Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index In American Catholic parishes, the parish council arose after Vatican II in the new era of lay participation in parish decision making. Parish councils (in contrast to Pastoral Council) are bureaucratically structured decision making bodies that work closely with the Pastor and his paid staff. Typically, parish council members hold elected offices (such as President, Vice President, Treasurer, etc.). They meet on a regular basis and oversee such parish matters as the annual plan, schedule and budget, capital improvements, and the like. Other groups operating within a parish, such as ministries and societies, may make reports to the parish council, and may seek support (e.g. funding) from the parish council. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.