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St. Monica Catholic Community is one of 287 parishes of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, under the leadership of Archbishop Jose Gomez. The Archdiocese covers three counties - Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara and consists of five pastoral regions. St. Monica is one of 81 parishes in the Our Lady of the Angel Pastoral Region under the leadership of Auxiliary Bishop Edward Clarke. Go to www.la-archdiocese.org for more information.
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Canon Law mandates a parish finance council in each parish. The role of the parish finance council is to assist the pastor and parish staff in planning the budget and in overseeing and controlling the financial affairs of the parish including the schools. The parish finance council is accountable to the pastor who has the responsibility for final decisions. The pastor will give serious consideration to the recommendations of the finance council, especially if they are unanimous regarding a given matter.
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St. Monica Parish Council is organized according to a document called a Covenant Book (similar to by-laws), which includes the mission and leadership structure of the parish council. The role of a parish council by Canon Law is to investigate (research), ponder (reflect on), and make recommendations about pastoral matters, as well as propose solutions to pastoral problems (one or two topics at a time so council remains focused).
“The Parish Council is an advisory leadership body, guided by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, that assists the Pastor and the Parish Staff in discerning the needs of the Parish and, by recommending strategic goals and priorities, guides the Parish in fulfilling its mission as a Christian community.”
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The Parish Council coordinates six working ministry councils whose functions are outlined in the Covenant Book. All parish organizations and activities are within one of the following six councils:
- Administration
- Adult Education and Enrichment
- Community Life
- Pastoral Care and Social Justice
- Worship and Liturgy
- Youth Education and Formation
Each ministry council has a structure and mission statement; generally, the purpose of the ministry councils is to:
- Develop goals that are supportive to our Parish Wide Mission/Goals, part of our pastoral plan, and are strategic and comprehensive.
- Monitor/evaluate the implementation of goals/plans and provide support and problem-solving to the ministries that are included in the council area.
Two people discerned from each of the ministry councils, along with the pastor, the parish administrator, the executive advisor (the immediate past chairperson), the chairperson, the vice chairperson, and 4 at-large members appointed by the pastor, make up the parish council for a total of 21 members. The four members appointed by the pastor should be people from groups that might not be represented or people who will provide a gender, age, or cultural balance.
The term of office for the parish and ministry councils is two years. A parish council chairperson is elected by the council, and that chairperson appoints a vice chairperson among council membership.
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