Every parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a pastoral council chaired by the pastor and with parishioners as members. Here at the Church of Saint Joseph, our pastoral council meets regularly and is coordinated by Mr. Mike McCarthy.
The Archdiocese sets out the directions by which the council works. The goal of the Council is to foster participation of members of the parish in the life and mission of the Church. The members accomplish this goal by the development and implementation of a pastoral plan for the parish. Membership on the Council is by appointment of the pastor, ex officio, and by election. Generally, the total membership of the Council can vary depending on circumstances, but a recommended size is 12 members.
The Finance Council is an advisory board comprised of parishioners and parish staff who assist the Pastor in managing the financial needs and responsibilities of the Church of St. Joseph parish. The council develops and monitors the church’s annual operating budget, reviews major purchases and expenditures, and helps optimize the parish’s financial situation. Members of the council are:
Chris Backer (Chairman)
Marissa Bascelli
Jakki Bennett
Bill DeFeo
Brian Fasy
Matthew Gibson
Joseph Zakorchemny
Jeffrey Zalfa
Every parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a pastoral council chaired by the pastor and with parishioners as members. Here at the Church of Saint Joseph, our pastoral council meets regularly and is coordinated by Mr. Mike McCarthy.
The Archdiocese sets out the directions by which the council works. The goal of the Council is to foster participation of members of the parish in the life and mission of the Church. The members accomplish this goal by the development and implementation of a pastoral plan for the parish. Membership on the Council is by appointment of the pastor, ex officio, and by election. Generally, the total membership of the Council can vary depending on circumstances, but a recommended size is 12 members.
In 2023, Council worked with Ms. Evelyn Brannan Tarpey, Associate for Pastoral Planning for the Office for Parish Services and Pastoral Support for the Archdiocese. Evelyn visited with our Council and helped to update our Council and re-immerse it in the nature of the life and work as it comes to us from the Archdiocese. Based on Evelyn’s presentation, this is a snapshot of the work of the Pastoral Council:
As I mentioned, our Council meets regularly. One of our goals of our current planning has been to emerge from the immediate effects of COVID on the community and to work to bring on new members. Several current members will continue into the next year to assure a beneficial and positive continuity. In the fall / winter of 2023, the opportunity arose to have new members join. I asked the current membership for recommendations for appointment by me and I am also happy to learn from individual parishioners if they have any recommendations.
One of the elements that Ms. Tarpey highlighted in her visit to our Council is that the Archdiocese asks that the election process include an important moment of discernment with the nominees to help guide them from the initial, private nomination to the decision to actually stand for election. Specifically, the process would be, once names for proposed nominees are received, for the pastor to work with the current leadership of the Pastoral Council to discern with the proposed nominees on an individual basis, and in light of the nature and work of the Council, if the nominee is willing to have his or her name stand for election.
In January of 2024, elections were held for two members, as two came off the council at the end of 2023.