St

St. Stanislaus Parish Pastoral Council

By Laws

1. NAME: St. Stanislaus Parish Pastoral Council

2. DIRECTION: The Parish Pastoral Council is to take its direction from and be governed by norms given by the Diocesan Bishop (Canon 536 #2). The Diocesan norms are to be adapted to the particular circumstances of the parish according to St. Stan's Parish Mission Statement.

3. MISSION: St. Stanislaus Parish is a community of Christian people who have freely chosen to come together in the Catholic tradition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit: to worship God the Father, to witness the message and ministry of Jesus, and to love and serve one another.

4. MEMBERSHIP: Members of the Pastoral Council are to be members of the parish in full communion with the Catholic Church. All members will participate in a program of orientation for service on parish consultative bodies.

(a) The council shall consist of twelve members.

(b) Of the total membership, three-fourths of the members will be selected.

(c) After appropriate consultation and after the selection process is complete, one-fourth of the total membership is to be appointed by the pastor with special attention to the representation of the different aspects of pastoral work in the parish, and of the different states of life and social and professional conditions of the parishioners.

(d) The membership of the Parish Pastoral Council shall be made known to all parishioners.

5. TERM OF MEMBERSHIP:

(a) All members shall serve a three-year term which can be renewed once. No council member shall serve more than six consecutive years. However, the member shall be eligible again after one year of not serving on the council.

(b) In the case of a vacant pastorate, the members under the previous pastor will assist the Dean and the Diocesan Bishop during the interim. The new pastor is to reconvene a Parish Pastoral Council as soon as possible after his appointment to the parish.

(c) Any vacancy on the Parish Pastoral Council is filled as soon as possible through appointment by the Parish Pastoral Council and the pastor.

6. TIME AND METHOD OF SELECTION:

(a) There shall be a general selection process in the parish which shall be held at

the regularly scheduled Pastoral Council meeting in May of each year. Members selected

shall begin serving on the first day of July following their selection. Terms of members shall run through the last day of June each year.

(b) An announcement will be placed in the bulletin on the first two Sundays in

March, stating that anyone desiring to be a candidate for the council shall submit their name by placing it in the nomination boxes to be located by each church door. Names of candidates shall be selected by draw and the parish community shall be informed of the selection of candidates on the first Sunday following the selection.

7. MEETING:

(a) The Parish Pastoral Council will normally meet the second Tuesday of every month, except in the months of June, July, and December.

(b) Special meetings may be scheduled as deemed necessary.

(c) It is expected that all council members will attend all council meetings. Any member missing two consecutive regular meetings in a year shall be automatically removed from the council, unless specifically excused by the council.

8. OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES:

(a) The pastor of the parish is the president of the Parish Pastoral Council (Canon 536 #1).

(i) The pastor is to maintain an openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit at all meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council and to foster consultation by seeking the counsel of all members by encouraging an understanding hearing of each member, and by responding, according to his pastoral judgment, to the expressed counsel of the members.

(ii) The pastor is to maintain the necessary communication between the parish pastoral council and its committees, the Parish Finance Council and other parish organizations.

(b) If the pastor chooses, the Parish Pastoral Council shall elect one member to the office of Chairperson of the council who will help the pastor in his responsibilities for the Parish Pastoral council.

(c) If the pastor chooses, the Parish Pastoral Council shall also elect one member who will help the pastor in his responsibilities at meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.

(d) The Parish Pastoral Council shall elect one member to the office of secretary. The secretary is responsible for maintaining accurate minutes of the meetings of the Parish Pastoral Council and for preparing a summary of the discussions at each meeting, to be published for interested parish members. The secretary, as member of the Agenda Committee, is responsible to see that each member of the council gets a copy of the agenda and related materials prior to each monthly meeting. If feasible, a recording secretary, who is not a member of the Parish Pastoral Council, can be appointed.

(e) No officer may serve in the same office more than two consecutive years.

