Saint Bernard Church, Rockville, CT

Saint Bernard Church
Pastoral Council

By Laws

Revision History:

March 1990
May 21, 1990
December 16, 1986
June 1989
November 1994

Saint Bernard Church Rockville Connecticut Parish Pastoral Council Constitution and By Laws

Article I: Preamble, Name and Purpose

Section A: Preamble We, the People of God, in the Parish of Saint Bernard, in union with each other, with our pastor, with the chief shepherd of our diocese, and in union with all the members everywhere of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ and governed by His Vicar, the Bishop of Rome and successor of Saint Peter, do hereby unite to form this Parish Pastoral council.

We do so conscious of the fact that everyone of us is a member of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians, 14:27) and that in this body “there are different gifts but the same spirit (and) different ministries but the same Lord” (ibid, vv. 4-5). We acknowledge that all Christians are called upon to offer their particular gift of ministry for the service of the whole body, "so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11)." We do so in response to the Gospel mandate (1) to proclaim in both word and sacrament the arrival of God's reign in, Jesus of Nazareth and (2) to live as witnesses to God's reign, transformed by the spirit into a Community of faith, hope and love and (3) to extend God's reign throughout the world in service to all, but especially the poor.

Finally, aware that without Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5), we ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that all our words may be spoken and all of our works done in charity and that they contribute to the establishment of God's reign.

Section B: Name The name of this body shall be the Parish Pastoral council of Saint Bernard Church, Rockville, Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, hereinafter referred to as the "Council."

Section C: Purpose The Purposes of the Council shall be: 1. To establish and cause to be administered policies which seek to be faithful to the Gospel. 2. To establish annual priorities of parish activity which respect that resources, both human and material, are finite. 3. To review parish policies and priorities on a continuing basis as we seek to respond to the "signs of the times." 4. To review relative to pastoral priorities the financial plans of all offices and operations subsidized by parish funds. 5. To renew membership in the Council and those committees which it deems necessary to carry on its work.

Article II: Membership

Section A: All confirmed members of the parish who are 15 years of age or older are eligible to serve on the Council.

Section B: The council will consist of: • Six At-Large Representatives • Committee Chairpersons of the standing committees • Representatives of Parish organizations as listed and defined in Article VII • Two Special Representatives appointed by the Pastor • One Religious Representative • The Pastor, Associates and assigned Permanent Deacon(s) • The Director of Religious Education • A representative appointed by The Chairman of the Financial Council • The Chairman of the School Board or their appointed representative.

Section C: All Council members (elected, appointed and Ex-officio) shall be full voting members. Each member will have one vote even if the member holds multiple positions of council membership.

Section D: At-Large Members will be elected to a three-year term of office. Two At-Large members will be elected each year. No elected member may serve two consecutive three-year terms.

Section E: Committee chairmen shall be selected by the respective committees of the council for one year terms. Committee chairmen may not serve for more than three consecutive one year terms.

Section F: Up to two special representatives may be appointed by the Pastor and are appointed for a one year term. Special representatives may not serve for more than three consecutive one year terms. Vacancies will be filled at the discretion of the pastor.

Section G: Members of the parish who are precluded from succeeding themselves on the Parish Pastoral Council because of Sections D, E or F, will be eligible to serve after a one year exclusion.

Section H: All committees are open to all members of the parish except for the Executive Committee which is defined in Article VII Section D.

Section I: A vacancy on the Council will occur when a member resigns, ceases to be a member of the parish. If an elected or appointed member is absent from two consecutive meetings without sufficient reason or without notifying the Council Chairperson of the Council. Excuses for absence will be considered by the Executive Committee.

Section J: To fill At-Large vacancies, the Council will appoint the un-elected candidate(s) from the previous election who received the highest number of votes. In the event that there are no unelected candidates from the previous election, the Council Chairperson of the Council, with the approval of the Executive Committee will appoint a qualified parishioner to fill the unexpired term. Members chosen to fill vacancies are still eligible to serve full terms as defined in sections D and E.

Section K: The Chairman of the School Board of Saint Bernard School is an ex-officio member of the Parish Pastoral Council. The School Board, governed by its own by-laws and not itself a committee of the Council, shall work in cooperation with the Council.

Developing and implementing school policies and programs, along with formulating the school budget, is the responsibility of the School Board, Principal of the School and the Pastor.

Section L: A representative appointed by the Chairman of the Financial Council is an ex-officio member of the Parish Pastoral Council. The Financial council, governed by its own bylaws and not itself a committee of the Council, shall work in cooperation with the Council. Developing and implementing financial policies and programs is the responsibility of the Financial Council, Parish Trustees and the Pastor.

Section M: Members of the Council as defined in Paragraphs D, E, and F may only hold one seat on the Council. Members holding multiple seats must select one position.

Article III: Election Process

Section A: The Council Chairperson of the Council shall contact the Parish Life Committee in February to initiate the Parish Pastoral Council Election Process. The Parish Life Committee shall be charged with: (1) the Nominating procedure,(2) the Election procedure, (3) nomination of a slate of officers for the ensuing year.

Section B: The Selection procedure will include two Parish Pastoral Council at-large members and any School Board members as defined by the School Board.

Section C: The Parish Life Committee shall submit a list of at-large nominations to the Council at the March meeting. The Parish Bulletin shall include an opportunity for all parish members to nominate candidates for election to the Council. Prospective nominees must attend a Period of Discernment prior to the finalization of the list of nominees. Consent of all nominees shall be required prior to submission of the list.

