Committees
FINANCE COUNCIL
The O.L.M.C
.
Finance Committee examines the needs, resources, and budget of the parish and
advises the pastor on appropriate
distribution of funds and on allocation adjustments where required. The
committee meets about six times each year. The Committee is made up of
individuals with a combination of expertise in accounting, finance, stewardship,
and business management to serve responsible use of the monetary resources
contributed by the parish as a whole. This
committee is also responsible for
presenting a balanced budget to the pastor on an annual basis.
PASTORAL COUNCIL
The parish council arose after Vatican II in the new era of lay participation in parish decision making. It was a response to the Vatican II Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People (Apostolicam actuositatem, par. 26). This decree, published in 1965, recommended the establishment of councils at all levels of the Catholic Church (including the parish) with one purpose, namely, to assist in the Church's "apostolate" or mission. The decree also said that such apostolic councils "may coordinate" lay initiatives, so long as they do not interfere with the autonomy of such initiatives. Many Catholics throughout the world interpreted the decree as calling for parish councils that would coordinate parish committees or commissions. This was the genesis of the "parish council".
Canon
536 applied the "pastoral" council idea to parishes. The "pastoral" council
(according to the decree) has a threefold purpose. It (1) investigates pastoral
matters, (2) ponders or reflects on them, and (3) reaches conclusions,
conclusions that are recommended to the pastor. When the new Code was
promulgated, it clarified the identity of what had hitherto been called the
"parish" councils. These councils were now "parish pastoral" councils with a
"consultative only" vote.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s Pastoral Council was constituted for the purpose of advising and consulting with our pastor to formulate and develop parish initiatives in areas of need, and to evaluate and improve existing programs as well as to support and promote participation on behalf of the whole community.
The membership of the Pastoral Council is expected to represent a wide range of Concerns and Organizations, primarily Worship, Education and Evangelization, Social Concerns, Youth, and Community Building. Individual areas of interest and ministry generally fall into one ore more of those categories.
Members of the Pastoral Council serve a three year term.
The officers are selected by the entire council at the first meeting in August and serve a one year term, by agreement of the pastor and the whole council.
WORSHIP COMMITTEE
The Worship
Committee oversees the Parish’s liturgical, sacramental, and spiritual life
celebrations in
conjunction
with the Director of Worship. Specific responsibilities include:
- promoting liturgical education and catechesis among parishioners;
- assisting the Pastoral Associate for Liturgy in the formulation of the liturgy budget;
- providing a forum for receiving parishioners’ interests and concerns regarding worship activities and working toward a resolution according to Parish decision-making principles;
- attending to the needs of the diverse groups involved in the total Parish experience of worship.
QUILTERS
The O.L.M.C. quilters are an esteemed group of our parish faithful that meet on a regular basis to give of their time, talents & treasure as they make beautiful quilts by hand. These quilts are truly gifts of love as they are donated to charitable organizations as well as for O.L.M.C.’s annual picnic fundraiser. These folks have been meeting and making quilts for almost as long as the parish has been in existence.
