"The Pastoral Council is to be a representative body of the faithful whose focus is on the whole community - its beliefs, its hopes, its joys, its needs, its sorrows, its concerns, its gifts and its pursuit of the mission of the Church. The Council provides a means for uniting the Parish community in expressing its collective wisdom concerning pastoral plans and activities.

The Pastoral Council is to guard against serving special interest groups. By reason of its existence, the Pastoral Council must read and reflect the "signs of times" to those planning and/or implementing short and long term pastoral policies and activities in the Parish.

Ordinary administration of the parish will be the responsibility of the administrative staff. By the fact that it is convoked by the pastor, the Pastoral Council must respond to his call and offer the best consultation possible. The Pastoral Council's task is to give counsel and seek consultation. Good counsel becomes the result of full, holistic and active consultation.

Thus, the members of this group, along with the pastor, are called to reflect and consider pastoral issues for the common good and for the future. Their role is to understand, to reflect carefully and prayerfully and to seek consensus. However, under certain circumstances, the pastor and the council may choose to attain a majority through voting to decide a course of action." (Austin Diocese Synod)

The pastor meets with the Members every last Monday of January, March, May, July, September, November and any other time the pastor deems necessary.

Following are the Members of St. Mary's Pastoral Council:


JoAnn Biezenski
Kenneth Johnson
Wanda Ray
Patsy Rekieta
Janel Swick
Dena Yezak - Secretary