CONSTITUTION
of
ST. THOMAS CHURCH
PARISH COUNCIL
Underhill
Center, Vermont
“Whatever you do in
word or in deed, do
everything in the
name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God
the Father through
Him.” (Colossians
3: 17)
November 1, 2002
Council Chair: Tom May Pastor: Rev. Francis R. Privé
Vice-Chair: Steve Kellner
Constitution Committee: Roger Koniuto, Ruth Barningham & Cyrus
W. Bassett
CONSTITUTION of ST. THOMAS CHURCH - UNDERHILL CENTER, VT - NOVEMBER
1, 2002
PARISH MISSION
STATEMENT
We believe that our faith in the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit finds its highest expression through our participation in the liturgy.
We believe that through the imitation of Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, our daily lives should profess our belief in God.
We believe that as Catholic Christians, we have a duty to
spread the Good News and that a primary task of our parish is to provide
educational opportunities for our children and our adults.
We believe that every individual has gifts to offer our
community and should be encouraged to participate in our liturgies and other
programs.
We believe that community worship necessitates community
participation.
And, we believe that this community participation
ennobles our community worship and deepens our personal spiritual life.
PARISH
OBJECTIVES
Therefore,
As a parish we believe that our primary responsibility is
to provide the opportunity for community worship and we will make every attempt
to involve as many people as possible in the planning and implementation of all
our worship activities.
We will make every effort to reach out to those members
of the community who have special needs to enable them to participate in our
worship and other parish activities.
We will provide religious education opportunities for all
ages and encourage participation in those opportunities.
And, we will provide the support (physical, moral and
financial) necessary to accomplish these objectives.
SECTION I
NATURE AND PURPOSE OF
THE PARISH COUNCIL
1. The Parish Council (to be
termed throughout, “Council”) is an advisory board, representative of the laity
of the parish, whose role is to work together with the pastor in promoting the
spiritual welfare of all persons in the parish community.
2. The Council is concerned
with the total needs of the parish as a faith community dedicated to the
worship of God and the service of all God’s people.
3. The major areas of concern
for the Council are: LITURGY, RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, SOCIAL CONCERNS, PARISH LIFE
and STEWARDSHIP.
4. The standing committees of
the Council are the Finance Committee, the Cemetery Association, the Youth
Committee and Public Relations.
SECTION II
MEMBERSHIP OF THE
COUNCIL
MEMBERSHIP
DEFINED
Membership shall consist of twelve elected members, Chairs of
parish Standing Committees, the Commission Chairs, the Pastor and all paid
staff members. The term “Council
member” as used throughout refers to every member unless specific mention is
made of elected members.
ELECTED MEMBERS
Twelve(12) adult parishioners elected by
adult members of the parish (“Adult” to mean of high school age or older).
STANDING
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Standing Committees of the parish are those
required by Canon Law, Diocesan Statute, Chancery regulation or parish
definition. The Chairs of the Standing Committee
or its appointee shall serve as members of the Council; the method of choosing
its Chair is determined by the Standing Committee. Presently the Standing Committees are: 1) the Finance Committee,
2) the Cemetery Association, 3) the Youth Committee, and 4) Public Relations. Once appointed, Standing Committee Chairs enjoy equal membership
of voice and vote in the Council, except on matters of the budget, approval of
Commission and Committee Chairs or if an Executive Session is called for by the
Pastor or Parish Council Chair.
COMMISSION
CHAIRS
The Commission Chairs will be appointed by
the elected members of the Council at their meeting following parish elections. Once approved by the Parish Council,
Commission Chairs enjoy equal membership of voice and vote in the Council,
except on matters of the budget, approval of Commission and Committee Chairs or
if an Executive Session is called for by the Pastor or Chair of the Parish
Council.
TERM
OF ELECTED MEMBERS
Members elected to the Council serve for a
term of three(3) years. A member may be
elected for a second consecutive term, after which this member must retire for
a period of one year before becoming eligible to run as a candidate for the
Council again. A retired member may
serve as Chair of a Commission or Standing Committee without regard for a
waiting period.
TERM
OF COMMISSION CHAIRS
Commission Chairs are appointed to serve for
a term of one year, but may be re-appointed each year. There is no requirement for Commission Chairs
to retire for any period of time before being re-appointed.
N.B.- Commission Chairs serve until
the new Chairs are appointed at the Council meeting following parish elections. The summer serves as a transition time in
which past Chairs may train the new chair.
