Article 1: Definition
The name of this organization is the St. Athanasius Parish Pastoral Council.
Bylaw I.1
A parishioner is a person who (a) has been baptized and is in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and either (b) lives within the official boundaries of the parish or (c) by his or her free and consistent choice wants to be a member of St. Athanasius Parish and contributes to the betterment of this parochial community of faith, grace and service.
Article II: Purpose
The purpose of this Council is to be the primary consultative voice of the parishioners of St. Athanasius Parish cooperating with and providing information for the pastor in his responsibility to provide pastoral leadership.
Bylaw II :1 Purpose
Once it is constituted, the Council shall pray, dialogue and develop its own particular mission statement, stressing the spiritual rationale for its existence. The statement shall be reviewed and, as appropriate, reaffirmed or updated every five(5) years. This mission statement shall be shared with the parish as a whole.
Bylaw II.2
The council shall, if one does not already exist, develop an effective pastoral plan. It shall periodically evaluate progress toward agreed parish goals and objectives and update the plan. Information from the council shall be shared with the parishioners on a regular basis.
Article III: Membership
The Council shall have fifteen (12) members. Not more than five (5) shall be ex officio and/or appointed. Members shall serve a three (3) year term and be eligible for one (1) consecutive term. The membership on the Council and its committees shall seek to represent fairly the richness of the diversity amongst the members of the Parish community such as ethnicity, language, age and gender.
Bylaw III.1
In order to fill annual vacancies the council, a total of seven (7) members will be selected from the parish at large. ther terms will be staggered, so there is an annual turnover of not less than two (2)new selected members. Parishioners are encouraged to recommend fellow parishioners or submit their own names for consideration. If there aremore names submitted than vacancies, a general election of the parish will take place to select the council members. This process will take place in the summer, with terms beginning the following September. the past shall actively seek as volunteers members of the parish which reflect the rich divesity of its members.
*Please efer to Appendix 3 for the nomination/volunteer form.
Bylaw III.2
In the event that fewer people apply than there are openings, the pastor may appoint member to fill out council membership of twelve (12) members. this will be done with the advice and consent of the Council. these terms will be for three (3) years.
Bylaw III.3
The procedure used to fill any vacancies of selected membes occurring mid-term shall be the decision of the Council. Depending on the length of time remaining in the vacant term, the Council may decide to (a) fill the position by appointment, (b) seek volunteers from the parish at large to fill the vacancy, or (c) leave the seat open until the following June. The term of Council members who fill mid-term vacancies will be for the remainder of the term of the original position.
ByLaw III 4
Ex-officio members shall include the pastor and one staff member. Three (3) members shall be appointed, in consultation with the Council, to provide additional representations and competencies.
Bylaw III.5
Terms for the four (5) ex-officio/appointed members appointed by the pastor shall be determined by the Pastor, with the Council. In no case shall the term of the appointment be longer than three (3) years. Reappointment to a second term as an ex-officio/appointed member shall be as stated in this paragraph.
Article IV: Officers and the Executive Committee
The pastor or his delegate shall preside at each Council meeting. The Council shall annually elect one(1) of its elected members as Chair, one(1) as Vice Chair and one(1) of its members as Secretary. The Executive Committee shall include the pastor, the three(3) officers plus the chair/s of the standing committee/s.
Bylaw IV.1
Officers shall serve one(1) year terms and be eligible for election to one(1) additional consecutive terms in the same office.
Bylaw IV.2 (Pastor)
The pastor shall serve as the spiritual leader of the Executive committee and the full Council. He will work with the chair of the Executive committee to set the agenda for the regular Council meetings. He will work with the Executive committee on ways to implement the decisions of the Council. The pastor will attend both Executive committee and regular Council meetings.
Bylaw IV.3 (Chair)
The chair will work with the executive committee to develop the normal meeting schedule for the Council and will work with the pastor to set the agenda for the Council meetings. The chair shall lead and facilitate the monthly meetings of the Council. The chair will attend both Executive committee and regular Council meetings.
