By-Laws
Of
SAINT
PHILIP NERI CATHOLIC CHURCH
PARISH
PASTORAL COUNCIL
____________________________________________________
1.1 Mission: We are the Catholic Parish Community of St. Philip Neri, answering
Christ’s call to discipleship through word, sacrament and service. We proclaim
God’s hope and love to all.
2.1 Name and Location: The organization shall be known as the Parish Pastoral Council of St.
Philip Neri Parish, Pennsburg Pennsylvania hereinafter referred to as “Parish
Council”.
3.1 Role: The Parish
Council role is to act as an advisory
body to the Pastor in his governance over the affairs of the parish and
to assist the Pastor in supporting the parish community. The Council shall
serve as the voice of the parish and shall become the means by which the needs
of the parish community will be identified, discussed and responded to through
the formulation of priorities, goals and policies.
3.2 Responsibility: The Parish Council
shall be responsible to help build and maintain a strong parish community by
facilitating the coordination and oversight of all functioning ministries
within the parish. The Parish Council will also serve as a platform to afford
all parishioners a voice and opportunity to participate in the parish. However,
the Council shall not have any independent authority without the express
consent and approval of the pastor. The Council will seek to: (1) Understand
the needs of the parish; (2) Promote communications and facilitate dialogue
among parish leaders, ministries, organizations and parishioners, where and
when needed; (3) Support the ministries of the parish and (4) set priorities,
goals and policies that are responsive to the needs of the whole parish
community.
4.1 Composition: The Parish
Council membership shall be comprised of both voting and non voting members and
shall total seventeen (17) members in addition to the Pastor.
4.1.1 Voting Members: The voting members of
the Council shall consist of three (3) elected
officers (President, Vice President and Secretary) of the Council; three (3) elected At-Large representatives of the
general parish and; five (5) appointed
Ministry Coordinators or their alternates representing the current five (5) Ministries of the Parish. The total number of
voting council members will be adjusted to reflect the current number of
Ministries active within the Parish.
4.1.2 Non-Voting
Members: The non-voting members of the Council shall be
comprised of the following six (6) members, all of who will be appointed by the
Pastor:
(i)
The Parish Business Manager or a
member of the Parish finance Ministry;
(ii)
The Parish Legal Advisor;
(iii)
The Principal of the Parish school
(iv)
One (1) Parish Deacon
(v)
The Director of Religious Education
(vi)
The Coordinator of Parish Social Services
4.3 Modus Operandi: The Parish Council will function on a consensus basis with all voting
members of the Council having an equal voice. All efforts
will be made to reach common and full agreement on issues. In the event a
two-third 2/3 consensus of all members present at any official meeting is not
reached, the president will submit the majority and minority opinions to the
pastor for final direction/decision.
4.4 Calendar Year: The calendar year for the Parish Council shall begin on the first day
of September of each year and end on the last day of August.
4.5 Meetings: All Parish Council meetings will be
authorized by the Pastor and convened at the call of the President or by
request of two or more voting members of which one must be an officer. Council
will convene at least six times a year. For any meeting to be considered
official, a quorum must be present.
4.5.1 Regular
Meetings: Regular
meetings will be held at least monthly, except during the months of July,
August and December when no regular meetings will be scheduled. The schedule of
all regular meetings will be established at the beginning of the Parish
calendar year (September) and notices of such meeting will be published in the
parish bulletin. All regular meetings will allocate a time for any parishioner
to speak to the Council. Beyond such
allocated time meetings will be open to Council members only.
4.5.2 Special
Meetings: Special meetings may occur at any time and
without general notice to the parish. Such meetings can be convened by the call
of the President or upon the request of two or more members of Council, with
one (1) being an officer, subject to the approval of the Pastor. Such meetings
will be limited to discussions solely related to the purpose of the special
meeting. No other general business will be conducted. Such special meetings
will be restricted to members of the Council and any other invited persons
relative to the issue or matter for which the meeting had been called.
