Councils and Committees

A Parish Pastoral Council is to be established in each parish. The council’s primary purpose is to assist the pastor in implementing the Church’s vision for parish life as a center of worship, evangelization, and service, and to assist the pastor by receiving and evaluating feedback on existing activities and new initiatives with the parish. This council is a consultative and advisory, not deliberative, body which provides the pastor with insights, perspective, and guidance on issues affecting the pastoral life of the parish.

This council normally consists of eight to fourteen members of the parish who are chosen by the pastor, taking into consideration the size of the parish. Members could serve either two or three-year terms, at the discretion of the pastor, that are renewable no more than once. At the conclusion of two consecutive terms, a member may be reappointed only after a period of one year absent from council membership. Membership on a Parish Pastoral Council is limited to those in full communion with the Catholic Church. Potential council members should be active in the life of the parish for a minimum of one year before serving on council.

Parish Pastoral Councils are to meet a minimum of four times per year. Additional meetings may be scheduled at the discretion of the pastor but should not exceed twelve per year, unless deemed necessary.

In each parish, there is to be a council for financial affairs regulated by universal law and norms established by the diocesan bishop. The faithful, selected for this council in accord with these regulations, assist the pastor in the administration of the parish goods. The competence of the council could extend to the preparing or reviewing of budgets and reports; explaining the annual report to parishioners; advising on all acts of extraordinary administration and alienation, on contracts, salaries and benefits of parish employees, insurance, investments, loans, mortgages, leases, rents, fundraising, land and buildings, hiring and firing of employees, overseeing construction and renovation projects, and, in general, any financial and legal matters within the council’s competence as specified by particular law or as brought to its attention by the pastor.

The Saint Noel Endowment Fund is an investment in the enrichment and well-being of the parish community.  It helps to support parish ministries that meet social, youth, religious, and surrounding area needs related to parishioners and the community in general. The fund relies on gifts and investment and returns to support its mission. Recent grants offered to the parish have included: post-pandemic professional live-stream equipment, new altar server albs, guest instrumentalists, and consistent assistance toward our monthly Neighbor to Neighbor Meal.