St. Patrick Church Pastoral Council Bylaws Mission Statement The St. Patrick Church Pastoral Council, hereinafter referred to as Council, is called to make Christ s presence a living reality in our lives and in the lives of others. Article 1 Purpose The Council is the means to bring life and service to the parish community. The Council shall: A. Provide a witness to the parish community of their unity to one another and with the Pastor. B. Assess adequately, with the leadership of the Pastor, the spiritual and material situation of the parish community for both present and future. C. Foster and support a unified vision of the parish through development of a parish mission statement and goals. D. Develop a plan and assure implementation of that plan for pastoral renewal according to the Second Vatican Council and the teaching and discipline of the Church. E. Coordinate all parish activities in accordance with the mission statement and pastoral plan to best serve the spiritual renewal of the people of the parish. F. Encourage all members of the parish to be good stewards in the spiritual and apostolic life of the parish. G. Provide a means for constructive dialogue among all members of the parish and between the individual parish community and the community at large. H. Promote and collaborate with programs and activities recommended by the Diocese. I. Evaluate the parish pastoral plan.
Article 2 Membership and Term of Office A. Voting membership consists of: 1. The St. Patrick Church parish priests; and 2. Nine (9) at large members elected by the vote of parishioners B. Non-voting members consist of: 1. One participating, but non-voting, youth representative between the ages of 16 to 20, appointed by the Youth Ministry Coordinator. 2. Three representatives of each standing committees established for the betterment and well-being of the parish community. The three standing committees are: (1) Liturgy; (2) Spiritual; (3) Education. a. The Liturgy Committee is comprised of the following: 1. Eucharistic Ministry 2. Lectors 3. Ushers (Men s Club) 4. Commentators 5. Altar Servers 6. Choirs 7. Sound Control b. The Spiritual Committee is comprised of the following: 1. The Altar Society 2. ACTS 3. Evangelization 4. Adoration 5. Youth Ministry 6. Prayer Communities c. The Education Committee is comprised of the following: 1. CCD Programs in Elementary, Middle School and High School 2. Bible Study 3. Sacramental Instruction 4. Adult Christian Formation 5. Good Shepherd d. Each standing committee shall be responsible for drawing up guidelines that determine its membership, goals and operating procedures e. Each ministry shall select from its own ranks a ministry chairperson who shall serve a term of only one year. The chairperson shall rotate amongst the various ministries that compose that particular committee. f. Additional authorized ministries may be added from time to time with the approval of the Council in consultation with the parish pastor or priest.
C. Term of Office 1. Initially, four of the Council members shall have a term of two years and five will have a three year term. Thereafter, the terms will be staggered three year terms. The maximum number of consecutive terms a council member may serve is two. 2. Council members who serve two consecutive terms may serve again after an interim period of three years. 3. After two unexcused absences in a calendar year, a Council member is automatically terminated. 4. Any member of the Council may resign by submitting a written request to the President. 5. Vacancies occurring due to any reason shall be filled by using the latest election results and the individual with the next highest votes will be asked to fill the vacancy 6. A person who fills an unfilled term to its expiration may, automatically serve a succeeding full term D. Qualifications of Elected Council Members: 1. Must have been a registered parishioner for at least one (1) year prior to the election 2. Must be a practicing Catholic with no canonical impediments 3. Must be a contributing and participating parishioner 4. May only have one voting member from each family serve on the council at the same time. 5. Must be committed to serving the Church and to growing spiritually. 6. Must be willing to work toward unifying and reconciling the whole parish and community 7. Must be willing to work to participate in ongoing leadership formation and to devote the time necessary to accomplish the work of the Council. E. Selection of New Members 1. Any registered member of the parish, 18 years or older, is eligible for selfnomination and participation in the discernment process. 2. A basic outline of the process is as follows: a. In October, each bulletin will contain information informing the parishioners of the upcoming election process for Council members and the number of vacancies to be filled. Information regarding the role and function of the St. Patrick Church Pastoral Council will be available on the parish website or publicized through the bulletin and other approved church media. b. Nomination forms are provided to parishioners at all Masses the first weekend of November c. Nominees are then contacted and asked whether or not they agree to participate in the election process.
