"The council provides a means for uniting the parish community in expressing its collective wisdom concerning pastoral plans and activities. The PASTORAL COUNCIL is to guard against serving special interest groups.

"By reason of its existence, the PASTORAL COUNCIL must read and reflect the "signs-of-the-times" to those planning and/or implementing short and long term pastoral policies and activities in the parish. Ordinary administration of the parish will be the responsibility of the administrative staff. By the fact that it is convoked by the pastor, the PASTORAL COUNCIL must respond to his call and questions and offer the best consultation possible.

"The PASTORAL COUNCIL’S task is to give counsel and seek consultation. Good counsel is the result of full, holistic, active consultation. Thus, the members of this group, along with the pastor, are called to reflect and consider pastoral issues for the common good and for the future. Their role is to understand, to reflect carefully and prayerfully and to seek consensus. However, under certain circumstances, the pastor and council may choose to attain a majority through voting to decide a course of action."

At St. Mary's, the Parish Council consists of a representative from the major ministries within the parish and representatives that are elected at large by the parish membership. The council meets every other month to discuss and plan the pastoral work of the parish. Members of this council are not only actively involved with the parish as a whole, they are also very involved in many other ministries within the parish community.

The Parish Council meets: The First Sunday of even numbered month (February, April, June, August, October, and December) at 12:00 Noon in the Assumption House Conference Room.