Summary of Nov. 7 Diocesan Pastoral Council meeting

Special to The Message

The Diocesan Pastoral Council met on Nov. 7 at the Catholic Center in Evansville. The DPC is a consultative body to Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.

Following Mass, Bishop Siegel welcomed members and led them in the Diocesan 75th Anniversary Prayer. Diocesan Finance Officer Dean Happe then provided an overview of diocesan finances. He addressed a range of items such as the diocesan operating budget, the insurance program budget, sources of revenue and expenses, income opportunities, and the Catholic Parishes Campaign.

Following that, Vice-Chancellor Dominic Faraone discussed the pastoral planning process. He briefly described the 2016 Diocesan Pastoral Plan and reviewed responses that DPC members had shared regarding a review of that plan and their recommendations for new diocesan priorities. He explained that the Bishop would be compiling the responses from the DPC, the priests and the diocesan office directors and then would form a task force to revise the pastoral plan.

The meeting concluded with some final comments from the Bishop and an opportunity for Q&A. The date of the next meeting will be determined soon.