d. The Parish Council will determine the top number of nominees selected to appear on the ballot. e. A parish-wide election will be held each year in the November-December time frame where new members are selected. F. Qualified Voters 1. Registered and contributing members of the parish are allowed two ballots per family. G. Elections Time and Method The election of the at-large representatives to the Council shall be elected by a ballot vote of the qualified voters of St. Patrick Church H. Assumption of Office 1. Initially, the newly elected members of the Council will assume office at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council. 2. The newly elected members to the council will draw for the initial two and three year terms. 3. Thereafter, each member will serve a three year term beginning on January 1 of every year. Article 3 Officers A. The Officers of the Council are President, Vice-President, Secretary, and the Parliamentarian. B. The Officers are elected by the Council at the first meeting after the election. C. One individual can be elected to the same office for no more than two single terms. D. The President shall: 1. Preside at the meetings of the Council. 2. Act as primary spokesperson for the Council. 3. Collaborate with the Pastor, staff, and council members in determining the meeting agenda and distribution to Council members in advance of each meeting. 4. Sees to the publication of the agenda in parish Sunday bulletin prior to Council meeting. 5. Foster an atmosphere of trust and openness at Council meetings. 6. Maintain regular contact with the pastor, staff, and Council members. 7. Provide formation/education for Council members, utilizing parish staff and Diocesan offerings.
8. Monitor implementation of all Council decisions. E. The Vice-President shall: 1. Perform duties consistent with the office as directed by the President and the Council 2. Conduct meetings in the absence of the President. 3. Become President in the event the President is unable to continue to serve. F. The Secretary shall: 1. Record the minutes of each meeting. 2. Insure the minutes are typed and distributed to each council member as provided for in Article 4.B.2 3. Provide parish secretary with a copy of the minutes to be published in the parish bulletin or posted in the church vestibule or in another location for easy viewing by parish members. 4. Take attendance at all meeting and record same in minutes. 5. Be responsible for keeping the council roster current to include name, address, phone number and email address if available. G. The Parliamentarian shall assist the presiding officer in the parliamentary procedures of any meetings. Article 4 Meetings A. Regular Meetings: The Council meets monthly on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM. A meeting may be canceled or postponed by the President with the approval of the Pastor or priest. B. Agenda and Minutes: 1. Meeting agendas will be prepared and finalized by the Agenda Committee. The Agenda Committee shall consist of the Pastor and priest(s), President, Vice-President and Secretary of the Council. The Agenda Committee shall meet prior to the regular Council meeting, allowing for adequate time for preparation of the agenda and distribution to the Council members. Agenda items may be proposed and submitted by any parish member. 2. Written notice of each meeting containing the date, time, and location of the meetings shall be given to the Council members not less than seven (7) days prior to each meeting. The proposed agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting will be distributed to all Council members not less than seven (7) days prior to the next scheduled meeting.
3. The date and time of the Council meetings shall be published in the bulletin. The agenda shall be posted in the Church vestibule or in another location for easy viewing by parish members. C. Conflicts: Should a conflict of interest on any matter of Council business arise, as judged by the involved Council member or by the consensus of the Council, the involved Council member shall excuse themselves from voting on such matters. D. Special Meetings: Special Meetings may be called by the Pastor or the President at any time with no less than twenty-four (24) hour notice to all Council members. Article 5 Conducting of Business A. Five of the elected voting members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for conducting business. B. Each Council member must be present to vote and may not vote by proxy. C. All Standing Committees shall report as needed at the regular meetings of the Council. D. Parishioners are encouraged to attend all the meetings of the Parish Council. Parishioners may ask to speak on an agenda item or may request that an item be placed on the agenda of the Council. Parishioners presentations are limited to three minutes. E. Discussion and action will be limited to those items designated for consideration on the agenda. Article 6 Order of Business The agenda shall consist of but not limited to: A. Call to order B. Invocation C. Roll call D. Review and approval of the previous meeting minutes E. Parishioners comments F. Reports of the Established Ministries G. Correspondence H. Old Business
I. New Business J. Pastor s or Priest s remarks K. Announcements L. Adjournment