Parish Assembly Council******************************************************************
SAINT JOSEPH PARISH ASSEMBLY COUNCIL CHARTER
ARTICLE I: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL AND THE PARISH ASSEMBLY COUNCIL
A. The Parish Pastoral Council is consultative and decision-making body acting in an advisory capacity to the Pastor. The Council's ministry is to: (i) advise and support the Pastor and pastoral staff; (ii) to respond to their call and questions; (iii) to offer the best consultation possible on pastoral issues, plans, and activities; (iv) to advise the Pastor and parish staff regarding the general policies that guide the programs and services of the parish; (v) periodically review and update the parish mission statement; (vi) develop and maintain a long-range plan to implement the mission; (vii) and, communicate such plans to the Parish Assembly Council, as appropriate for recommendations and financial implementation.
The Council also reviews and discusses the needs and issues raised by the Assembly Council and votes on any decisions made concerning these needs and issues. The Council utilizes the "consensus" form of decision making rather than parliamentary procedure. The Council is committed to the spiritual growth of the entire Council, its individual members, and the wider parish community.
B. The Parish Assembly Council is composed of representatives of the various organizations of the parish acting in concert to acquaint parishioners, other organizations, and the Pastoral Council of the activities, needs, and issues of the various organizations. Reports of such activities, needs, and issues are made after each meeting and forwarded to the Pastoral Council for discussion and for ratification and/or decisions recommended by the Assembly Council.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
A. The Council and its organizations seek to build a community of faith to help make the church present and functioning within the parish's locale.
B. The Council calls forth ecclesial charisms, gifts given by the Holy Spirit to individual members of the faith community for the common good.
C. The Council and its organizations carry out the tenets of the parish mission statement and initiates concrete activity and programs to promote the spiritual, educational and temporal well being of the parish.
ARTICLE III. BACKGROUND
The concept of a parish Pastoral Council and Assembly Council emerged from the ecclesiological principles of the Second Vatican Council. The Decree on the "Apostolate of the Lay People", issued in 1965 and revised Canon No. 536 issued in 1973, stress the need for church structures consistent with the Council's emphasis on the church as the People of God. To empower the laity within parishes, structures were needed to facilitate new levels of cooperation with the clergy in sharing responsibility for the mission of the church.
ARTICLE IV. MODE OF OPERATION
Basic to the operation of the Parish Assembly Council is the willingness of Council and its organization members to inform themselves regarding church directives (e.g., canonical/diocesan policies, guidelines, communications) affecting their ministry within the parish faith community. This is an ongoing task.
A. The Council demonstrates its respect for the Baptismal call of each
parishioner and for the service roles fulfilled by individuals and groups with whom it maintains specific relationships.
B. The Council communicates both within the parish using all the various
means available (e.g., announcements, letters, bulletins, surveys, minutes of meetings, gatherings, home/parish visiting, etc.), and beyond the parish to seek or to share information.
C. The Council respects the proper roles and responsibilities of its organizations, recognizing the right of organization members to report directly to the Pastor when recommendations fall within the scope of the organization's work, when the impact on the parish is of a limited nature or when the recommendation suggested is already authorized in the parish goals and budget. When organization recommendations affect the whole parish either directly or indirectly they should be brought to the Parish Pastoral Council for review.
D. Ordinarily, in deference to the life of the Holy Spirit animating its members
the Council operates in a consensual manner. Council members are parish leaders who come together as baptized persons. As people of prayer, Council members exercise leadership not only because of their personal gifts, experiences, credibility and opinions but also because by listening to the voice of the Spirit speaking through each member and at work in the group as a community of faith, their discussions and judgments represent far more than the ordinary pooling of talents and ideas. Whereas secular bodies may operate from the principle of one person-one vote, or in response to a constituency of electors, Council members are called upon to serve in a spirit of discipleship as followers of Jesus.
E. The Council and its organizations act in an accountable manner. It carries out its role, discharging its responsibilities and exercising its authority in terms of its proper relationship with the Diocese, the Pastor, the Pastoral Council and members of the parish-at-large.
F. The Council conducts an annual self-evaluation, reviewing its fidelity to the parish mission statement and to the fulfillment of its purposes.
ARTICLE V. PARISH ASSEMBLY COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONS:
A. PURPOSE:
Each organization of the Assembly Council addresses the community's priorities and goals within a particular area of parish life: worship,
education or Christian service. The work of the Council and its organizations is to facilitate and further the parish mission statement within each of the three key areas of parish life.
B. SCOPE:
All Council organizations are accountable to the Pastoral Council. Organizations make decisions in their respective areas of responsibility following the principle of subsidiarity (i.e., decisions are made at the most appropriate level of parish organization).
