Contents

Article I - Name

Article II - Purpose and Functions

Article III - Membership and Qualifications

Article IV - Officers

Article V - Recording Secretary

Article VI - Nominations and Elections

Article VII - Meetings, Attendance Record and Replacement

Article VIII - Process

Article IX - Ratification and Amendments

Article X - Review of Constitution

The name of this organization shall be the Parish Council of St. Antoninus Parish, hereafter referred to as the Council.

(return to top)

1. This organization shall have the following purpose and functions:

    

   A.  Purpose

   The Council exists to consult with the pastor in his administration of the Parish in the fulfillment of the Parish's responsibility in the work of Christ throughout the community and the Archdiocese.

    

   By church law, the pastor has the primary responsibility for the administration of the parish, and he remains superior to the council. The Council is, therefore, neither a legislative body nor a decision-making body.  The Council exists because of the pastor's desire to involve a representative body of the parish in the decision-making process in matters of policy or major administrative initiatives affecting the parish community, either materially or spiritually.  The Council has an essential and integral consultative part to play in the decision-making process.

    

   Consultative means that the Parish Council's basic roles in the decision-making process are the roles of recommender and evaluator.  Consultation in itself is not decision-making or implementing, but "consultation" must be viewed as stronger than "advisory."  If the council's role were "merely" advisory, the pastor's and staff's would be simply to listen to the recommendations.  Consultation means not only listening to, but also carefully and prayerfully weighing and considering the Council's evaluations and recommendations and allowing these to influence the policy and administrative decisions that are made.  If the pastor decides against a recommendation backed by a high degree of consensus of the Council, he would have a moral obligation to explain the rationale of the decision, and be willing to enter into further dialogue about the decision.

    

   B.  Functions

    

   The council is to perform all the following functions:

   1.      To initiate contact with the community members for the purpose of soliciting  input on council meeting agenda-relevant topics.

   2.      To present opinions and evaluations on the agenda-relevant topics as part of the ongoing input to the consultative process.

   3.      To discuss the merits of any and all proposals or recommendations presented at the meeting on the agenda topics.

   4.      To bring up matters of concern relating to the effect pastoral administration or policy is having on the parish community.

   5.      To generate and prioritize alternatives, and finally, to recommend courses of action on the strength of the information available.  
    

(return to top)

A.  Ex Officio Members

Since the pastor and pastoral staff remain super-ordinate to the Council, there shall be no ex-officio members of the Council.  By virtue of his office, the pastor, as a non-voting member, is expected to attend the Council meetings to consult with the members.  Other priests and deacons assigned to the parish are encouraged to attend the meetings as non-voting participants.

B.  Members-At-Large

All voting members of the Council shall be members-at-large consisting of nine (9) members serving terms of three (3) years selected on a staggered basis of three (3) people each year.

C.  Qualifications

Any member of the parish 18 years of age or older is eligible to be a voting member of the Council except members of Parish commissions or employees of the Parish or members of the Parish staff.

(return to top)

Chairperson, Vice Chairperson

The presiding officers of the Council shall be the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.  They shall be elected by the entire Council from its own membership.  They are elected for a one-year term.

Finance Council Representative

To provide an opportunity to share in the financial direction of the Parish, the Parish Council shall select from its own membership one member to serve on the Parish Finance Committee.

(return to top)

The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Council shall select a recording secretary from outside the Council members.  This selection shall be subject to the approval of the entire Council.

(return to top)

The Nomination Committee shall be responsible for all matters concerning Parish Council nominations and elections as specified in the By-Laws.

(return to top)

1. Parish Council meetings shall be held monthly on the fourth Monday of the month.

2. All organizations and commissions are encouraged to send representatives to Parish Council meetings to share the thoughts, opinions and alternatives of the groups they represent with Parish Council.

3. All parishioners may attend Council meetings as observers and may speak only when recognized by the chair and within the limitations established by the chair.  The By-Laws specify how parishioners may be placed on the monthly agenda of Council.

