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*This web document was created via Optical Character Recognition. It is believed to accurately reflect the original document, which retains its force as the bylaws of the Pastoral Council of Holy Name of Jesus Parish. The original document has been scanned and is available at the end of this article. Holy Name of Jesus Parish Pastoral Council Guidelines Revised January 2008
The role of the Pastoral Council of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Parish is one of ongoing pastoral planning to maintain the integrity of the parish mission and the goals and objectives related to it, by serving in an advisory capacity to the Pastor and acting as the coordinating and unifying instrument within the local parish community.
Article I
Responsibilities
Section 1
The Pastoral Council shall serve as a representative body of the people of God in Holy Name of Jesus Parish. The members, in communication with one another and with their Pastor, meet and deliberate, evaluate and counsel, in common agreement, on matters which concern the good of the parish life, keeping in clear focus the seven elements that form the essence of parish life: Evangelization, Worship, Word ,Community, Service, Stewardship, and Leadership. The Council's concerns and activities include, but are not limited to the following:
A. The development of a Parish Pastoral vision and plan by: I. Discerning the needs of the Parish through a continuous and integrated survey of the spiritual and temporal needs of the individual, the family, the Parish, the Diocese and the world.
II. Setting priorities and implementing programs through Parish ministries responding to the discerned needs.
III. To coordinate, encourage, and promote ministries and new talents within the Parish.
B. To facilitate and enhance communication and dialogue within the Parish community through:
I. A gathering of information from the commissions to the Pastoral Council and vice versa.
II. Facilitating parishioners to air concerns and suggestions for proper consideration.
III. To advise the Pastor of the needs and direction of the Parish regarding specific matters on which he requests counsel.
IV. To communicate particular appeals of the Bishop to the Parish.
Article II
The Pastoral Planning Cycle
The primary responsibility of the Pastoral Council is pastoral planning. This involves researching, considering, and proposing pastoral goals for the Parish community in light of parish needs, church teaching and the mission of both the local and the larger church. Pastoral planning is an ongoing cyclical process that is always mission-motivated, and involves information gathering, creation of a Parish vision, setting goals and objectives, followed by implementation and evaluation.
All phases of the pastoral planning cycle utilize the skill of decision-making by consensus. Consensus is not reached by majority vote, and is not a win/lose situation. Rather, it is a method of decision-making through which the group strives to reach substantial agreement on matters of overall direction and policy that can be supported by all. The Council reaches consensus on a matter when all members of the Council can "live with" the decision.
Section 1
Information Gathering
Pastoral planning begins with and is sustained by a process of information gathering and assessment. Through prayer, study, and listening, the Pastor and Council begin to identify and prioritize the ways in which the Parish is being called to live out its specific mission in the coming years.
Section 2 Parish Vision
After a period of discernment the Pastoral Council will arrive at a Parish vision for the immediate and longterm future. This will be accomplished by the setting of goals and objectives and their implementation and evaluation.
Section 3
Goals and Objectives
The next step in the pastoral planning process is the development of formal goals and objectives, constructive statements that clearly identify areas of challenge and define directions or desired activities.
Section 4 Implementation
When goals and objectives have been ratified by the Council and publicized to everyone, the Council begins the work of inviting people to bring the plan to life. The Council's role is empowering and motivating parishioners to offer their time in prayer and talents to implement the plan. While it sometimes may be tempting to assign tasks to Council or Staff members, the effort to find Parishioners with a gift or an interest in a particular goal or objective is essential.
Section 5 Evaluation
The Pastoral Council will periodically review the implementation of its goals and objectives. This process should be consistent, helpful and encouraging and not with a sense of controlling supervision or indifferent disregard. This process focuses primarily on assessing whether discerned needs were met, or if the goals and objectives should be adjusted in the light of fresh challenges. This process will naturally begin a phase of information gathering, which completes the Pastoral Planning cycle, and leads to an assessment of future Parish needs and direction.
Article III
Membership Section 1
The Pastoral Council shall consist of fifteen (15) lay members who are parishioners, nine (9) ex-officio, two (2) appointed, and four (4) elected at large from the Parish as well as the priests and deacons of the parish.
Section 2
At-large Members
Four members shall be elected from the Parish at large. Elected members shall serve a two-year term, with terms running in a staggered pattern so that two members are replaced each year, with terms starting in November. Elected members may be re-nominated and run for additional terms with no limitation as long they are re-elected by the Parish at large.
