San Marco Parish Pastoral Council

San Marco Parish Pastoral Council

Constitution — 2010

Mission Statement

San Marco Roman Catholic Church is a Catholic Christian Community, nourished by the Spirit, blessed by our individual gifts, walking on a journey to God. Together we celebrate the Eucharist, and proclaim the Gospel, serving God and neighbor.

As a Stewardship parish grateful to God for His many blessings and gifts, we strive in season and out to give of our Time, Talent and Treasure to serve the people of God through prayer, hospitality, formation and service. We provide structure and support for the education and social development of our Youth, Young Adults, Adults and Seniors so that all might develop a deeper spirituality and grow together as a Christian family. The Eucharistic Table is the center and source from which flow the graces necessary to be the Body of Christ,and to continue His mission. Jesus welcomed all and all are welcome here at San Marco.

Article I: Purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council

(a) To function as a consultative and advisory body to the Pastor.

(b) To collaborate with the Pastor in formulating policies concerning parish and pastoral matters consistent with faith and morals, civil and church laws and diocesan policy.

(d) To engage in a continuous process of pastoral planning which takes into consideration the needs of its own parishioners, the needs of the diocese of Venice, the needs of the broader community and the needs of the world.

(e) To serve as a vehicle for constructive dialogue with the parish community.

(f) To establish clear and concise goals and objectives based on the parish mission statement and the emerging needs of the parish community.

(g) To identify and call forth the gifts and talents of the members of the Parish.

(h) To conduct all meetings generally in accordance with Robert’s Rule of Order.

Article II: Roles of the Parish Pastoral Council

(a) The primary role is to prayerfully discern the hopes, visions and needs of the parishioners and to effectively communicate these interests to the Pastor.

(b) To translate the mission of the parish into specific recommendations to the Pastor to continually improve the quality of parish life.

(b) To facilitate communication, coordination and cooperation among all parish organizations and with the Diocese of Venice.

(e) To provide a forum through which the parish can communicate to the Pastor on any important issues.

(f) To provide a forum for the Pastor to discuss and receive input on important issues.

Article III: Scope of the Parish Pastoral Council

(a) The Council shall assist the Pastor in formulating policy concerning all matters of the parish, including but not limited to spiritual, educational, social and financial concerns, except to the extent limited by faith and morals, church or civil law or diocesan policy/norms. (The Parish Finance Council has oversight of the Parish’s financial assets and liabilities.)

(b) In any case where any member of the Council interprets an action of the Council or any of its committees to be outside the limits set forth above, such member shall present such interpretation no later than the next meeting of the Council and ask for reconsideration. Pending reconsideration, the effect of the action shall he suspended.

Article IV: The Process Governing the Parish Council

(a) The best interest of the parish shall always be pursued.

(b) Interaction with the parish community will be open, welcoming and fair to all.

(e) Take regular inventory of the parish to ensure that the mission statement is alive and active.

(d) Frequently evaluate the quality of parish life and the effectiveness of its programs.

(e) Provide a clear and accessible channel for each parishioner to make suggestions or recommendations.

(f) Votes of the Council shall be considered direction to determine consensus on issues and recommendations to the Pastor. In the event that after further consideration and prayerful reflection, the Pastor cannot or chooses not to accept recommendations given by the Council, the Council shall expect a reasonable explanation as to why not. However, the Council understands that the Pastor has the right not to offer such an explanation as he very well may see the “bigger picture” not immediately evident to the Council members.

(g) In accordance with Canon Law and the requirements of the Diocesan Finance Council, the Pastor should make a presentation to the Council of any significant commitment of parish funds for their consent. Likewise, any substantial commitment of other parish resources by the Pastor should he done only after consultation with the Council.

Article V: Membership and Terms of Office

(a) The Council shall be comprised of no more than eighteen (18) members, all of whom must be baptized, practicing Catholics, at least eighteen (18) years old, registered and financial supporters of the parish and participants in the parish worship life, especially Mass and the sacraments. Council members must be in residence at least six (6) months of the year when the Council is in session.

(b) The Council shall have the following ex-officio members: the Pastor, the associate Pastor, one Deacon and the Chair of the Finance Committee. The ex-officio members do not vote in Council decisions, nor should any other member of the clergy or paid parish employees.

(c) The Pastor shall appoint five (5) members, who shall participate fully and equally in all Council decisions. (It is expected that two of these appointees will be the Grand Knight of the K of C and the President of the CCW and they will serve only so long as they hold that position.) Appointed members may serve as long as the Pastor chooses.

(d) Nine at-large members shall be selected from and by membership of the parish. Each year three will be elected. The term for all at large members shall he three years and shall be limited to two consecutive terms. Committee chairs will be selected annually by the Council and limited to three consecutive years.

(e) No parish employee may be elected to the Parish Pastoral Council. However, they may attend meetings to present reports and participate in pertinent discussions as requested by

the Pastor.

(f) Any at-large Council member who cannot complete his/her term of office shall have his/her position filled by the appointment of the Pastor, after consultation with the Council officers. The person so appointed shall serve the unexpired term of the departing member.

(g) The council welcomes representatives from our Mission Church, Holy Family in Everglades City and provides a forum for their issues and needs to be discussed. Representatives participate in all discussions but are not voting members.

