Ennis Parish Pastoral Council

Ennis Parish Pastoral Council is a decision making body, composed of lay people, priests and other religious, who take co-responsibility for pastoral planning and pastoral care within the Catholic Church in the Parish of Ennis.  The focus of the Pastoral Council is collaborative ministry, in other words all of us working together for the good of parish and sharing the responsibility.  The role of the Pastoral Council is to confirm, refine and co-ordinate the policy making, planning and management of the Pastoral, Administrative and Financial affairs of Ennis Parish. Tikii Daly, is the Chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council. 

Mission Statement
As a leadership group, the Parish Pastoral Council, trusting in the Holy Spirit encourages and enables the members of the Ennis parish to use their gifts in pursuit of the mission of the Catholic Church so that:
  • The Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed,
  • The Sacraments and Liturgies are celebrated in a meaningful and participative manner,
  • Prayer is fostered,
  • Education, evangelization and faith development are encouraged,
  • There is a sense of welcome and belonging that helps all people feel loved, cherished, and accepted as part of Christ’s body, the Church,
  • Equality, justice and peace are promoted.

In our interaction with people in the wider community of other faiths and world views, we endeavor to use as our model, the openness, tolerance, respect and love of Jesus Christ.

Structure of the Pastoral Council

To assist in this, a number of groups have been set up to address specific needs. The Pastoral Council co-ordinates the work of these groups, each of which has a representative on the Pastoral Council, as does the Parish team and the Franciscan Community.

Parish Team

The following comprise the Parish Team. Each person is responsible for a particular geographic/pastoral area of the Parish – Fr. Tom Ryan, VF Cathedral;  Fr. Ger Fitzgerald,  Fr. John McGovern, Canon Pat Taaffe, Fr. Dariusz Plasek, Fr. Joy Njarakattuvely, and Sr. Betty Curtin.

Area Connect Groups

There are 5 area councils/connect groups, one in each of the Pastoral Areas.  The role of the Area Connect Groups is to make the connection between the Pastoral Council and parishioners and to help build community by getting people more involved in Parish Life.

> Area A: Fr. Joy Njarakattuvely, and Sr. Betty Curtin
> Area B: Fr Tom Ryan
> Area C: Fr. Ger Fitzgerald
> Area D: Fr. Dariusz Plasek
> Area E: Fr. John McGovern

Parish Visitation Group

The Visitation Group provides another link between those working the parish and the community.  Members of the group visit houses, just to say hello, have a chat and provide information on Parish activities.  More details available from the Parish Office.

Finance and Property Committee

The Finance Committee comprises seven people and its function is to plan, control, record and manage all finances of the parish.  Contact Donal Griffin.

Communications Group

The brief of the members of the Communications Group is to let people know what is happening in Ennis Parish and invite them to get involved in the life of their church. Contact Fr. Tom Ryan.  For the latest updates, see the Communications Group in the Groups section of the website.

Eucharistic Adoration Group

This group represents over 600 people who do a committed hour before the Blessed Sacrament each week.  Coordinated by Maurice Griffin, you can read more about the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel here.

Franciscan Friary

Fr. Joe MacMahon OFM represents the Franciscans on the Pastoral Council.