Pastoral Council

The Pastoral Council is the main advisory council assisting the pastor in the area of parish life and programs that are offered at the parish.  The following responsibilities of the pastoral council are outlined in Pastoral Council Guidelines, promulgated by the Diocese of Phoenix.

• To assist the pastor in the process of ongoing pastoral planning and the development and updating of any parish pastoral plan, by developing goals and objectives and the establishment of priorities for the parish.


• To assist the pastor by engaging in any process of review and evaluation of the progress that is being made regarding the implementation of parish priorities.


• To assist the pastor when developing parish policies.


• To assist the pastor by identifying and bringing to his attention issues affecting the life of the parish community.


• To assist the pastor by serving as a sounding board when making decisions that affect parish life.

Selection of Members:
Each April, a process begins wherein current members indicate their interest in continuing or not. Selection is through a progressive Discernment process, either beginning at the Council level, or at the Parish level.  Number can vary, chosen to ensure diversity of parish is represented in opinion of pastor. Final selections are at the pastor’s discretion.  The council year runs from July 1 through June 30. To enable new perspectives over time and an orderly transition, council members may serve up to three years, with the possibility of being renewed once.

A major responsibility for the Pastoral Council is developing a three-year Pastoral Plan for the parish.  The current plan covers the 2019-2021 period, and its summarized as ""We desire a parish that is… Welcoming… Communicates… and is Fiscally Responsible… by understanding and reinforcing the existing practices, features and parish programs that support these objectives AND implementing new efforts that keep these goals contemporary as the parish grows and develops as a faith community."

Our Pastoral Council is fortunate to have the following dedicated members for the current council year; Please reach out to any member with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have:

Ex-Officio Members
Fr. James P Kalliath MS, Pastor
Deacon Catarino Portillo

Lay Members / Minstry & Org Leads*
Patrick Brennan, Council Co-Chairperson
John Cloyd, Finance Council Chairperson & Rep
Beverly Ogle, RCIA Ministry
Mary Abel, Social Outreach Committee Representative
Karen Crowe,  Bereavement Committee Representative
Rafael Rivera, Encuentro Matrimonial Representative
*For parish ministries without a member representative, the Pastor or Council chair will provide an update

At-Large Representatives
Luz Arzate
John and Maggie Clark
Bob Crowe
Mona Farrar
Marcella Guajardo
Timothy Mullane
Noreen Noel
Ines Rodriguez
Marsha Thiel
Cong Tran