Article VI: Elections

(a) Elections will he held each year in January. All parishioners, eighteen years and older, both seasonal and full-time, shall be eligible to vote. Resumes of the candidates shall be presented in the parish bulletin for at least three consecutive weeks prior to the election. An impartial panel shall he selected by the executive committee to tally the results of the vote. Those elected will assume office at the Transition Meeting in February.

Article VII: Officers

(a) The Officers of the Council shall be a chairperson, a vice-chairperson and a secretary. They shall be selected by and from the voting members of the Council at the annual transition meeting. They shall serve for one year term beginning with the conclusion of the transition meeting. Ex-officio members of the Council are ineligible to serve as Council officers or committee chairpersons.

(b) It is preferable that those elected as officers have been on the Council for at least one year SO that they have a basic understanding and working knowledge of the Council process. They are chosen by the Council members and serve a one-year term.

(e) The Council chairperson shall serve as the parish delegate to the Diocesan Pastoral Council. The Council vice-chairperson or secretary may he delegated to perform this function.

(d) The Chairperson shall call and chair all meetings of the Council; shall oversee all activities of the Council and shall prepare the Council meeting agenda, after conferring with the Pastor and other officers.

(e) The Vice-Chairperson shall chair meetings in the absence of the Chairperson; shall assist the chairperson in overseeing council activities and shall succeed the chairperson in case of extended illness, resignation or disqualification.

(f) The Secretary shall maintain written records (“minutes”) of all council meetings. The Secretary shall maintain an attendance record of all council members and keep a current record of the names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of all Council members. The Secretary shall also distribute prior to council meetings the agenda of the forthcoming meeting and the minutes of the previous meeting. The preferred method of communication will be e-mail.

(g) The Secretary will see to it that a copy of the minutes is posted on the Parish Bulletin Board, website and that a brief summary of the significant motions of the Parish Council Meeting will be recorded in the Parish Bulletin. The Bulletin should also notify the parishioners of the date and time of the next meeting of the Parish Council.

Article VIII: The Executive Committee

(a) The Council will have an Executive Committee, which shall consist of the Pastor and the three officers. The principal role of this Committee is to set the agenda for upcoming meetings and to deal with Council matters between meetings.

Article IX: Meetings

(a) Regular Parish Council meetings shall be held seven times a year at a minimum: October, November, December, January, February, March and April. Meetings may also be scheduled, if necessary in September and May. Unless extraordinary conditions prevail, there will usually be no meeting in June, July and August.

(h) The chairperson, the pastor or a quorum of the members may call for a special meeting. For our purposes, a quorum is interpreted as consisting of a simple majority of the voting members.

(e) Issues of concern and suggestions from parishioners maybe submitted to the Council by presenting them in writing to any of the officers who will present them to the Pastor at least two weeks in advance of the regular Council meeting. The disposition of any proposal follows the normal procedure for new business for the Council.

(d) It is expected that all members of the Council will attempt to attend all meetings. If any member misses three meetings in a calendar year without an adequate excuse, he/she shall be subject to dismissal as a member of the Council.

(e) Interested parishioners may attend any regular Council meeting with certain obvious restrictions. These parishioners, limited to those who can reasonably be accommodated in the meeting space, do not have a voice in the proceedings of the Council and must in no way be disruptive. Visitors are present at the discretion of the Council, and, if the situation warrants it, may be asked to leave by the chairperson. Visitors may have an opportunity to address the Council at the discretion of the Chairperson for a maximum of three (3) minutes

(f) The Executive Committee may invite informed guests to speak to the Council on matters that are of interest or concern to the Parish and to the Council.

Article X: Amendments

(a) The Constitution may be amended by any regularly scheduled meeting, if the following conditions are met:

1. Proposals to amend the Constitution may be submitted to the Council by any parishioner or staff member as long as the submission is officially made through a Council member.

2. The proposed amendment must be officially communicated to all Council members by mail or e-mail at least two weeks in advance of the meeting at which it is to be proposed.

3. The proposed amendment is submitted to the Council at any meeting.

4. The Council determines if the nature of the proposed amendment is in the spirit of the mission of the parish.

5. Council will vote on any amendment at the meeting after the one at which it was proposed.

6. Passage of any amendment requires the approval of 2/3 of the voting members. Such a vote will signal its passage effective immediately.

Article XI: Relationship of the Pastor to the Council

(a) The Pastor presides at the Council by:

1. Assuring that the scope of the Council’s concerns reflect the entire mission of the parish and of the Universal Church;

2. Assisting and creating among the members of the Council an atmosphere of trust and unity in its attempts to strengthen and nurture the parish faith community;

3. Approving the Council agenda after consulting with the Executive Committee

4. Sharing information, listening actively, contributing to the discussion and promoting consensus.

5. Sharing in the dialogue that leads to the formulation of policy.

(b) If the Pastor judges that any decision of the Council is contrary to Church teaching or discipline, or violates a diocesan norm, the Pastor may withhold execution.

(c) In the event that the Pastor of this parish dies, resigns or is transferred, the Parish Pastoral Council ceases to exist.

(d) It is the prerogative of the newly appointed Pastor to either confirm the present membership of the former Parish Pastoral Council or choose to have new members elected. Likewise, he can accept the ex-officio and appointed members, or choose to make new appointments.

Article XII: Committees

(a) Ad-hoc committees can he established for specific tasks. Ad-hoc committees are dissolved when their tasks arc completed

Article XIII: Decision-Making

(a) The decision-making process of the Council shall he by a majority of voting members in attendance.

(b) If there is a tied-vote on any motion, the motion is considered defeated.