Pastoral Council 2007The Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) will be held this year on 15-16 June, and will have a focus on Vocations. More details soon. DPC 2005-6 Strategic Directions Pastoral Council 2006An extraordinary Diocesan Pastoral Council was convened on Friday the 13th of October to brief counsellors on World Youth Day (WYD) Sydney 2008. 95 delegates from all parts of the Diocese gathered to hear special guest Bishop Anthony Fisher OP, coordinating bishop for WYD, speak regarding the current planning and work being undertaken by the Local Organising Committee in Sydney for WYD. After Bishop Anthony’s presentation, Diocesan Youth Ministry Coordinator Rachel Grahl, updated delegates on local diocesan planning and highlighted ways that parishes from around the Diocese could be involved. “The feedback we had was fantastic; the delegates were very impressed with Bishop Anthony and the work being carried out by the WYD Sydney 2008 team. The possibilities for our Diocese became clear and the room was buzzing as a result” said Rachel. After lunch the Diocesan Pastoral Council was officially convened and delegates were asked to work in groups to give feedback to the Diocese on our participation in WYD elements, particularly the WYD Cross & Icon and Days in the Diocese. As the facilitator Rachel observed that “The groups were focussed, vocal and efficient. The ideas that came out from the group were great and the level of commitment obvious. I am really looking forward to our next phase of the project”. As part of the next phase the Diocese is fortunate to be on the itinerary of Bishop James Wingle, the first international guest as part of the Activ8 WYD Sydney 2008 National Speaking Tour. We will be holding an all ages event on Saturday the 28th of October from 7:30 – 9:30pm at the Ryan Community Centre, Morindo Drive Kirwan. It will give people a taste of what WYD will be like in 2008. For more information contact the youth office on youth@tsv.catholic.org.au. Click here for a brochure outlining the structure of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the role of a councillor. Pastoral Council 2005DPC 2005-6 Strategic Directions More than 100 delegates including priests and lay representatives from most parishes in the Diocese together with agency representatives set a number of Strategic Directions and Actions to be implemented throughout the Diocese at the Diocesan Pastoral Council in Townsville on 30 September and 1 October, 2005 at the Mater Conference Centre. Bishop Michael Putney used the theme of this years council “Conversion: the Launch Pad to Evangelisation” as the focus of his keynote address. Carmel Crawford from the Melbourne Archdiocesan Office for Evangelisation who facilitated the two-day gathering, delivered a paper on “Reclaiming Conversion for the life of the Church”. Chairman of the Bishop’s Advisory Council, Mike Byrne reported back on the actions initiated since the last Diocesan Pastoral Council held in May 2004. Diocesan Youth Coordinator, Rachel Grahl gave an account of the development of Youth Ministry which was a major recommendation from the 2004 Pastoral Council and unveiled the proposed Youth Ministry plan for 2005/06. Young people who attended the World Youth Day Pilgrimage in Cologne shared their experiences during the conference dinner with a photographic presentation and each of the eleven pilgrims present talked about the highlight of their trip in the footsteps of St Paul throughout Turkey and Greece prior to joining the young people from around the world in Cologne with Pope Benedict XVI. Some of the major recommendations from this year’s conference are:
Pastoral Council 2004The Diocesan Pastoral Council met on 21 - 22 May 2004 in Townsville. A statement of strategic directions and action plan, with an accompanying letter from Bishop Putney can be accessed below. |
|
Diocesan Pastoral Council