4. The By-Laws shall state the rules of order which shall be clearly established and made known to all members.

5. Special meetings of the Parish Council shall be called at the request of any of the following:  the Chairperson, the pastor or three (3) other Council members, with at least four (4) days notice to all members.

6. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the existing Council seats.

7. A poor attendance record shall be weighed by the Council as sufficient grounds for removal.  Absence from three (3) consecutive meetings shall be considered resignation from the Council.  The replacement shall be selected in accord with the by-laws.

8. The agenda for Council meetings shall be set by the pastor and the chairperson.

(return to top)

1. Evaluation shall be carried out in such a way that it is a supportive activity and not a destructive one.

2. All projects, programs and major service roles of the parish commissions shall be evaluated at regular intervals.

3. The inviolability of persons shall be honored and protected in all evaluations.

4. Each parishioner shall have a clear and accessible channel to make suggestions or recommendations.

5. The pastor and pastoral staff shall carefully and prayerfully weigh and consider all recommendations tendered by the Council, particularly those backed by a high degree of consensual support within the Council membership.  Such recommendations shall be considered particularly compelling for the pastoral administration's attention and careful discernment.

6. The pastor and pastoral staff shall encourage the Council to dream and to help them develop ideas and recommendations into feasible plans.

7. Votes of the Council shall be considered votes to recommend and not votes to decide, unless the pastor indicates otherwise.

8. If, after careful consideration and prayerful reflection, the pastor and pastoral staff cannot accept high-consensus evaluations or adopt high-consensus recommendations tendered by the Council, the pastor shall do the following:

   1. Report back to the Council with a clear explanation of the pastoral administration's position.

   2. Show a willingness to continue the dialogue or to recycle the consultative process until (1) it becomes clear to both the pastoral administration and the Council that nothing further is to be gained in the way of an accommodation or reconciliation; or (2) a decision must be finalized in order to avoid significant negative consequences to the parish.

9. A period of time at the beginning or end of each Council meeting shall be reserved for the pastor to report back to the Council the decisions made or actions taken as a direct result of the prior evaluations and recommendations.

10. The pastor shall not be bound to make a decision at the Council meeting itself but shall be encouraged to take the time needed to carefully and prayerfully weigh and consider, in collaboration with his pastoral staff, the evaluations and recommendations of the Council prior to making a decision.

11. Some administrative decisions require an unusually large commitment of human or material resources on the part of the parish community as a whole.  Such decisions are so important to the life of the entire community and require such a broad base of support and commitment from the community that it would be wise - or at least prudent - for the pastor to include the Council or even the entire Parish community in the process of the decision itself.

12. In accordance with our Constitution, expenditure of a significant amount of the parish's funds shall require consultation with the Council in accord with the current policies of the Archdiocese.

(return to top)

A.  Ratification

This constitution shall be published for the review by the parish-at-large.  Such publication shall contain the names of the current Council members to whom parishioners may voice questions or opinions.  Parish Council shall wait for at least thirty (30) days after publication for responses from the Parish.  Parish Council shall prayerfully consider these responses from the Parish before voting on the constitution.  A two-thirds vote of the entire Council membership is required to ratify the constitution.

B.  Amendments

1. Amendments to the Constitution shall be introduced by a Council member at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Council.  The proposed amendment must be in writing and given to each Council member.  Council may not vote on the amendment until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council.  At that subsequent meeting, the amendment must be passed by a two-thirds vote of the entire Council membership.  The process for ratification of the amendment shall then proceed as outlined in Article IX, subsection A.

2. Amendments to the By-Laws shall be introduced by a Council member at a regularly scheduled meeting of Council.  The proposed amendment must be in writing and given to each Council member.  Council may not vote on the amendment until the next regular meeting of Council.  At that subsequent meeting, the amendment must be passed by a two-thirds vote of the entire Council membership.  No further ratification shall be required.

(return to top)

The Parish Council Constitution should be reviewed and amended, as necessary.  Members of the Parish Council and other parishioners should be invited to serve on this review committee.

Approved:   December 1, 2005

 (return to top)

This page last updated 12/05/05