Mission Statement

We, the Roman Catholic Parish of Assumption, inspired by the Holy Spirit, commit ourselves to fostering a faith community that respects the diversity of our neighborhoods, celebrates the sacramental presence of Jesus, serves the needs of all people, and proclaims the good news of God’s saving love, under the inspiration of Mary, Mother and Servant of the Lord.

By-Laws

I.          INTRODUCTION

In response to the call of the Bishops of Vatican Council II for greater lay participation and responsibility in the life of a renewed Church, the pastor and people of Assumption Church do hereby establish this Parish Pastoral Council.  By establishing this pastoral council, the pastor acknowledges the wisdom of the parishioners and expresses his desire to share with them his responsibility for the governance of the parish.

II.         PURPOSE

The purpose of the Pastoral Council is to investigate pastoral matters, to consider them thoughtfully, and to propose practical conclusions about them.  The process that the council will use is called “discernment.”  Discernment is a spiritual process through which we listen for God’s voice through the Bible, our faith community and our direct listening to God. In decision-making, the council will use a consensus model rather than a voting model.  A consensus decision is one which everyone on the council can accept and with which they can live. 

The council’s first task is to examine those matters brought to its attention.  Its second task is to reflect on them thoroughly and prayerfully to better understand their true nature.  Its final task is to draw reasoned conclusions.  The council presents these conclusions to the pastor in the form of recommendations.  Once the pastor has accepted recommendations of the council, he directs their implementation.  Although council members may assist him, implementation is the responsibility of the pastor and his staff, not the council. 

III.        SCOPE

With the pastor, the council will develop and recommend goals and priorities for the parish. The scope of the council encompasses all the matters referred to it by the pastor. The pastor may consult the council on anything that pertains to the pastor’s ministries of proclaiming God’s word, celebrating the sacraments, caring for the faithful, promoting the mission of the Church to the world, and being a good steward of parish resources.  The scope includes all practical matters of parish life.  There is nothing about which the pastor may not consult the council apart from faith, orthodoxy, moral principles, or laws of the universal church. The council will strive to encourage trust and open communication and invite parishioners to bring to its attention issues that are important to parish life. 

IV.       CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP

Pastoral Council members are chosen, above all, for their ability to accomplish the main task of the council---the work of examining, reflecting and recommending reasoned conclusions.  Council members should be baptized Catholics, registered members of the parish and at least eighteen (18) years of age.  They should accept and honor the Mission Statement of the parish.  They should be open, trusting, honest, and committed to working toward consensus.  They will be expected to work with the pastor, staff and ministries to formulate parish-wide goals and to participate in council meetings, the annual Pastoral Council retreat; and, other activities that may be required. Members must commit to attend council meetings with no more than two absences per year. 

The council will have nine (9) members plus the pastor.  A single term on the council will be three (3) years.  For the first council, members will be discerned for one, two or three-year terms which will allow for three new discerned members to join the council each succeeding year and serve a full three-year term.  Members cannot serve two consecutive terms.  If any council member resigns, their position will remain vacant until the next discernment meeting.

V.        SELECTION OF MEMBERS

The nomination process will occur over a ten (10) day period each April. One month prior to the nomination period, the council will ensure that an announcement of the forthcoming nomination process appears in the parish bulletin. Written nominations are made in church on two successive weekends or electronically up to three (3) days following the second weekend.  Parishioners may nominate themselves and/or other parishioners.  Anonymous nominations will not be accepted. 

The council officers will contact nominees to ascertain if they are interested in participating in the discernment process.  Individuals who wish to be part of the discernment process must be able to attend all discernment meetings.

The first discernment meeting will be advisory as to the council, its purpose, decision-making process and the commitment involved. The nominees are then invited to a second meeting at which the new council members are discerned.

VI.       OFFICERS

The pastor presides at each meeting of the council.  He consults, he accepts or rejects recommendations, and he develops the agenda with the council officers.  The pastor and council members discern three officers from among their number to serve as Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary.  Officers are discerned to serve a one-year term and may be discerned to serve one additional year in the same office.

No officer may serve more than two years in the same office. 

The Chairperson facilitates council discussions, making sure that everyone speaks and is heard.  The Chairperson also monitors the work of the council members between regular meetings.  The Vice Chairperson assists the Chairperson and faciliates meetings in the Chairperson’s absence. The Secretary keeps the minutes.  He or she ensures that they are sent, along with the agenda and supporting documents, to each council member at least one week before every meeting.

VII.      AGENDA

The pastor develops the agenda with the council officers.  The agenda guides the meeting.  It begins with prayer and the opportunity to comment upon or to correct the minutes of the previous meeting and concludes with a brief evaluation of the current meeting.  If the pastor is dissatisfied with the recommendations, he expresses his reservations and asks the council to clarify or to modify.  When he is satisfied with the recommendations, he formally accepts them.  He may then ask the parish staff or other parishioners to implement them.

The development of the council agenda is the most important preparation for every council meeting.  By developing an agenda, the pastor and the officers judge what matters will come before the council, and what matters do not deserve the council’s attention at this time.  The pastor and officers should also state in the agenda what they expect the council to do; (e.g., to hear a report, to brainstorm, to discuss a book or article, to plan a group process, to put concerns into an order of priority, to pray over a decision, etc.)  Because he is doing the consulting, the pastor should say what will help him best.

VIII.     RELATION TO THE STAFF AND FINANCE COUNCI

In order to fulfill his pastoral responsibilities, the pastor consults others besides the Pastoral Council.  He relies upon the parish staff for their expertise and consults them about the management of parish operations.  He may occasionally ask parish staff members to attend council meetings in order to put their knowledge at the service of the Pastoral Council. 

The pastor relies on the Finance Council to develop, monitor, and report on the parish budget.  The Pastoral Council, by contrast, offers practical wisdom, which is the ability to investigate pastoral matters in a general way, to reflect on them deeply in dialogue, and to propose conclusions appropriate to the parish.

IX.       MEETINGS

The Pastoral Council meets from September to May on the third Thursday of the month. The first Sunday of June, there is a retreat where officers are discerned and the general theme of the year is selected.  Meetings are no more than two hours in length.  In addition to the monthly meetings, council members are expected to perform the necessary follow-up to the previous meeting and to prepare what is asked of them for the next.  This may entail work on ad hoc committees.  During the final meeting each year, the council members reflect on the progress of the past year. They assess their progress toward reaching the council’s goals.  At the pastor’s discretion, the council may choose to hold a parish assembly to elicit advice and input of parishioners on a particular topic.

      X.     AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended by consensus of the council members and the pastor’s acceptance.