Parish Pastoral Council (commonly referred to as the Parish Council), required by Diocesan policy, is a consultative board, representative of clergy, religious and laity, which works together under the guidance and direction of the pastor to promote the spiritual welfare of all persons within the parish.

The Code of Canon Law, provides for the establishment of a Parish Pastoral Council to assist the pastor in planning,
coordinating, guiding, and directing all aspects of parish life (canon 536).

A parish is the community where the faith life of each member is nourished. It is a family where, under the leadership of the pastor, each member contributes to the success of the whole, of the building up of the Kingdom of God in the local community, as part of the Universal Church.                                                                                                                      -Parish Finance & Administrative Manual, Diocese of Burlington