SECTION III
ELECTIONS OF THE
COUNCIL
1
Elections are to be held
annually not later than the second Sunday of June. The Council Chair will appoint a nominating committee.
2
Four members are to be
elected annually, each for a term of three years.
3
Names of nominees will
be announced in the parish bulletin at least two weeks prior to the elections.
4
Attendance at Council
meetings is expected of all members.
5
Every elected Council
member is responsible for serving as a member of at least one Commission.
6
If an elected member is
no longer able to serve in the course of a term, the Council shall select a
replacement.
SECTION
IV
MEETINGS
1
The Council will meet
monthly with the exception of July, August and December. Additional meetings can be called by the
Pastor or the Chair of the Council.
2
A quorum shall exist
when a majority of the elected members is present.
3
A consensus process of
decision-making shall be utilized at all meetings. If consensus is not reached on an issue which must be resolved,
the Chair will call for a formal vote.
4
Council meetings are
open, unless the Pastor and/or Chairman determine an Executive Session is
necessary. If an executive session is
called for, then staff and non-members would be asked to leave until the Executive
Session is finished. The Chair and/or
Pastor may invite pertinent individuals to join the Executive Session as they
deem necessary.
5
Parishioners wishing to
address the Council during any meeting should make arrangements with the Chair
before the agenda is set. The Council
Chair sets the agenda for Council meetings by contacting Commission Chairs,
Standing Committee Chairs and staff members for suggestions, in addition to any
items offered by Council members at their last meeting. The final agenda should be checked with the
Pastor and then communicated to all Council members before the Council meeting.
6
A suggested format for
Council monthly meetings is as follows:
a. Opening Prayer
b. Approval
of Minutes of previous meeting
c. Decision
Items
d. Discussion Items
e. Reports
(Commission Chairs hand in written reports prior to the meeting)
f. Miscellaneous Items and Announcements
g. Set
agenda for next meeting
h . Closing Prayer
SECTION V
OFFICERS OF THE
COUNCIL AND THEIR DUTIES
A. PROCESS FOR CHOOSING
1. The Council shall have
a Chair, Assistant Chair and a Secretary.
The Council Chair and the Assistant Chair must be elected members.
2.
The Chair and Assistant Chair shall be elected by the Council at the
first meeting following general elections.
The Commission Chairs shall be appointed (re-appointed) immediately following the election of
officers. Standing Committee Chairs
shall be elected by their committees and accepted by the Council.
3.
Officers are to serve a term of one year and may be chosen again twice
(for a total of three consecutive years).
A one- year interim
must exist before being eligible for the same office after serving for four
years.
B.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND SECRETARY
1. COUNCIL CHAIR:
a Conducts all meetings of the
Council.
b Encourages a spiritual tone,
supports a freedom of discussion and moderates debate. c
Sets agenda, with input from the Council and consultation with the Pastor.
2. ASSISTANT CHAIR:
a In the absence of the Chair, conducts
meetings of the Council.
b Assists the
Chair and Secretary as needed.
c
Coordinates training workshops for Council members.
3. SECRETARY:
a. Takes
minutes at all Council meetings and keeps these in a permanent record, making
copies for every Council member, and posting a copy for Parishioners in the
Church.
b. Notifies
members of all Council meetings through the Parish Bulletin and gives
individual
notification to each Council member for special meetings.
c. Submits
the official roster of Council members to the Chancery Office and to other
official
requests
(such as local dean) after Council elections, and also notes any roster changes
during the year.
SECTION
VI
COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES
1. The Council shall have Commissions whose Chairs will
be appointed annually by the elected members of the Council. Once they are appointed, by the Council
elected members, Commission Chairs shall participate in the decision making
process in all matters except the final decision to approve the annual budget
and in Executive Sessions.
2. Commissions shall make decisions and proceed on all
matters that ordinarily come within their purview, reporting all procedures and
results to the Council. Any new matters
or decisions which touch on other commissions’ areas of responsibility in the
parish structure should first be presented to the Council for guidance and
direction. Any fundraising income or
additional expenditures not already approved in the current budget must be
presented to the Finance Committee for review and recommendation before
receiving approval by the Council (elected members).
3. Commission membership is left to the discretion of the
Chair.
4. Commission membership will include Chairs of any
committees carrying out Commission goals and tasks.
5. Commissions may form as many committees as necessary
to carry out goals effectively.
Committees are likewise free to organize whatever subcommittee divisions
are most helpful in completing their tasks.