4.6 Notices: Notices,
whether delivered verbally, US mail or through email, will be issued by the
Secretary to all members of the council at least 5 days in advance of all
regular meetings and at least 24 hours in advance of any special meetings.
4.7 Quorums: A quorum for any regular or special meeting will require the
presence of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of which one (1) member must
be either the President or Vice President and one (1) must be an At-large
member.
4.8 Official Meetings: the Parish Council
in its authorized capacity can only take actions during a regular or special
meeting in which appropriate notice has been issued and a quorum present.
5.1.1 Liturgical Ministry: The Ministry is formed to help
support joyful and meaningful celebration centered on the Eucharistic
Celebration of Mass within our Parish Community. The Ministry is responsible
for supporting the planning, organization and coordination of all liturgical
activities. Associate Ministry leaders must adhere to the Church’s documents on
liturgy, as well as diocesan liturgical norms.
The Liturgical Ministry consists of those associate ministries listed
herein under Exhibit 5 (A).
5.1.2 Faith Formation
and Faith Programs Ministry: (Parish Catechesis):
The Ministry is formed and responsible for the development and structuring of
formational activities for all members of the parish. The ministry shall
develop, organize, initiate support and provide catechetical resources and
programs for Christian education. Members must adhere to Church teachings,
documents of the Church, and Diocesan policies concerning Christian
formation. Faith Formation and Faith Programs
Ministry consists of those associate ministries listed herein under Exhibit 5
(B).
5.1.3 Hospitality
Ministry: The Ministry is formed to create a gracious atmosphere, a warm
environment and a deep spirit of joy, inviting
and drawing all people to God’s banquet of love, forgiveness and grace. The
ministry serves to greet and support church celebrations and to organize and
run various community functions and events. The Hospitality Ministry consists
of those associate ministries and functions as listed herein under Exhibit 5 (C).
5.1.4 Parish Life Ministry: The Ministry is formed to promote and foster fellowship beyond our
liturgies, to create opportunities for participation in
the parish and to help maintain vitality within our parish family. The Parish Life Ministry will oversee and support
the various associate ministries and parish groups that are listed herein under
Exhibit 5 (D).
5.1.5 Parish Outreach Ministry (Human Concerns): In recognition of the dignity of each individual in
Christ, we commit ourselves to take action on issues of peace and justice on
behalf of our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Parish Outreach recommends to the Pastor strategic policies and
programs, which address the social mission of the Church. The Ministry shall engage in a careful study
of Church teaching and monitor the social needs present in the area. The
Ministry recommends ways in which the parish family can minister to the needs
of others, both those in the parish and in the wider community, and ways in
which the parish can become involved in the social justice issues of society.
Through its deliberations, through consultation and educational efforts and
through social action, this Ministry promotes a deeper understanding of each
individual’s baptismal commitment and the communal call of service to the
poor. The Parish Outreach Ministry
consists of the various associate ministries that are listed herein under
Exhibit 5 (E).
5.2 Ministry Coordinators and
Alternates: All Ministries will be assigned a
coordinator and an alternate appointed by the pastor. The coordinator and
alternate will serve to insure communications among all associate ministries
and will act as a liaison between the Parish Council and the associate
ministries. The Ministry Coordinator will be appointed in accordance
with the process defined in 5.2.1 below. The alternates will be appointed in
accordance with the process defined in 5.2.2 below.
5.2.1 Ministry
Coordinator(s) - Appointment Process: When a vacancy develops the Vice President in consultation with the
Pastor will determine if the alternate is willing and able to assume the
vacated coordinator’s position. If approved by the Pastor, the alternate will
be appointed as the Coordinator. If the alternate for any reason is not
approved, the President in consultation with the Pastor will appoint a
Nominating Chair who will form a committee to identify and develop a list of
nominees. The Nominating chair will then directly present the un-edited list of
nominees to the Pastor for his consideration, selection and confirmation. When the
Pastor confirms an appointee, the name will be given to the nominating chair
for reporting back to Parish council. In the event that none of the names
forwarded to the Pastor are accepted or confirmed, then the process will repeat
itself until replacement is obtained.