Section D: The School Board shall be responsible for nominating and approving nominations for the School Board. The final list of candidates for the open School Board seats shall be submitted to the Parish Life Committee for the Election ballot no later than March 30th.

Section E: The list of nominations for the Parish Pastoral Council at-large seats and School Board seats shall be published in the Parish Bulletin four weeks prior to the election.

Section F: A complete list of all candidates with a brief resume of each shall be printed and distributed to the parish no later than the weekend prior to the election.

Section G: The annual election of the Council at large members and School Board members shall be held on the first weekend of May, following each Mass. The election shall he by written ballot. Winners of the election shall be determined by the highest number of votes cast in their respective categories. The election results shall be kept confidential until all nominees have been notified of the results by the Parish Life Committee. Following notification, the election results shall be published in the parish bulletin no later than the second Sunday in June.

Section H: Absentee ballots will be available to registered parishioners through the Parish Secretary's office.

Section I: The Pastor's special representative appointments will be sent to the Parish Life committee by the weekend of the general election.

These appointments will be published in the bulletin along with the election results.

Section J: If candidates are not available for election the Executive Committee may appoint Council at large members for the respective terms.

Article IV: Officers

Section A: The officers of the Council shall be the Council Chairperson and Vice-Council Chairperson.

Section B: All officers shall be elected annually by ballot of the Council at its May meeting from the slate of officers. The slate of officers will contain candidates submitted by the Parish Life Committee and nominations from the floor.

Section C: Every member of the Council, whether elected, appointed or by virtue of office, is eligible to be elected an officer of the Council.

Section D: The Council Chairperson shall be chief executive officer of the Council and shall preside at all meetings of the Council. The Council Chairperson shall perform all other duties usually associated with this office.

Section E: The Vice-Council chairperson shall have all powers and shall perform all duties of the Council Chairperson whenever the Council Chairperson is unable or unwilling to act.

Article V: Council Secretary

Section A: The Council Secretary may be a paid, non-voting Council-appointed position for performing secretarial duties on behalf of the Council.

Section B: The Council Secretary shall be responsible for: 1. Recording minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Council. 2. Preparing and distributing notices and agendas for all Council meetings. 3. Maintaining records pertaining to Council communications, membership and policy. 4. Submitting meeting notices for publication in the parish bulletin.

Section C: The Executive Committee shall review candidates and appoint a secretary prior to the first meeting of the new Council in September.

Section D: The term of Council Secretary is for one year, subject to review and reappointment for the next year. There is no limit on the number of reappointments.

Article VI: Meetings

Section A: Meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council shall be held monthly from September to June. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, any monthly meeting may be canceled with the restriction that there shall be a minimum of five meetings per year with meetings in September, March and May.

Section B: The Secretary shall see that notices of all meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council are published in the Parish Bulletin on the Sunday immediately preceding the meeting.

Section C: All members of the parish may attend any regular or special meeting of the Council and may be recognized by the presiding officer to speak before the Council. Where special circumstances warrant, the Council, by a two thirds majority vote, may designate any meeting, or any portion of a meeting to be in closed session. Only Council members and persons specifically invited to the Council may attend a meeting in closed session.

Section D: A simple majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. The following shall be included as the count for a quorum: Pastor or his designated representative, at-large members, and standing committee chairpersons. If a position is not filled it will not be counted for the determination of a quorum.

Section E: At meetings of the Council and standing Committees, all questions and matters shall be decided by consensus. Consensus is defined as reaching a decision that everyone present can accept.

Article VII: Standing Committees

Section A: A standing committee .is a body authorized by the Parish Pastoral Council to coordinate and implement the policies of the council. The standing committees of the Council are to be defined by a consensus of the Parish Pastoral Council. A list of current standing committees with the function and duties will be maintained by the Council Secretary as an attachment to the By- Laws. Standing committees may be established by the Council and a Chair and members appointed to serve the needs as described in the duties and functions attachments. The standing committees may be modified by the Council upon notification of such a change in the Parish Bulletin at least two weeks prior to a regular Council meeting at which the addition or deletion of a committee will be determined.

Parish Organization not falling under the auspices of a Parish Pastoral Council committee may have their chairperson appoint a representative to represent the organization as a member of the, Parish Pastoral Council. The list of these organizations and their respective chairpersons will be attached to the by-laws and maintained by the Council Secretary.

Each standing committee will report its activities to the Parish Pastoral Council in writing. The standing committee report should identify the significant activities that are being implemented. The committee will also suggest to the council new policies required to support committee activity.

The Executive Committee shall be composed of the officers of the Council, the Pastor, the most recent past Council chairperson of the Council and up to two members of the current Council appointed by the Council Chairperson.

The committee shall: 1. Carry on the business of the Council between meetings. 2. Establish an agenda before each regular meeting. 3. Consider excuses from attendance at meetings. 4. Review the Council by-laws once a year. 5. Facilitate any recommendations for amendments to the Council By-laws. 6. Establish specific policies to facilitate the operation of the Council. No policy may be established that contradicts the Council by-laws. The Secretary shall maintain an ongoing record of all policies as an attachment to the by-laws.

Section B: Special Committees may be appointed by the Council Chairperson of the Council as deemed necessary, from time to time, subject to ratification by the Council and the committee which it will report. Special committees will be disbanded when their work is complete or when they are dismissed by the Council Chairperson with the approval of the Council Chairperson and the Committee to which they report.

Article VIII: Amendment

Section A: These by-laws may be amended by a consensus decision of the Council only after the proposed change has been read and discussed at a prior meeting. There must be at least 28 days between the meeting at which the changes are discussed and the meeting at which the changes are accepted.

Committee and Duties Attachment

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