6. Commission Chairs shall submit a written report to the
Council before the regular monthly Council meeting, hopefully to be
communicated to all Council members with the agenda for the meeting.
SECTION VII
COMMISSION GOALS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS
1 LITURGY COMMISSION
This commission has the responsibility to support
the development of the spiritual life of the parish community. Together
with the pastor, the members will plan and coordinate activities surrounding
the parish Liturgies, Sacramental celebrations, renewal events and other
programs of parish worship and spiritual life.
Their responsibilities include,
but are not limited to the following at least the following:
a Selection, training and scheduling of
Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Servers, Lectors and Ushers.
b Coordination of all ministries and
functions of parish liturgies, including rehearsals when necessary.
c Coordination and resourcing of music
preparation for parish liturgies.
d Setting up and coordinating of prayer
groups and home Masses.
e Initiating and carrying out of special
spiritual enrichment programs.
f Coordination of care for the church
sanctuary, sacred vessels, vestments, liturgical books, etc.
g Maintenance of supplies necessary for
parish liturgies and other spiritual programs.
2 RELIGIOUS
EDUCATION COMMISSION
This commission has the responsibility to
plan, coordinate and conduct the religious education programs of the parish. Its goal is to develop greater understanding
of Jesus Christ and the mission of His Church and includes:
a
Preparing, supervising and evaluating programs for pre-school children.
b Preparing, supervising and evaluating the
Kindergarten through eighth grade programs.
c Preparing, supervising and evaluating a Total
Youth Ministry program for high school students, including a two-year Confirmation
component.
d Preparing, supervising and evaluating
adult education programs, including enrichment and informational programs. The first priority in this category is to be
an annual Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) program.
e Maintaining informational literature, pamphlet racks, books & magazines and bulletin board displays at church.
3. SOCIAL
CONCERNS COMMISSION
This commission has many
tasks: hospitality ministry, family life ministry, visitation and bereavement
ministry and other works of mercy. The
responsibilities of the Social Concerns Commission include the following:
A. Hospitality
1. Sending appropriate cards for births, deaths, and special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays of the elderly.
2. Welcoming new parish members, contacting
personally or by phone.
B. Works of Mercy
1.
Visit the sick and shut-ins of the parish and maintaining contact as needed.
2. Providing contact and assistance to the extent possible for single parents, the needy, the handicapped and the elderly.
3. Representing the parish at wakes and being available to grieving families.
4. Coordinating the solicitation of food and helping in serving dinners as requested for funerals.
C. Family Life
1. Participate in and support “Right to
Life” work and activities.
2. Educating the parish on need to revere all
life.
4
PARISH LIFE COMMISSION
This
Commission has the responsibility for developing and insuring the social
aspects of our Parish life. As a hopefully convergent responsibility, they
are charged with planning and overseeing fund raising events, and with the ecumenical responsibilities of the
Parish. These responsibilities include:
A. Community Building
1. Being responsible for occasional social functions, coffee hours, pot luck dinners, the parish Picnic, etc.
B. Ecumenical Ministry
1. Representing St. Thomas Parish at the Jericho/Underhill Ecumenical Ministry meetings and activities.
2. Representing St. Thomas Parish in the community affairs and groups requesting our presence.
3. Organizing and supervising St. Thomas Parish participation in the Ecumenical Food Shelf.
C. Fundraising
1. Working with all other commission/committees in parish fundraising events to support, encourage and enable such events to happen.
2. Ascertaining that major fundraising events will have competent and conscientious Chairpersons; this includes parish and/or diocesan events (e.g., Ham Dinner, Christmas Bazaar, Bishop’s Fund, etc.).
3.
Annually preparing a plan of fundraising events with time-lines for
Council approval.
5. STEWARDSHIP
COMMISSION
This Commission has the responsibility to care for the
physical needs of the parish and the maintenance of all parish properties in cooperation with the
Pastor:
The
Stewardship Commission will:
1. Review at each monthly meeting of the Commission
both inside and outside maintenance.
2. Work with the other commissions/committees to
provide physical and maintenance assistance.
3. Monitor regularly the work of any paid
maintenance staff.
4. Plan short-range and long-range projects, and
invite and supervise volunteers to help.
5. Prepare annually a plan of capital
improvements with time-lines for Council approval.
Section
VIII
STANDING
COMMITTEES OF THE PARISH
1. DEFINITION:
Parish committees required by Canon Law, Diocesan Statute, Chancery regulation
or parish rules.
