Parish Governance: St. Mark Parish News And Views - Online Catholic Church Resources

Parish Governance

Parish Council

Shared responsibility and shared ministry are the main purpose of the Parish Council. Through its committees, the Council broadens its decision-making role within the parish. Together with the pastor, the Parish Council develops policy for both spiritual and material concerns of the parish and encourages the members of St. Mark to fulfill their mission as Christians at large.

Grade School Board

This board is dedicated to the promotion of the educational aspect of St. Mark Parish's mission and Catholic education. Its mission is to develop policies for the Grade School and Junior Academy, foster growth and excellence in education, and provide a channel of communication among school administration, the parish council, and its committees.

Heritage Committee

The St. Mark Heritage Committee addresses fund-raising for parish school, scholarships and all other religious education needs of the parish.

Administration/Finance Committee

The Parish Finance Committee is appointed annually by the pastor. The committee assists the pastor in preparation of the parish annual budget by forecasting the expenditures and the expected revenues for the year. The committee also meets and advises the pastor on all other financial matters pertaining to the fiscal policies of the parish.

Stewardship Committee

The members of this committee are appointed to help the Saint Mark community become more aware of the gifts that have been entrusted to them by our loving and generous Father. The Stewardship Committee plans an annual program to give opportunity to share our time, talent and treasure for the benefit of Saint Mark Parish and the community.

Worship Committee

Every parish deserves good Liturgy. This committee observes current liturgies, discusses liturgical practices and ways to improve our current liturgies, and then decides on specific steps to make those improvements. Liturgy committee members are ultimately servants of the entire faith community, as they make assessment of liturgy needs and set goals for the liturgical life of the parish. This committee is responsible for musical and choral accompaniment, church decorations, and sanctuary needs.

Buildings and Grounds Committee

This committee ensures that the grounds and properties of the parish are properly maintained. This includes procuring janitorial and other necessary maintenance personnel.

Communications Committee

The Communication Committee facilitates interaction and exchange among groups within the parish. It also insures appropriate publicity for the parish through use of the bulletin, the Communicator, local and diocesan newspapers. It develops various means of communication. It also occasionally publishes a parish pictorial directory.

Human Concerns Committee

This committee strives to educate the parish and the larger community on the issues of social justice and peace; it networks with other groups working for peace and justice on the local, Archdiocesan, national and international levels. It supports service projects within our parish and the wider community by providing coordination, recruitment of volunteers and necessary resources.

Personnel Committee

The Parish Personnel Committee is appointed annually by the pastor. This committee maintains current job descriptions, develops employee contracts, and interviews applicants for parish staff positions. It also sets a salary scale for parish employees. Latin-American Center Committee.
This committee ensures the continued interaction of the Hispanic community in Kenosha with the parish. It evaluates the needs of the Latin-American population with a view to their religious education and integration with the community.

Adult and Family Committee

The purpose of the Adult and Family Ministry Committee is to enable parishioners to extend Christ's ministry from Sunday worship to everyday life. This extension of Christ's ministry is accomplished by increasing the individual parishioners own knowledge, love, and commitment to Christ, and then by using this commitment to help other members of St. Mark's Parish Family.
The Adult and Family Ministry Committee focuses on specific groups of parishioners such as young adults, single people, married couples, those divorced or separated, single parent families, homebound persons, the bereaved, and other people with special needs. It is the responsibility of the Adult and Family Ministry to identify unmet needs of members of the parish community, to develop programs or services in the community that will meet the needs identified if such services already exist.

Strategic Planning Committee

This committee looks at the future goals of the parish in the next 3-10 years and attempts to clarify these goals and reflect on them. Working with other parishes in our cluster, they analyze how we can work together.