The Parish Pastoral Council at St. Peter the Rock Catholic Church is a consultative body, pastoral in nature, because it strives to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit among God's people in the parish. 

A Parish Pastoral Council gives its help to the pastor in fostering pastoral activity; it investigates, under the authority of the pastor, all those things which pertain to pastoral works to ponder them, and to propose practical conclusions about them. 

It is essential that Council meetings occur in the context of prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit, so that at all times the common good will prevail. Specifically, the Parish Pastoral Council's purpose is to enhance the process of:
 

• pastoral planning

• developing pastoral programs

• improving pastoral services

• evaluating the pastoral effectiveness of various programs and services
   

Although the Council is not a body which makes binding decisions, the recommendations of the Pastoral Council are to be taken seriously when grounded in prayer, discernment and communal wisdom.

The pastor presides over the Parish Pastoral Council. The pastor is responsible for the final approval of Council recommendations concerning pastoral planning, programs, and services for the parish, as well as for their implementation.  While the pastor is not obliged to follow the recommendations of the Parish Pastoral Council, it is understood that he ought to do so unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.  If there is such a reason, the pastor should share this with the Council.