of the DPC will now be receiving a weekly newsletter from the diocesan offices via e-mail and minutes will be provisionally approved by e-mail.

- Bishop Nienstedt will ask the parish CCWs and/or the Daughters of Isabella to help implement the U.S. Bishops' Conference Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life. The plan calls for every parish and diocese to have a Pro-Life Committee. From these parish committees, it is envisioned that a diocesan subcommittee, under the Social Concerns Committee, can be established.

- A policy to set liability insurance guidelines for parish nurse and health ministry programs was recommended for the Bishop's approval.

- The diocese did not receive grant money to fund a ministry formation proposal. The proposal included training for permanent deacons, lay professional ministers, and those already serving on parish staffs. As a next step, the Council will examine the Master degree extension program from Loyola University of New Orleans, which has served nearly fifty other dioceses across the country.

- A survey to improve the consultation process of the DPC with Parish Pastoral Councils was revised and approved. The survey results will be reviewed at the next meeting.

- Responses to the Bishop's column regarding changes in parish life and structure were shared. These comments will be forwarded to the Committee on Parishes for inclusion with other parish pastoral council responses.