5.2.2 Ministry
Coordinator Alternate – Appointment Process:
When a vacancy occurs, the Ministry Coordinator,
Vice President and the Pastor will meet to consider possible successors and
upon developing a list of approved candidates, the Ministry Coordinator
supported by the Vice President will interview and select the alternate. When
such selection is made and confirmed, the Vice President will notify the
Secretary of the new alternate’s name.
5.3 Associate Ministries: Within and under each Ministry an unlimited number of Associate
Ministries may form and exist upon review of Parish Council and by approval of
the Pastor. Each Associate Ministry
will function collaboratively under the auspices of one of the Ministries.
5.3.1 Associate Ministry Leaders:
Each associate ministry will be led by an
associate ministry leader who will be responsible for guiding and overseeing
the activities of the associate ministry and will normally serve for a term of
three (3) years. Upon expiration of the term, the Ministry leader’s term may be
extended for subsequent terms, subject to the confirmation of the Ministry
Coordinator and Vice President and approval of the Pastor. The leader will be
expected to meet with members of the ministry at least twice during each
calendar year and also avail them to meet and/or communicate with the Ministry
coordinator quarterly.
5.3.2 Associate Ministry Leader Selection /Confirmation Process: 90 days prior to the expiration of a term the Ministry coordinator
will determine if the leader wishes to remain in that position for another
three (3) year term. If so, the process identified in 5.3.1 above will be
followed. In the event the Ministry Leader vacates the position, the Ministry
Coordinator in collaboration with the active members of the ministry,
will be responsible for identifying prospective successors. The Ministry
coordinator will present such names to the Pastor for review and upon
consultation with the Vice President of council, the Pastor will appoint a
successor.
5.3.3 Associate
Ministry Formation: Any member of the
Parish who wishes to form an Associate Ministry may do so by presenting their
concept in person or in writing to the Parish Council. The presentation should
include: (1) who the ministry would serve; 2) goals and objectives of the
ministry; and 3) the proposed ministry leader.
Upon receipt of such presentation, the Parish Council will take the matter under consideration, forward its
recommendations to the Pastor and obtain final direction on the matter. The
President of the Council will then communicate the decision back to the
presenter(s). If a new Associate Ministry is approved, it will be assigned to
an existing Ministry for implementation and ongoing support.
5.4 Decommission/Consolidation: If for any reason an Associate Ministry completes its purpose, is no
longer required, or becomes unable to maintain adequate functionality, the
Parish Council can take action to either decommission or consolidate the
affected ministry. Such actions will require approval by the Pastor.
6.1
Responsibilities and Duties: All members of the
Council are responsible to faithfully and earnestly fulfill all of the
responsibilities and duties that are associated with their individual role on
council, in ministry and parish life. Additionally, each member, in accordance
with their respective position, will be responsible to perform the following
duties:
6.2 Officers: The officers of the Parish Council will consist of the position of President, Vice President, and
Secretary and will be selected from within the voting membership of the Parish
council.
6.2.1 President: The President is central to the effectiveness of the Parish Council
and shall act as its official spokesperson and serve as the liaison between the
Parish Council and the Pastor. The President will assume the main
responsibility for organizing, directing, and guiding the activities of the
Council and will be the chairperson over all meetings. The President will also
act to encourage all Ministries and their members to fulfill their specific
responsibilities and duties, guide the members in collaborative decision making
and establish an ongoing process of evaluation of the Council’s effectiveness. In this capacity the President will lead and
serve the Council by promoting inclusion and participation and assist the
members in finding resolution to conflict and consensus on issues.
6.2.2 Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the President and assume the duties of
the chair in the President’s absence.
The Vice President may also facilitate designated agenda items during
the Council meetings and conduct special studies as requested by the President.