2. PRESENT COMMITTEES AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES:
A. Finance Committee - Members appointed by the
Pastor, according to Diocesan guidelines.
1. Prepare the annual parish budget with the Pastor,
for final approval by the Council.
2. Monitor the
parish budget by reviewing quarterly reports sent to Diocesan Finance Office.
3. Prepare
all necessary reports for the Diocesan Finance Office, Internal Revenue
Service, banks, etc.
4. Prepare
parish financial reports for the parish bulletin/newsletter.
5. Present
verbal report to the parish at all Masses on a weekend designated by the Pastor.
6. Communicate important issues or concerns for
discussion or decision to the Council.
B. Cemetery
Association - Established by Diocesan guidelines; members approved by the
Pastor; chosen own
1. Responsible for all aspects of cemetery care
and cemetery operations for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Irish Settlement
Cemetery, and the St. Thomas Cemetery on Range Road, including all
correspondence to and from concerned
Diocesan offices, as well as any legal or civic correspondence.
2. Present to the Council periodic reports on
the progress of cemetery operations.
3. Prepare for Annual Cemetery Report for the Diocesan
Finance Office.
4. Offer suggestions to the Council as to how
the parish might be helpful and supportive of maintenance efforts in the three
St.Thomas cemeteries.
C. Youth
Committee - Established by Council; members appointed by Council; Chair chosen
by Council, with approval of Pastor.
(description to be provided at a later date)
D. Public Relations Committee - Established by
Council; members appointed by Council; Chair chosen by Council, with approval
of Pastor. Gathers information
regarding Parish events, programs and projects, and coordinates the
dissemination of parish publicity.
Section
IX
ROLE
OF THE PASTOR
1. As
spiritual leader of the parish faith community, the Pastor is appointed by the
Bishop to provide pastoral care as his representative and responsible by Canon Law to teach, sanctify
and shepherd the faith community with the cooperation and assistance of other presbyters, deacons and lay
members of the community.
2. The Pastor
shall consult with the Council, its Commissions and its Standing Committees in
all important parish matters and give due consideration to all deliberations of
the Council.
3. All
decisions and resolutions of the Parish Council become parish policy if there
is no objection by the pastor in the decision-making process of the Parish
Council.
4. A veto by
the Pastor during Council deliberations will suspend action on an issue, but
both Pastor and the Council understand that either may appeal to the Bishop for
direction or decision on such issues.
Section
X
PARISH
PLANNING AND REVIEW
The
Council shall conduct a planning and review process. This planning process shall be on a three year rotating schedule
for comprehensive updates. An annual
review cycle of all commission activities shall provide for ensuring complete
and comprehensive support.
1.
The Council shall
prepare a comprehensive pastoral mission plan and review schedule.
a.
A Parish Mission plan shall be developed and completely reviewed at
least once every three years.
b. The Council shall
conduct a review of all parish activities for all the members of the parish for
incorporation into, update to, or elimination from the parish plan at least
once during this three year cycle.
c.
Commission subcommittees shall be established and/or reorganized in
accordance with the conclusions drawn from analyzing the results of these
parish reviews.
d. Three times a year the Council will schedule
a presentation to the total parish on the activities and health of the parish. One of these presentations will be on the
financial status of the parish and two shall be on the Council’s activities.
e. The Council shall be responsible for
recommending consolidation, reorganization or discontinuation of subcommittees
if appropriate.
2.
Subcommittees shall be
established to support and achieve the parish missions of the parish.
a. Subcommittees shall
appoint a chairperson with the approval of the Council.
b. Subcommittees shall
develop a mission statement.
c. Subcommittees shall review, with the Council, at least twice
annually, the status of their subcommittees in- cluding total membership, active membership, current
projects, status of recent projects and planned
future projects.
d. Subcommittees shall foster
the Parish Commission goals by periodically presenting to the total parish
mem- bership the status and results
of their activities.
SECTION
XI
AMENDMENTS
AND ADDENDA
1.
Such changes to this constitution
require a two-thirds vote of the elected Council members, after the changes are
published in the parish bulletin and announced at all Masses for at least two
weeks before final approval.
2.
The Council constitution
and any amendments should always be sent to the Chancery Office for review
before final approval.
DATE: November 1, 2002
PASTOR: Rev.
Francis R. Privé
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE:
Roger Koniuto,
Council Chair
Ruth
Barningham
Cyrus Bassett