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27 May 2008 |
First Meeting of
Diocesan Pastoral Council Set for June 1
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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NEW YORK —
The
first meeting of the Diocesan Pastoral Council is set for June
1. The meeting will begin with Mass at 11:00 a.m. in St.
Agnes Cathedral celebrated by the Most Reverend William
Murphy, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville
Centre. During the Mass, Bishop Murphy will commission the
new Council members. This Mass will be celebrated live on
Telecare, the diocesan television station (Cablevision Channel
29/Verizon Channel 271). Following Mass, the new 30-member
advisory body will meet in the St. Agnes Center.
The need
for a Diocesan Pastoral Council arises out of the Second
Vatican Council and subsequent letters and decrees by popes
and congregations in Rome. It is a response to the desire to
have greater collaboration in the life of the Church and
to let
the voices of the laity be heard in plans and hopes for the
future of the Church.
The Diocesan
Pastoral Council will assist the bishop through advice,
research, study and the development of recommendations on
pastoral issues of structures/organization, education,
formation, worship and service within the diocese. Members
will participate in meetings with Bishop Murphy to share their
hopes and prayers, plans and ideas for the good of the Church
in the years to come.
“I look
forward to the constitution of this new Diocesan Pastoral
Council and to our future meetings when we will be able to
talk about what it is that has made this Church so great and
how we can contribute together to plan for the future,” said
Bishop Murphy. ”This will serve the Church’s present and
future mission and build up the unity of our diocese.”
The Diocesan
Pastoral Council functions under Canon 511 which states in
part: “In each diocese, to the extent that pastoral
circumstances recommend it, a pastoral council is to be
established whose responsibility it is to investigate under
the authority of the bishop those things which pertain to
pastoral works, to ponder them and to propose practical
conclusions about them.”
The
Diocesan Pastoral Council is principally composed of lay
faithful, as well as clergy and members of institutes of
consecrated life who meet periodically with the bishop in
order
to talk
about the future of the Church and to help give ideas for
planning for the growth and spiritual and pastoral well being
of the people.
The Diocesan
Pastoral Council consists of the following members:
Ex-Officio:
Rt. Rev.
Msgr. John A. Alesandro, Ex-Officio
Rev. Msgr.
Robert J. Brennan, Ex-Officio
Most Rev.
John C. Dunne, Ex-Officio
Most Rev.
Peter A. Libasci, Ex-Officio
Most Rev.
Paul H. Walsh, Ex-Officio
Appointed Members:
Robert Bruno
Rita
Chojnacki
James Conner
Brother Gary
Cregan, O.S.F.
Bertha Del
Carpio
Daniel
Diviney
Brian Dwyer
Cleary
Goodman
John Hanley
Margaret
Healy
Courtney
Henley
Richard
Huminski
Rev. Msgr.
William E. Koenig
John Lane
Sr. Ann
Marino, R.S.H.M.
Victor
Martinez
Francis
McCarthy
Sr. Kathleen
McCarthy, O.P.
Sr. Marie de
Montfort Shields, C.S.J.
John
Sullivan
John Sureau
Telma Ticas
Deacon Jesus
Valdes
Marie
Ventimiglia
To qualify
to be a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, one must be a
Catholic in full communion with the Church. This means
someone who accepts and lives the Gospel, the message of Jesus
Christ and the teaching of the Church, particularly of the
Pope and of the bishops.
About The Diocese of Rockville Centre
The Diocese of Rockville Centre
www.drvc.org was formed in
1957 and covers 1,198 square miles in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties. The diocese serves approximately 1.4 million
Catholics (total population in both counties is
approximately 2.8 million). There are 134 parishes in
115 towns. Last year over 18,000 baptisms, 18,000
confirmations, 19,000 first communions and 4,000
marriages took place in the diocese. There are
approximately 22,000 students in Catholic elementary
schools; 13,000 in secondary schools and 3,300 in higher
institutions. There are 69 Catholic elementary and high
schools and one Catholic college in the diocese. There
are also 120,189 total students in religious education.
Catholic Health Services of Long Island consists of five
hospitals, three nursing homes, a community-based home
for those with special needs and a hospice. Last year,
Catholic Charities assisted more than 59,000 individuals
who are poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged on Long
Island. (4/20/07)
Contact: Diocese of Rockville Centre
Sean P. Dolan
516-678-5800, ext. 625
rvcinfo@drvc.org
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