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All Saints & St Kevin's parish
A letter to all Parishioners from Parish Council Chairperson: Alton Ruiters
Home/PPC / A letter to all Parishioners from Parish Council Chairperson: Alton Ruiters
Alton Ruiters
August 23, 2025
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A letter to all Parishioners of

All Saints & St. Kevin’s from your Parish Council Chairperson:

A letter to all Parishioners of All Saints and St. Kevin's from your Parish Council Chairperson:

Alton Ruiters


Dear Fellow Parishioners

Three years ago, in the latter part of 2022, you elected members of this parish to take up leadership positions on the Parish Pastoral Council. Those elections were run to the specifications set down in the newly promulgated Archdiocesan Statutes for Parish Pastoral Councils, signed by Archbishop Brislin in March 2022.

These Statutes determined a new structure for Parish Pastoral Councils, using designated Portfolios within the parish, with the Coordinators of these portfolios making up the leadership structure that is the Parish Pastoral Council. During the election process you, as parishioners, were asked to nominate and then vote for, people who would head each of those portfolios. The seven portfolios stipulated in the Statutes are:

  • Evangelisation
  • Liturgy
  • Faith Formation
  • Marriage and Family
  • Youth
  • Community Engagement
  • Parish Community Building
Our vision statement states, “To be a welcoming parish, living out our Faith in action through building a vibrant and inclusive community with passion, vigour and love for Christ.”

Our Parish Pastoral Council comprises of the following members, leading their respective portfolios:

2024 02 14 PPC Structure & Portfolio Poste MERGED1


Here is some selected information about the work done in these portfolios within our parish over the past three years, highlighting our successes:

  1. Restarted the Parish Youth Group
  2. Created awareness of available marriage and family support programmes (e.g. Retrouvaille program, Parenting Workshops)
  3. Developed focused communication channels and enhanced existing ones to meet the needs of the parish (e.g. online registration and dedicated communication team for website, WhatsApp, Facebook)
  4. Formalised Faith Sharing groups
  5. Created support platforms for our parish family members who are migrants or refugees
  6. Restarted and restructured the Soup Kitchen providing much needed meals to 100’s of our vulnerable community members in most need of support.
  7. Improved catechism programs within the parish by:
  • Implementing a digital registration system and monitoring attendance to enhance participation and engagement
  • Increasing the number of catechists
Although active participation by parishioners in various ministries has improved, increasing the levels of involvement remains a challenge.
During the three years we, your Parish Council have been in office, we have been guided and assisted by an Archdiocesan team known as Parish Alive, run from the Archdiocesan Centre for Pastoral Development under the leadership of Father Zane Godwin, the Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Development. This Parish Alive initiative was formed in 2022 specifically to train, assist and support the leadership structures in all parishes of the Archdiocese. This team has provided seminars, summits, webinars and various ministry training sessions to enhance the leadership skills of all Parish Council members.

Now, in the second half of 2025, the term of office of all PPC members comes to an end, and the period of nominations and elections of a new Council begins. It is time for all parishioners to give serious thought to those in our parish who would be suitable for future leadership within the parish.
There are a few important points laid down in the Statutes that I wish to bring to your attention:

  • Only adult parishioners of eighteen or older who have received the sacrament of Confirmation are eligible to stand for office.
  • Only adult parishioners of eighteen years or older who have received the sacrament of Confirmation may nominate and vote.
  • No elected person may stand for three consecutive terms of office.
  • Selected parishioners may be freely appointed at the discretion of the parish priest; the numbers of appointees may be less than but shall not exceed the number of those elected to the PPC.
  • The Coordinator of the Youth Portfolio on the PPC should, wherever possible, be between the ages of 18 and 35.

Our Nomination process begins 30th August and runs until 7th September. Please see the PPC Elections Handbook available at the Link to PPC Election Handbook for further clarification. We are confident this will answer all your questions and give plenty of food for thought as we move into this important election process.

On behalf of the outgoing Pastoral Council members, I would like to thank all parishioners for their constant support in all our endeavours.
We pray for your prayerful and fruitful discernment during this time.

Yours Sincerely,

Alton Ruiters

All Saints and St. Kevin’s Catholic Parish (Northpine and Brackenfell)

PPC Chairperson

(23 August 2025)

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🔖Tags: PPC Elections
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