By Church Law, every Catholic parish is governed by the assigned pastor, but he must have a Finance Council and is encouraged to have a Parish or Pastoral Council. At St. Nicholas we have both. The pastor, Fr. Bob Bonnot, strives to govern the parish collaboratively with these two councils. Though he alone is finally responsible for decisions regarding the life of the parish both spiritually and materially, he strives to reach those decisions only after listening closely and responsively to the voice of the parishioners.

The Finance Council is responsible for overseeing the fiscal and physical well-being of the parish and all its assets. It works with the pastor to formulate and recommend administrative policies, directions and decisions. The Finance Council usually meets monthly.

The Pastoral or Parish Council is responsible to formulate and help determine the spiritual and pastoral vision for the life of the parish community. It works with the pastor to formulate and recommend pastoral programs and policies, directions and decisions. The Parish Council has several committees responsible for various components of parish life. The Parish Council meets every other month with the Committees meeting in the intervening months.

Further details regarding the work of these two important Councils are available under their respective headings.