The Vice President shall also serve as the designated council officer to
directly support all Ministry Coordinators.
6.2.3 Secretary: The Secretary shall advise
Council members of meeting dates, times and proposed agenda, and publish notice
of all regular Council meetings in the Parish Bulletin the Sunday before the
meetings. Moreover, the Secretary shall maintain the Council correspondence
files, and shall prepare and process correspondence as directed by the Council
President. The Secretary shall record and maintain the records and minutes of
all official meetings of the Parish Council and shall provide copies for
distribution. The Secretary shall also witness as necessary to any
correspondence or documents executed by the President in behalf of the Parish
Council. Additionally the secretary shall maintain a current listing of all
addresses and telephone numbers of the members of the Parish Council.
6.3. At-Large Members: The three (3) At-Large members shall act as general representatives of
the parish and shall be the main communications link between the Parish Council
and Parish community. The At-Large members shall be responsible to solicit
input from parish members, for maintaining the suggestion box and reporting to
the Parish Council any and all issues, concerns, needs and desires which any member
of the parish community has risen. Moreover the senior At-Large representative
will be responsible for preparing and placing approved communications and
responses into the parish bulletin and web page.
6.4. Ministry
Coordinators: Each Ministry Coordinator shall be
responsible to report on the goals, activities, needs and concerns of the
individual Associate Ministries within the scope of their ministry. The
Coordinators shall hold at least two meetings per council year with all of the
leaders of the Associate Ministries to collect comments, needs and suggestions
for presentation to Parish Council. Moreover, the Coordinator shall provide
assistance, guidance and direction to the individual ministries as requested.
The Coordinator need not attend Associate Ministry meetings, but should ensure
that such meetings regularly occur to promote full participation and input from
all members of the parish community.
ARTICLE VII: ELIGIBILITY, TERMS
AND RESTRICTIONS FOR PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS
7.1
Eligibility: As a general condition, to hold
any position on Parish Council, an individual must be a registered member of
the Parish for at least one year, a practicing Catholic and additionally
meeting the specific eligibility requirements set forth for each position to
include any mandatory hiatus periods.
7.1.1 Officers: Eligible candidates are any current members on Parish Council
who will have been on Council for a period of two (2) years
or more when measured back from the point when first elected or appointed to council.
7.1.2 At-Large Members: Eligible candidates are persons who have either (A) been a regular
member of any parish ministry for a period of at least one (1) year or (B) has actively
participated in any recognized parish function, i.e. Carnival, PREP, Boys
Scouts etc., for a period of at least two years.
7.1.3 Ministry Coordinators
and Designated Alternates: Eligible appointees
are persons who are currently involved in at least one of the associate
ministries that are a part of the Ministry for which the appointment is being
made.
7.2. Term of
Parish Council Positions: All voting Parish
Council positions shall be a term of three (3) years, except in the case of a
special election or appointment to fill a vacancy. In such cases the elected or
appointed individual shall remain in the position for the period of the
un-expired term. The starting and ending dates for each of the Parish Council
positions shall be as follows:
7.2.1 Officers: All officer terms will begin on September 1 of even numbered
year (i.e. September 1 2010, 2012. 2014 etc.) and shall run continually
for a two-year period ending on August 31 of the subsequent even year.
7.2.2 Ministry Coordinator: Appointments or
re-appointments of Ministry Coordinators will occur between September and
December during the last year of the appointed term. The terms of any new or
reconfirmed appointees will take
effect on January 1 of the subsequent year in which appointments were made. Appointments
will be for a three (3) year term, limited to two (2) consecutive terms.
7.2.3 At-Large
Representatives: At-Large
Representative’s terms will be for three (3) years taking effect on April 1 of
the election year. Elections will be staggered with one (1) new At-Large
election occurring each year. The process for nominations will begin in January
and be completed by the end of March. On the adoption
of the newly formed By-laws, all three elections will take place immediately
with the person gathering the highest number of votes assigned to initially a
three (3) year term, followed by the second assigned to a two (2) year term and
the third a one (1) year term. Even though the appointment to council will
occur immediately upon the completion of the election process, the start date
for the determination of their first year on council will not be calculated
until beginning on April 1, 2011. Therefore the first election process will
begin January 2012.
