The Parish Pastoral Council

The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body – in line with the provisions of the Code of Canon. The Council gives its help to the Priest-in-Charge in fostering pastoral activity. It investigates, under the authority of the Priest-in-Charge, all those things which pertain to pastoral works to ponder them, and to propose practical conclusions about them.
Specifically, the Parish Pastoral Council’s purpose is to enhance the process of:
 pastoral planning
 developing pastoral programs
 improving pastoral services
 evaluating the pastoral effectiveness of various programs and services
The Priest-in-Charge presides over the Parish Pastoral Council and is responsible for the final approval of Council recommendations concerning pastoral planning, programs, and services for the parish, as well as for their implementation.

Membership

The Pastoral Council is a representative body rather than a body of representatives. A council member is not a representative for a particular neighborhood, age bracket, special interest group or organization. The current members of the Council are:

Very Rev. Fr Mike Umoh (Chairman)
Dr. Emmanuel Ugwu (1st Vice Chairman)
Rtd.Major Gen. Cyril (2nd Vice Chairman)
Mrs. Gloria Nwabuike (Secretary)

Ongoing formation for the Council members includes an annual retreat which usually holds on the first Saturday of Lent.
Meetings/Agenda
Ordinarily the Council meets once every 2 months.
The Priest-in-Charge is the primary selector of the Council’s agenda, but any member of the Council may raise items for the agenda.
The following are some of the pastoral activities which the council deliberates on at its meetings:
 instruction in the full range of the faith and catechetical formation
 programmes promoting gospel values, including issues of social justice
 responsibilities to people with special needs
 Catholic education of children and young adults
 outreach to alienated Catholics
 evangelization
 programmes of sacramental life and preparation
 promotion of Eucharistic devotion
 inculcation of prayer life, especially within families
 effective participation in the liturgy
 home visiting
 efforts at building community
 motivation of the spiritual and corporal works of mercy
 efforts of special care for the sick and dying
 tangible concern for the poor, the afflicted, and the lonely
 fostering of solid Christian family life
 promotion of the lay apostolate
 strengthening of extra-parochial relations with the bishop, diocesan-pastoral efforts and a worldwide Catholic identity
 special role with parish stewardship activities
 outreach to and inclusion of youth and young adults in the life of the parish
.