Ex-Officio Members
A. A member of the Finance Committee,
B. The heads of the seven (7) Commissions.
C. A member of the school Advisory Committee.
Appointed Members The Pastor may appoint two members to the Council who shall serve two-year terms that may be renewed at the discretion of the Pastor with no term limits.
Section 3 Vacancies
Vacancies, which occur in the Council, shall be filled as follows: Vacancies in the At-large membership shall be filled by consensus of the Council; those selected shall complete the term of the position vacated. Appointed members shall be filled at the Pastor's discretion.
Article IV
Elections Section 1
At each August meeting of the Council, the Commission heads will put forth one name each of an interested, qualified parishioner to fill the vacancies being created by the At-large members whose terms are about to expire. In addition the President of the Council shall cause notice to be published in the parish bulletin for two consecutive Sundays, requesting the names of interested nominees.
Section 2 Elections shall take place at all Masses on the second Sunday in October. A special committee, created by the Council to facilitate the election, consisting of one Council member, one Staff person, and a parishioner who is not a Council member shall count the votes. Those Receiving the most votes shall be elected, in the case of a
tie the winner will be determined by a coin toss, the person with the last name that begins with a letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet shall be heads.
Article V
Officers
Section 1
The officers of the Pastoral council shall be President, Vice President, and Secretary. The Executive Committee will be comprised of the Officers and the Pastor. The Officers will be selected by consensus at the November meeting each year. At least seven (7) members must be present to select officers. The officers shall hold a two year term. The Presidential selections will take place in even numbered years and the Vice President and Secretary shall be selected in odd numbered years. All executive Committee Members' terms shall be served to their end, even if their Pastoral Council membership term has ended. In the case of an At-Large Member the position will filled on schedule with the Council having one extra Ex-Officio member for the remainder of the Officer's term.
Section 2
The duties of the Officers shall be as follows:
The President shall be the Executive Officer of the Council and shall preside over all meetings of the Council. The President shall be an Ex-Officio member of all standing and special commissions and shall perform such duties as usually pertains to the Office of President. In the event of the President resigning his/her office before the end of his/her term, the Vice-President shall automatically become the President and finish out the term of the President replaced. The Council will elect a new Vice-President from their body to complete the term of the Vice-President.
The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall preside at all meetings of the Council. The Vice-President shall also perform other duties as may be assigned by the President of the Council.
The Secretary shall keep all records of the Council and shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Council. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President of the Council.
Article VI
Commissions Section 1
Commissions will be comprised of the various Ministries. The following commissions are established: Community Service, Evangelization, Family Life, Ministerio Hispano, Parish Life, Stewardship, Worship
Section 2
The pastor shall appoint the Chairperson of each Commission. The Chairperson shall be appointed for a three-year term, but may be replaced at any time per the discretion of the Pastor. There are no term limits.
Section 3
Commission Chairpersons should facilitate communication to and from the Council with the different ministries that they oversee. They should also meet at least twice a year with all the Ministry Heads in their Commission to assess the needs and direction of each particular ministry that they are responsible for.
Section 4
The chairperson of each Commission shall submit a short verbal report to the Council during each meeting. They will also submit an in-depth written report once a year in October to the president of the Council. The report will include a synopsis of each Ministry in their Commission with a list of all members in each Ministry and who is in charge of each Ministry.
Article VII
Ministries
Section 1
The Ministries will be comprised of volunteers from the Parish At-Large.
Section 2
Each Ministry will be headed by a volunteer from the Ministry. The head will be selected by consensus by the members of the Ministry. Each Ministry Head will serve a three-year term. Every three years the current Ministry Head will ask the Ministry membership if anyone would be interested in taking on the position of head of the Ministry. The members will select the new head by consensus. If no one steps forward the current Ministry Head may continue for another 3 year term but only if there is no one else willing to serve in the position.
Section 3
The Ministry Head will report to the Commission Chairperson that the Ministry is assigned to. The Ministry Head on a monthly basis or as asked by the Commission Chairperson will give verbal reports as to the happenings of the Ministry as well as yearly written reports that will include a detailed list of members and activities of the past year.
Article VIII
Meetings
Section 1
The Council will meet monthly on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Section 2
The President may, postpone, change, eliminate, or call for special meetings of the Council with the approval of the Pastor.
Section 3
A parishioner who wishes to address the Council at a regular meeting must submit the request in writing to the President. The Executive Committee determines if the topic is pertinent to the agenda of the Council, and if and when the council should address it.
Section 4
All issues to do with fundraising must be approved by the Council at a regular meeting and if the Council determines that the fundraising idea fits into the Parish Mission and goals of the Parish then the request shall be forwarded to the Finance Committee for final approval.
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