7.3 Term
Restrictions: No person shall remain in a
voting position on Parish Council for more than six (6) consecutive years,
unless elected to and currently holding an officers position. Under no
circumstances can any voting member remain on council for a consecutive period
of ten (10) years. In such circumstances a council member must take a mandatory
two (2) year hiatus. Moreover, no member may hold two positions simultaneously,
except for any transitional period when a Ministry Coordinator or At large
member has been newly elected or appointed and the vacated position has yet to
be filled.
7.4 Removal
from Parish Council: Any member of Parish council can be removed at the discretion of the
Pastor, with or without cause and upon reasonable notice.
7.4.1 Any voting member of Parish Council can be removed from Council
conditioned upon the following process being followed: A written request
seeking the removal of a voting member of Council must contain the signature of
at least two (2) members of the Parish Council. The petition must be
transmitted to an officer of the Council who upon receipt will call for a special
meeting of Council. At said meeting, the petition of removal will be
discussed and brought to a vote. If removal is recommended, the matter will
then be presented to the Pastor for final authorization. The President will be
responsible for issuing notice of removal to said member. The entire
proceedings and the subject of discussion will remain confidential and within
the confines of the Council meetings.
7.4.2 Removal Due to Repeated Absence: The Council may declare vacant the position
of any voting member of Council, if the member is absent for a total of one
third of the regular scheduled
Council Committee meetings in any twelve (12) month period.
7.5 Vacated Council Positions: When a vacancy of any elected
member of council develops, the nominating process described in Article VIII
will be followed to fill the vacancy.
ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATION AND ELECTION PROCESS FOR PARISH COUNCIL
MEMBERS
8.1
Nominations and Election Procedures: Any registered member of the parish may nominate themselves or submit
the name or names of any person(s), for any one or as many of the open
positions that are up for election. Upon completion of the nomination process,
elections will occur at the council level with all voting council members
having a single vote. Voting will be done by
private ballot with all ballots being tallied by the Nominations
Chairperson/Committee. In order for a
nominee to be elected a two-third majority must be obtained. In the event the
first round of voting does not yield a two-third majority, a second round of
voting will occur against the two nominees who obtained the highest votes. If a
second round of voting does not yield a two-third majority, the Pastor will
cast the deciding vote.
8.2 Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee will oversee the recruitment, qualification
and selection/election process for all voting council positions. The Nominating
Committee will consist of no less than three (3) and no more then five (5)
persons with the chair being selected by the Pastor. The remaining members of
the committee shall be selected by the chair and may include any (voting and
non-voting) members of council that will be retiring or will not be eligible to
run for any position in which the Nominating Committee is formed. The Nominations
Chairperson shall be responsible to develop and oversee the processes of
notifying, publishing, collecting, qualifying, listing and presenting all
nominees. The Nominations Chairperson shall not remove any submitted
name from the proposed nominations lists with the exception of
those names that do not meet the eligibility requirements of the position. The nominations and election process will
proceed as follows:
8.2.1: Open Elections: Three (3) months prior to an election to fill either planned or un-planned
positions, the Nominating Chair will be appointed and subsequently the
Nominating Committee will be formed. The Nomination Chairperson will be
responsible to compose and issue a written notice of the upcoming elections for
Council. The notice will contain information regarding which positions are up
for election, eligibility and position responsibilities. The notice will then
be issued to all current members of Council and all active members of all
ministries and will also be published in the church bulletin at least ten (10)
weeks in advance of the parish council date in which the election will
occur.