C. MEMBERSHIP
Council organizations are usually made up of people already active in a specific area of ministry in the parish. The size of an organization may vary. The name and scope of the organizations are identified hereinafter. Usually there are from three to ten members and parish staff members may sit on a Council organization not as a member but as resource persons.
One member of the organization serves as the link or liaison person with
the Parish Pastoral Council. This person is an elected or appointed
Council member who sits on the Assembly Council, attends its meetings,
becoming knowledgeable about its ministry to the parish and informing him/herself of ways the Council is living out the parish mission statement.
This liaison between the Pastoral Council and the Assembly Council is key to harmonious and unified parish life.
D. MEETINGS
Individual organizations meet periodically while the entire Assembly Council meets bi-monthly, except that no meetings are conducted during the months of July or August. Care should be exercised in scheduling these, or any, parish meetings so that active parishioners will not become overextended. One solution might be to alternate between Council meetings (September, November, January and April) and organization meetings held on alternate months -- same weekday, same time, same place, and same time frame. Maintaining a parish calendar helps members schedule meetings that are frequent enough without being excessive, helps members avoid scheduling conflicts and helps members and their families plan for and anticipate parish meetings.
E. TASKS
Organizations are most effective when they keep their tasks "do-able," concrete, focused. Some basic functions of the various organizations are:
1. Identify needs of the parish within an organization's area of
responsibility and in keeping with the parish's mission statement.
2. Prioritize among these and discern what can be addressed realistically within a given time frame and where inter-organizational collaboration
might further a priority.
3. Formulate a few, well-chosen short and long-term goals/objectives.
4. Research and explore options to implement goals (seek assistance
from diocesan offices and other resources that can guide
implementation processes).
5. Communicate progress to the Pastoral Council through a contact
person or liaison, through written reports.
6. Maintain communication with the parish to further understanding, to educate, to elicit support and involvement.
7. Provide for on-going formation of organization members by planning in-service programs, reflection days, retreat experiences, attendance
at workshops sponsored by the diocese, etc.
8. When funds are required to support an organization and its activities, it shall propose a budget in keeping with the priorities of the organization and the mission statement of the parish faith community and make budget recommendations to the Pastoral Council.
9. Undertake a periodic evaluation of parish life from the perspective of the organization's services and efforts.
F. OFFICERS
Each organization is served by a chairperson who convenes and chairs meetings, gathers items for the agenda and collaborates closely with the Pastoral Council liaison in order to keep the Council informed regarding the ongoing work of the organization, and by a secretary who assists the chairperson in publishing and circulating the agenda and takes minutes at meetings. The person serving as Pastoral Council liaison may also serve
as a organization chair if chosen by an organization to do so. Staff members, however, are ineligible to serve as organization officers.
G. MODE OF OPERATION:
Organizations accomplish their work by gathering information, by
discernment and prayerful reflection, by sharing wisdom -- all within a consensual process. Organizations are inclusive, strategizing to inform and involve others in the parish in organization ministry. They are strong on collaboration and communication, aiming always to be open, flexible, and creative.
Agendas include:
PLANNING: Prepare, think, gather information, and anticipate questions, welcome options;
INSERVICE: Learn, grow, attend workshops, read on organization related topics use diocesan and other resources and
speakers;
INFORMATION: Deal with informational reports briefly, keeps
parishioners informed, don't belabor points, and communicate;
DECISIONS: Gather facts, seek opinions, discuss, pray, postpone if necessary, seek consensus, and keeps the common good in mind;
FEEDBACK: Listen, don't take offense, accept praise and blame,
rejoice in strong points, address weaknesses.
H. TERMS
A chairperson is selected annually by the organization to
report to the Pastoral Council. Organization members serve for three years, much as a Pastoral Council member would serve. A term may be renewed on a repeated basis.
H. PARISH ASSEMBLY COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONS:
1. ALTAR SERVERS MINISTRY
2. LECTORS, EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS MINISTRY
3. MUSIC MINISTRY
4. USHERS/HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE
5. ART AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
6. LEGION OF MARY
7. MEN OF ST. JOSEPH
8. EIGHTH STATION BEREVEMENT MINISTRY
9. FAITH FORMATION MINISTRY
10. RENEW COMMITTEE
11. MINISTRY OF MOTHERS SHARING (MOMS)
12. 55 PLUS CLUB
13. SOCIAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE
14. FINANCE COMMITTEE
15. MARTHA MARY GUILD
16. PLANT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
17. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
18. YOUTH MINISTRY
I. ORGANIZATION OUTLINES: Organization Outlines indicating the area of activity, purpose, functions, organization, membership, schedules, and relationships with other committees are found in the attachments hereto.
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