Bylaw IV.4 (Vice-Chair)
The vice-chair will serve as the chair and fulfill those responsibilities as stated in Bylaw IV.2, when the chair is unavailable. The vice-chair will attend both Executive committee and regular Council meetings.
Bylaw IV.5 (Secretary)
The secretary is responsible for publishing and distributing the agenda for the meeting at least one week prior to the monthly Council meetings. He/she is responsible for note taking at the regular Council meetings and publishing and distributing the minutes of each meeting, at the same time the agenda is distributed. He/she is responsible to do the same for the Executive Committee meetings. The secretary will attend both Executive committee and regular Council meeting.
Article V: Meetings
The council shall meet every month for ten(10) months of the year. If an elected Council member has three(3) consecutive unexcused absences from Council meetings and unless extenuating circumstances exist, that member shall cease to be a member of the elected Council.
Bylaw V.1
The normal meeting schedule shall be agreed upon and announced at the September Council meeting each year. Special Council meetings may be called by (a) the pastor, (b) the Executive Committee and/or (c) a written request signed by not less than four (4) members of the Council. At least ten(10) days notice of a special meeting shall be given to all members.
Bylaw V.2
If an elected member shall cease to be a member of the Council, he shall be replaced according to the procedure established in Bylaw III.2.
Article VI: Committees
The Council shall have one (1) standing committee: An Executive Committee whose members are defined in Article IV. For other areas of concern, the Council will establish committees, as necessary.
Bylaw VI.1 (Executive Committee)
The Executive Committee shall study and make recommendations on those matters referred to it by the pastor, and will work in collaboration with the Parish Finance committee in presenting the annual budget of the parish to the Council. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to handle emergency Council business with the pastor and to set the agenda for the monthly Council meetings. They shall set their own calendar of meetings. Minutes from their meetings will be shared with the entire Council.
Bylaw VI.2
Other committees may be appointed by the Council as needs arise. Each such committee will be given a written commission and a specific time line in which its work is to be completed. Members of the committee need not be Council members, with the exception of the chair, who must a Council members. The number and makeup of committees shall be determined by the Council.
Bylaw VI.3
The chair of any committee may serve on the Executive Committee, if deemed necessary by the Executive Committee, as long as that committee is in active existence. The chair of the committee shall provide ongoing reports to the Executive Committee, or its chair, regarding the status of their committee work. When the committee work is completed, the committee chair will report the results to the full Council.
Article VII: Procedures
Ordinarily the Council and its committees shall proceed using the method known as consensus. In particular instances, however, it may use the method known as Robert's Rules. Eight(8) members present shall constitute a quorum.
Bylaw VII.1
The Council will attempt to come to resolution on agenda items through the use of consensus. When a formal vote is needed, Robert Rules of Order will be used as the process by which to reach decision. The use of Robert's Rules may be at the request of the pastor, the chair, or any four(4) members of the committee. This may occur in such instances as when the agenda item is highly controversial; when a written record of Council opinion is deemed appropriate; and/or when a vote by formal and/or secret ballot is called for. Any decisions arrived at through the use of formal voting will be reported as such in the minutes of the meeting.
Bylaw VII.2
A quorum of eight(8) members must be present in order to vote or come to consensus on any agenda item presented to the full Council. If a quorum is not present, the meeting may be canceled and another scheduled, at the discretion of the Chair.
Article VIII: Amendment
This constitution and the accompanying bylaws may be amended by the Council.
Bylaw VIII.1
Changes or amendments to this constitution or bylaws may be proposed by any Council member. Any proposed amendments must be presented in writing to the full Council at least one meeting prior to voting on proposed changes. Any amendments shall require a formal two-thirds vote of the Council.
Bylaw VIII.2
A full and formal review by the full Council of this constitution and bylaws shall take place every five (5) years. The procedure to make any changes shall be as outlined in Bylaw VIII.1.