8.2.2: Closing of Nominations: Not less then six
(6) weeks prior to the election date, nominations will close. The
Nominations Committee will then screen all submitted names for eligibility and place all eligible
names onto the nominations list. The Chair of the Nominations Committee will
then confidentially present the list of nominees to the Pastor. The Pastor will
then review the list of names and return to the Chair the approved list of
nominees. The Chair will then contact all approved parishioners to confirm
their willingness to accept the nomination. Upon confirmation, the approved
nominations ballots will be prepared.
8.2.3 Nomination Slate: No
later than three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled Council meeting when an
election will occur, the approved
nominations slate will be issued and mailed to all members of the Parish
Council.
8.3 Officers
Election Process: The election process for all
Officer Positions shall in addition to following the stipulations in 8.2 above,
follow the order and sequence hereafter: The election for the position of
President will occur first, using the approved ballot. Following the
election of the President, the sequence of elections will be the Vice President
followed by the Secretary. In the event none or only one (1) nominee remains
for the Vice President or Secretary position, the nominations chair will open a
secret nomination process and a ballot will be privately reviewed and
subsequently authorized by the Pastor.
The ballot will then be used to elect the remaining officer positions.
ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS
9.1
Amendments: The
By-Laws may be altered, amended or repealed by a vote of the members entitled
to vote thereon at any regular or special meeting duly convened. In order for
any amendments to be made, they must first be presented in writing to the
Parish Council in the form of a first reading. The requested amendment
will then be issued to all members of Council at least three (3) weeks
prior to the meeting in which the matter will be discussed and voted on. In
order for any amendments to be considered, at least eight (8) voting members of
the Council must be present and a total of at least six (6) votes in the
affirmative will be needed to pass.
INTENTIONALLY LEFT
BLANK
ARTICLE X: AFFIRMATION
We,
the undersigned members of St. Philip Neri Parish Council, confirm our desire
to further the goals of our faith community and hereby affix our signatures
below attesting to the heretofore Parish Council By-Laws, as written.
Approved this
day of , 2009
By:
__________________________ ___________________________
Patrick J. Kennedy, President Rev. Robert A. Roncase,
Pastor
St. Philip Neri Parish Council St. Philip Neri Parrish
WITNESS: Members of Parish Council
EXHIBIT 5 (A)
The Liturgical Ministry consists of the
following associates ministries:
·
Adult Altar Servers
·
Youth Altar Servers
·
Children’s Liturgy of the Word
·
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy
Communion
·
Lectors
·
Music
·
Greeters
·
Ushers
·
Liturgical Environment
EXHIBIT 5 (B)
Faith Formation and
Faith Programs Ministry consists of the following associate ministries:
·
PREP (Parish Religious Education
Program)
·
Adult Faith Formation
·
SPN Rosary
Society
·
ALPHA
·
Scriptural Studies
·
Charismatic Prayer Group
·
Little Flower Girls Club
·
Little Church
·
Parish Youth Ministry
·
Pre-Cana
·
Pre-Jordan
·
R.C.I.A. (Right of Christian
Initiation of Adults)
·
Vacation
Bible School
EXHIBIT 5 (C)
The Hospitality
Ministry consists of the following associate ministries:
·
BINGO
·
Craft Guild
·
Garage Sale
·
Parish Breakfast
·
Parish Carnival
·
Car show
·
Silver Spirits Travel Club.
EXHIBIT 5 (D)
The Parish Life Ministry consists of the following
associate ministries:
·
Scouting Programs
·
CYO
·
Garden Club
·
Knights of Columbus
·
Lawn Care
·
SCRIP Program.
·
Library
EXHIBIT 5 (E)
The Parish Outreach
Ministry consists of the following associate ministries:
·
Bereavement Support
·
Blood Drive
·
Elizabeth Ministry
·
Friendly Visitors
·
H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People
Enthusiastically)
·
Hospital Visitation
·
Martha Ministry
·
Parish Outreach
·
Pennsburg Manor
·
Respect Life Ministry
·
Welcome Ministry.
·
Shawl Ministry
·
Prayer Ministry
12-03-09