BAPTISM.  The sacrament of initiation by which men and women become members of the Catholic Church and assume responsibility for using their gifts to build up the community in fulfilling the mission of Jesus.

CATECHESIS.  The process through which individuals and communities systematically acquire and deepen Christian faith.

CODE OF CANON LAW.  Law enacted and promulgated by the Pope for the orderly pastoral administration and government of the Church.  The revised Code, effective November 27, 1983, consists of 1,752 canons in seven books COLLABORATION: The act of working together through reflective listening and genuine articulation of ideas, in a partnership of mutual respect and diversity. COLLEGIALITY: A characteristic of church leadership based on mutuality and unity in diversity, in reference to the universal communion of the bishops with the Holy Father, of pastors with their bishop, and of the faithful with their pastors. COMMUNITY: An essential element of parish life which draws parishioners together with Jesus Christ in mutual support, activity, and celebration. CONSENSUS  A method of making decisions through which a group strives to reach substantial, though not necessarily unanimous, agreement on matters of overall direction and policy which can be supported by all. CONSULTATION:  The act of conferring and deliberating in order to come to decisions together.  Refers particularly to the relationship between pastor and laity, respecting the pastor’s unique role as canonical head of the parish. DELEGATE:  To assign responsibility and authority to the appropriate level. DIOCESE: The local or “particular” church, referring to a geographically designated area in which Catholics, usually gathered in parishes, are united in faith and sacraments with their bishop, ordained in apostolic succession.                            

DISCERNMENT:  The formal prayerful process by which a group discovers God’s will in a particularly significant situation or decision.

EMPOWER:  To provide individuals and or groups with skills, information, authority and resources in order to carry out their responsibilities. EVALUATION:  A systematic way of measuring performance against objectives. EVANGELIZATION: An essential element of parish life which encompasses any way in which the parish continues to spread the good news of Jesus, especially, although not exclusively, through personal and corporate sharing of faith. FINANCE COUNCIL: A consultative body within the parish that offers expertise in matters of finance and plant management as they relate to the mission of the parish. GOAL: A clearly defined, constructive statement of desired direction or activity in broad, general terms. KINGDOM OF GOD: The Biblical expression of God’s dynamic rule of the universe, the values and qualities of which were most clearly manifested in the sayings and deeds of Jesus. LEADERSHIP: An essential element of parish life which calls forth gifts of visioning, planning, empowering, and evaluating for the service of the community. MINISTRY: The active service of the baptized, dependent upon the gifts of the individual and the needs of the community, and always directed to the building up of the Body of Christ. MISSION (OF THE CHURCH):  The purpose for which Christians are gathered in faith: to create a new people, healed and saved through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. MISSION STATEMENT:  A brief, general statement which identifies and establishes the unique direction of a parish as it lives out the mission of the church. OBJECTIVE:  A planned action which directs efforts toward attaining a goal. Besides describing a result, an objective also specifies what is to be done, who is to do it, and when it is to be completed. PARISH: A gathering of the people of God united in faith and dedicated to continuing the universal mission of the Church in their local setting.  Its life is expressed through the elements such as: COMMUNITY,  EVANGELIZATION, LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, STEWARDSHIP, WORD AND WORSHIP. PASTORAL: An approach of caring for the life of the parish as a whole. PASTORAL COUNCIL: A consultative structure in a parish designed primarily to envision, plan, and monitor the mission of the parish community as an extension of the mission of Jesus. PASTORAL PLANNING: The process which turns the parish vision into reality within a particular span of time, through a systematic, cyclical design.  Involves the mission statement, long-range goals, and annual objectives. REPRESENTATIVE:  A characteristic of the makeup of parish pastoral council, namely, their concern with the common good of the entire parish as opposed to special interest groups or organizations.

SELECTION:  A method by which leaders are chosen to serve on the Parish Pastoral Council, through a discernnment rather than election process.

SERVICE: An essential element of parish life which extends the resources of the parish to the needs of others and demonstrates a commitment to works of compassion and justice. STEWARDSHIP: An essential element of parish life which challenges all parishioners to share their time, talent and treasure for the fulfillment of the parish mission. SUNDAY EUCHARIST: The essential element of parish life which is both source and summit of the parish’s expression of its life in Christ. TRADITION:  The long-standing practices and beliefs of the Church, developed since the days of the Apostles, and revered as normative, along with Scriptures, for the life of the Church. VATICAN II: The most recent of 21 church councils in which bishops from throughout the universal church gather with the Pope to discuss and decide on matters of church teaching and practice.  A Council of this nature has supreme and full authority over the Church. WORD: An essential element of parish life which proclaims, explains, informs and forms parishioners of all ages in the Scriptures and tradition of the church.  Encompasses many traditional ministries of  “education.” WORSHIP: An essential element of parish life which gives expression to the sacramental and prayer life of parishioners.  Encompasses both Sunday Eucharist and other ritual forms of sacred celebration.

Page last updated October 05, 2005