Constitution and By-Laws of the Parish Council of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church Minot, North Dakota Preamble “God does not make people holy and save th em merely as individuals, without bond or link between one another. Rath er, it has pleased Him to bring all together as one people, a people which acknowledges Him in truth and serve Him in holiness.” The Holy Spirit was sent to complete the wo rk of Jesus on this earth. On Pentecost the ecclesial mission was confirmed, to preach the gospel for the gathering together of the universal church. The work of Christ in the modern worl d, the mission of the Church, has both a universal and a local dimension. In the local Church, always united with the Church Universal, the faithful are taught and sanctified and shepherded. But at the same time they share in the work of teaching, sanctifying and shepherding their parishes. “For the distinction which the Lord made be tween sacred ministers and the rest of the People of God entails a unifying purpose, since pa stors and the other faithful are bound to each other by a mutual need. Pastors of the Chur ch, following the example of the Lord, should minister to one another and the other faithful. The faithful in turn should enthusiastically lend their cooperative assistance to the pa rish community as a whole. T hus in their diversity all bear witness to the admirable unity of the Body of Christ. This very diversity of graces, ministries, and works gathers the children of God into one, bcause ‘all things are the work of one and the same Spirit’ (1, Cor.12:11).” The parish community under the leadership of the pastor commissioned to it by the bishop, consists of the families, as neighbors, as a community. The Second Vatican Council emphasized the point that collaboration between clergy and the laity is for the good of the work of the Church. Priests are designated to teach, to sanctify, and to shepherd, but they were never meant by Christ to shoulder alone the total mi ssion of the Church. Christ, in conferring His mission on the church, calls all who are baptized in Him to share in that missionary work. Lay women and men serve as cooperators with their pa stors in this holy work. According to their roles, all the faithful of Christ are called upon to use their God gi ven talents and energies for the expansion and sanctification of the Church. La y people are to recognize the responsibility of their pastors, to teach, to make holy, to govern. Pastors in turn are calle d to foster in the lay people their dignity and their share in the responsibility for the church. Each is to allow the other freedom and room for action so as not to discour age initiative in the work of the Spirit. Our purpose therefore is: to recognize our ba ptismal call to be the Body of Christ; all sharing in His mission; to reach out, to educat e, inform, and to motivate all our brothers and sisters to a commitment to God; to ensure the administrative needs of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, and to inspire and lead the peop le of this parish in worship and prayer and a holy way of life. Wherefore, so that the people of St. John the Apostle Catholic church may effectively live the Gospel of Jesus Christ a nd celebrate unity with Christ a nd with one another, and relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we promulgate and affirm this Constitution for the Parish council of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Minot, No rth Dakota in the Diocese of Bismarck. Constitution Article I. The name of this organization shall be the “Parish Council of the Church of St. John the Apostle,” Minot, ND. Article II. The purpose and goal of this Council is to provide a structure in St. John the Apostle Catholic Church which will faci litate and enable the cooperati on mentioned in Canon 208 of the Code of Canon Law which states, “I n virtue of their rebirth in Ch rist there exists among all the Christian Faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.” This includes liturgical, educational, charitable, social, ecumenical and administrative activities, as well as those other aspects of parish life which contribute to the full living of the Gospel by that Christian community. The council must be prepared to assess and evaluate, under the leadership of the pastor, the needs of the whole parish and the individual members and to develop and implement those programs of renewal which will prom ote the common good of the parish. The council must be sensitive to the fact, that, while it is a parish body, it does have responsibility to the broader Chur ch and, particularly, to that jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bismarck. It must be responsive to the direc tions given by the Diocesan Bishop and to those needs of the Diocese, which can be met only by the total cooperation of the entire people. Article III. The Parish Council membership shall be comp osed of twelve persons, registered in the parish. They serve as an advisory council to the designated pastor of the parish, or the appointed administrator in a vacancy according to Church law. The twelve members make up four committees. Committee members are appointed by the pastor after recommendations are submitted by parish members and consultation with remaining members of each committee. Article IV. Officers of the Parish Council consist of a chairperson; vice chairperson and secretary. Officers are elected by Council members and serve a one year term. Article V. Council meetings are to be held once a month and are open to all members of the Parish. Additional meetings may be called by the Chairp erson or the pastor, wh en it is necessary or useful. A quorum must be present for the transa ction of business at any meeting of the Parish council. A quorum shall consist of one more th an half of the membership of the council members. Article VI. The following standing committ ees are hereby established: a. Properties Management Committee. b. Liturgy Committee. c. Education Committee. d. Parish Life Committee. The activities of the committees are coordinated by the three members of the committee with the assistance of members of the parish to help acco mplish the tasks. The parish Council may establish subcommittees from time to time as it deems appropriate and necessary. By Laws Article I. Responsibilities of Officers: Chairperson: 1. Call and preside at all meetings of the council. 2. Report to the parish the actions of the c ouncil and/or solicit parish action as the occasion requires. 3. Prepare the agenda for council meetings af ter consulting with the pastor and secretary. Vice-Chairperson: 1. Preside over meetings when chairperson is absent. 2. Chairs the committee for the election of new members. 3. When necessary, attends meetings of each standing committee to become familiar with their activities. Secretary: 1. Maintains a complete record of council minutes. 2. Provides copies of minutes fo r distribution to all parish me mbers as part of the parish weekly bulletin. 3. Takes care of general correspondence as needed. Article II. Terms of Membership: 1. Members of the Council are elected for a pe riod of three years. Terms begin on the first Sunday of Advent, the begi nning of a new Church year. 2. At the first meeting of the Council in the New Year, members whose terms are finished will attend the beginning of the meeting to orientate new members. The second part of the meeting is the election of officers by the new and existing council members. 3. Members and officers may be re-elect ed for a second consecutive term only. 4. Sub-committees may be designated for a set purpose and time. Article III. Appointment of Members: On the first Sunday in October, the entire parish is given the opportunity to make recommendations of persons within the pari sh to serve on the pa rish council. The recommendations are compiled and brought to th e existing council and committees for review. After consultation among the members and those who have been named, the committees submit the names to the pastor and the appointments are made. One member will be appointed each year for each of the four committees. Vacancies on the council can be filled by committee members submitting another name for appointment to complete the term of the retiring committee member. Article IV. “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall be the guide for business procedures. Article V. This constitution and by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the council at any regular or special meeting. All proposed amendments must be given to ea ch member of the counc il in writing at least five days prior to voting. Article VI. St. John the Apostle Catholic Church hires em ployees of any race, co lor, nationality and ethnic origin and shall accord all the rights and pr ivileges there unto. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationa lity, ethnic origin in administ ration of its hiring and personnel policies. (Rev. Procedure #75-50) Constitution adopted on August 20, 2002 by Members of the Parish Council of St.John the Apostle Catholic Church Constitution was drafted by Rev. David Zimmer, J.C.L., Pastor
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 11:26:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015