9. RESPONSIBILITES:

(a) The Parish Pastoral Council is a consultative body (Canon 5362) by which the Christian faithful of a parish, together with those who have pastoral authority in the parish, "give their help in fostering pastoral activity" (Canon 636 #1). Its work is to be informed and inspired by the vision of the Church, exemplified in the teaching of the second Vatican Council.

(b) The ways by which it fulfills its shared responsibility are: the spiritual enrichment and growth of its members; the study of the Christian life of the people of God with special attention to their Christian vision, needs and hopes; the discernment of the relationship of the pastoral activity of the parish to the legitimate needs and hopes of the parish community; establishment of priorities among the various aspects of the pastoral activity of the parish; and the formation of policy and the development of programs of pastoral activity.

(c) The clear distinction between policy formation, the proper work of the Parish Pastoral Council, and administration, the proper work of the pastor and parish staff, should be maintained. At the same time, members of the parish staff should offer to the council their knowledge and judgment regarding questions under discussion.

10. RELATIONSHIP TO THE PARISH FINANCE COUNCIL:

(a) The Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Finance Council are distinct bodies by virtue of their distinct purposes, their distinct responsibilities, and the distinct qualifications for membership on each.

(b) To facilitate the communication between the two parish councils, it is recommended that one member of each council attend the meetings of the other council.

11. PARISH COMMITTEES AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES:

(a) The following are permanent committees of the Parish Pastoral Council: Agenda Committee, Family Life Committee, Sacred Worship Committee, Catholic Education Committee, and Justice and Peace Committee. The Committees normally meet monthly. A Parish Pastoral Council member shall be the liaison between each committee and the council. Committee liaison assignments are made at the May in- service meeting annually.

(b) The Agenda Committee shall consist of the pastor, the council chairperson, the council vice-chairperson, and the council secretary. It is the responsibility of the Agenda Committee to prepare the agenda and to study the materials for each meeting.

(c) The Family Life Committee is to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in fostering Christian family life in the parish. Among its concerns are: the central place of the family in all parish pastoral activities; parish hospitality and social activities; youth ministry; elderly ministry; marriage enrichment; natural family planning; the pastoral care of single adult Catholics; and grief support.

(d) The Sacred Worship Committee is to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in fostering, first and foremost, the liturgical life of the parish as celebrated in the Sacraments and other rites of the Church, with special attention to the sick and isolated in the parish. Also of concern to this committee are the devotional aspects of the parish's life of prayer.

(e) The Catholic Education Committee is to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in fostering the educational aspect of the pastoral mission of the parish, which includes: evangelization, adult education, catechetics, the Catholic school, missionary activity, and ecumenism.

(f) The Justice and Peace Committee is to assist the Parish Pastoral Council in fostering pastoral concern and action for justice in the world, especially in all areas of parish life. Its concerns include: promotion of the respect for all human life; the pastoral care of the afflicted, the needy, and the imprisoned; the pastoral care of immigrants and refugees; just structures in the parish; stewardship; and the greater understanding of the Church's teaching on social justice.

12. CONSULTATION:

At meetings called for the purpose of consultation, the end in view is not a vote by which the majority can rule the minority, but rather a mutual exchange by which true understanding is achieved. True understanding will lead to solidarity in working for the Church.

13. ADMINISTRATIVE RECOURSE:

In the Diocese of LaCrosse, administrative recourse is the accepted manner for the resolution of conflicts between members of the church. The processes of administrative recourse can be found in Consultation in The Parish and Deanery Handbook. Appendix B, page 34.

14. ADMENDMENTS:

These By-Laws may be changed by the pastor and a 2/3's majority of a quorum of members. A quorum is defined as 50% of the members plus one. If any By-Law changes shall be presented at a meeting for consideration for adoption or rejection, the proposed changes shall be voted on at the following meeting.

Signature.tif January 8, 2008

President, St. Stanislaus Parish Pastoral Council Date of Approval