Parish Pastoral Council
“A parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers.”
Evangelii Gaudium, 28. (On the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World) -Pope Francis, 2013.
In 1971 it became mandatory for each parish in the Diocese of Auckland to have a Parish Pastoral Council.
“Parish Pastoral Councils are mandatory in the Auckland Diocese and the guidelines are issued to assist parishes become what Pope Francis describes as ‘the presence of God in a given territory, an environment in hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration.’” Bishop Pat
In 2017, Bishop Patrick Dunn introduced revised Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Council to assist councillors in their role in encouraging and training the faithful as indispensable agents of the new evangelisation.
The Guidelines offer a framework of principles, procedures and practical ideas for effective collaboration and co-operation between the clergy and the lay faithful in shared responsibility for leading the parish.
The Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines are divided into the following sections:
- Purpose, function and structure of Parish Pastoral Councils
- Pastoral Planning
- Pastoral Council Make-up and Terms of Office
- Selecting Parish Pastoral Councillors
- Operations
- Executive and Committees
- Relationships
The Mission and Evangelisation Office provide formation sessions for parish pastoral councils to support the councilors in their leadership ministry in the Church.
To view more information on PPC go to: https://www.aucklandcatholic.org.nz/discipleship/pastoral-councils/
Parish Pastoral Council Members
Father John Fitzmaurice has been the Parish Priest since February 2017.
Father Terry Montgomery is a Priest in Residence. He is in charge of RCIA, leads Alpha courses, helps at the school with their Chess club and helps children there with their reading.
Also the webmaster. So send him an email if you see something that should be added, removed or changed.
During COVID he was the technology behind Zoomed Masses, and is now putting those skills to work in two Zoomed Scripture Reflection evenings.
Margaret Quiding has been in the parish since 1975. She has been on the Parish Council since 2015 and has served in various capacities ever since she has been here.
Linda McQuade has been a member of the Parish since 1994 and joined the Parish Pastoral Council in 2020, following retirement in January 2020. In this parish I have previously served on the Liturgy Committee; at one stage was a lay leader of The Word with Eucharist and have served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for over 20 years. I am passionate about Catholic education having served as Principal of two Catholic Colleges prior to serving as Bishop Pat’s Vicar for Education for the last 16 years.
Detta Fairweather is Deputy Principal and Director of Religious Studies at our parish school. Detta has been an active member of the parish since 1990. She has served the parish through different Ministries for many years and looks forward to doing so for many more years.
Linda Lerhke has been a member of the parish since 1993. For many years her ministry within the parish has focused on supporting the children preparing for the sacraments. This provides her with an opportunity to share the teachings of the Catholic faith with both children and adults.
For the last thirty plus years she has been part of the Passionist Family Group movement within the parish and has enjoyed the fellowship this provides.
Diran Arthur has been a member of the Parish since 2012 and joined the Parish Pastoral Council in 2022. In this parish he serves as a Minister of the Word, and due to begin service as a Sacristan. He is passionate about instilling Catholic values in his children, keeping his faith at the centre of his life, and providing service and support to his community.