By Thea Jarvis

To effectively implement the priorities process presently being undertaken by the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Board of Consultors has recommended the reconstitution of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

Such a council would review the priority statements of local parish councils, deaneries, clergy and religious, and make final priority recommendations to Archbishop Donnellan.

The reconstituted Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, the predecessor of which was active following the Archdiocese Synod of 1966, will hopefully be a workable consultative body whose smaller numbers will prevent it from becoming unwieldy.

According to the decree enacted by the 1966 synod, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council “is chiefly concerned with legislative action, review of departmental programs and the process of appeal from parishes.” In addition, the council “has its own pastoral implementation of daily life” and is therefore “directly responsible with the archbishop in such fields as liturgy and ecumenism.”

Just as parish councils provide representation for a wide range of individuals and organizations and ideally can contribute to the smooth functioning of local churches in a spirit of Christian brotherhood, so an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council can represent a broad spectrum of clergy, religious and laity, establishing a viable forum for addressing the needs of Catholics in north Georgia.

Election to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council is to be decided by parish councils in consultation with the archdiocesan deans.

There are six deaneries in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The northeast metro deanery is headed by Father Paul Fogarty, the northwest-metro by Father Daniel O’Connor, and the south-metro by Father Raymond Horan. The northeast-rural deanery is headed by Father Edward O’Connor, the northwest-rural by Father Patrick Mulhern and the south-rural by Father Joseph Ware.

Deanery councils will be composed primarily of parish council members and staff from churches in the geographical areas covered by the deanery. The dean and his parish council chairperson will preside over deanery council meetings, which would be open to all parishioners in the deanery area.

It is the deanery council which would elect representatives to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council Steering Committee. Four delegates, including one priest and a sister, are to be chosen by a council vote. Parishes will be allowed three votes in the decision-making process, and will include the pastor and two delegates selected by the parish council.

It is proposed that deanery councils meet every other month from October through June. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council is to meet three times a year, in November, February and May.

It will be the function of the regional councils to consider matters of local deanery concern, as well as items sent to each council from the Archdiocesan Pastoral Board Steering Committee or Archbishop Donnellan.

Other archdiocesan offices, agencies, boards, councils and commissions will serve as resource consultants to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council when their assistance is needed. They will receive reports of recommendations made by the council.