"The perfect book for thoughtful members of parish councils."

		Pastoral Councils in Today's Catholic Parish Mark F. Fischer 290 pages. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications - Bayard, 2001
This book can help you judge if your council is in the US mainstream, how councils have evolved, and how they can improve.		"Pastoral Councils in Today's Catholic Parish" is now out of print, but you can download it as a PDF at no charge by clicking here.

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Chaps. 1-2: Number, Support Councils exist in three-quarters of U.S. parishes and are supported by the vast majority of bishops.			Chapters 16-17: Two Purposes The primary purpose of councils is planning; coordination of committees is secondary.
Chaps. 3-7: Empirical Portrait The types of councils, committees, leadership, member selection, & styles of consultation.			Chapters 18-20: Consultation Why do pastors consult councils? Why do parishioners want to participate? The answer is the search for wisdom
Chapters 8-12: History Councils in the 60s, American missteps, growth in the 70s, canon law, meanings of "pastoral."			Chapter 21: Foundations Renew your council by giving it a three-year term and a specific focus on planning.
Chapters 13-15: Membership Problems with elections and discernment, ecclesial representation, discerning elections.			Bibliographies Commercial publications and pastoral council guidelines published by dioceses.

Questions? Mark Fischer would love to receive mail from you. Send him a note! MarkFischer@roadrunner.com

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