Pastoral Council

Next Meeting Dates   To be announced 

If you have concerns or issues that should be brought up at one of our meetings, please contact Council President John L. Denega or St. Daniel Rectory at least a week prior to the meeting.  

Members are:  

 

NAME

TERM

Rev. Thomas Ward

Admin

Msgr. Eugene Yennock

Pastor Emeritus

Dc. Joseph Celentano

Deacon

John L. Denega

2023

President

Thomas Carmichael

2022

David Carnie

2022

Vice-president

Thomas A. Carnrike Legal Advisor
Jim Capodagli 2022
Delegated Volunteers Social

Mike Ellingworth

2022
Eric Smith Trustee
Eric Smith Finance
Tom McAllister  Trustee
JIm Capodagli 2023,
Secretary

Joseph Lattanzi

2023

Lynn Hewitt Rel. Ed.
Nick Moro 2022

 

 

 

SAINT DANIEL CHURCH
PASTORAL COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

Approved unanimously on March 8, 2012, Syracuse, New York

Contents  

AUTHORITY & PREAMBLE............................................................................................................................................ 3

ARTICLE I - NAME................................................................................................................................................................ 4

ARTICLE II- GENERAL FUNCTIONS & PURPOSES........................................................................................... 5

ARTICLE III-PURPOSE....................................................................................................................................................... 6

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL................................................................................................ 7

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES............................................................................................................................................ 8

ARTICLE VI - ELECTION TO THE COUNCIL......................................................................................................... 9

ARTICLE VII- MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL.................................................................................................... 11

ARTICLE VIII- VOTING BY THE COUNCIL........................................................................................................ 12

ARTICLE IX- OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL......................................................................................................... 13

ARTICLE X-AMENDMENTS.......................................................................................................................................... 14

 

AUTHORITY & PREAMBLE

Authority: 

Can. 536 §1. If the diocesan bishop judges it opportune after he has heard the presbyteral council, a pastoral council is to be established in each parish, over which the pastor presides and in which the Christian faithful, together with those who share in pastoral care by virtue of their office in the parish, assist in fostering pastoral activity.

§2. A pastoral council possesses a consultative vote only and is governed by the norms established by the diocesan bishop.

Preamble:

This Saint Daniel Pastoral council is organized pursuant to the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), which states that Catholics have a right and duty to express their opinion on what pertains to the good of the Church, and that pastors should willingly consult their people, and use their prudent advice.  By establishing this pastoral council, the pastor of Saint Daniel has acknowledged that there is wisdom to be found in the community of parishioners and has expressed his desire to consult with them concerning the governance of the parish. 

The scope of the council is pastoral matters­­. These may include everything 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 the practical matters of parish life. There is, in short, nothing about which the pastor may not consult the council, apart from faith, orthodoxy, moral principles or laws of the universal Church.

However, the Saint Daniel Pastoral Council is mindful of and shall respect the limitations on its powers.  Canon law allows it to offer advice, but gives it no power of governance.  Nor does it have primacy over any other canonical council, including the finance council. The council's proper role is not to implement but (in the words of Canon Law) to investigate, ponder, and recommend.  Thus its duty is to investigate pastoral matters, to consider them thoroughly, and to propose practical conclusions about them to the pastor in the form of recommendations.  If the pastor accepts the recommendations, he may direct their implementation. While Council members may assist, implementation is the responsibility of the pastor, not the council. 

The Pastoral Council, through its members, also has the responsibility to reach out to the wider community to bring to all people the experience of the saving mystery of Christ. This thrust towards service, and ecumenism is a vital aspect of a pastoral council in today' s church. 

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization will be "The St. Daniel's Pastoral Council" which will hereinafter be referred to as the "Pastoral Council" or the "Council."

ARTICLE II- GENERAL FUNCTIONS & PURPOSES

The general functions and purposes of the Pastoral Council shall be:

1. To assist the pastor in his leadership function of organizing, promoting and coordinating the apostolic activities within the parish, and to help make the gospel known and lived.

2. To assure through its committees continued assessment of the spiritual and temporal needs of the parish and the community and to relate them to the pastor

3.  To set priorities for its consideration and recommendations, to establish goals and objectives concerning means of addressing the needs of the parish and the community, and to coordinate with such other councils as may be established by the pastor.

4. To serve as a permanent and flexible structure for constructive dialogue among the laity, priests and religious of the parish in order to facilitate cooperation as a Christian community and the fulfillment of Christ's saving mission.

5. To provide leadership, direction, education, resources and encouragement in accordance with the continuing goals of the parish, the diocese and the Universal Church within its allowable scope of activities.

ARTICLE III-PURPOSE

As the primary consultative and advisory body in the parish, the purpose of the Pastoral Council is to assist the pastor in the administration of the life and ministry of the parish, while recognizing that as a Bishop's representative and the parish's spiritual leader, the pastor bears ultimate responsibility for and authority in the parish community.  The Council has no veto authority relative to the Bishop's decision regarding Diocesan programs, or to decisions of the pastor regarding programs or activities of the parish.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL

Section 1.

The Council shall be composed of ex-officio, appointed, and elected members, each having one vote, and no individual member of the council, irrespective of the form or forms of his or her membership (ex-officio, appointed, elected), shall have more than one vote.  The Council shall consist of not more than twenty-five members. 

The term of an appointed member shall end upon their election to the Council.  This provision is not applicable to ex officio members. 

Section 2.

The ex-officio members shall include the following:

a. Pastor

b. Parochial Vicar

c. Deacons of Saint Daniel

d. Director of School of Religion

e. Two (2) lay trustees (appointed by the Pastor)

f. If the committees have been appointed, then the chairs of the financial and stewardship committees, or their designees.

Section 3.

a. Representatives of standing committees established by or with the approval of the council pursuant to Article V of this constitution shall be members of the council, if they are not so already, and shall each have one vote.

b. The pastor, or the council itself by vote of the whole, may appoint non-elected members for specific terms to meet such specific needs or situations as may arise, or to head up such activities as may be deemed advisable by the pastor or the council in the interests of the parish. All appointments by the Council are subject to approval/consent of the Pastor.

Section 4.

Elected members shall be a minimum of six (6) and a maximum of eight (8) in number, and shall be elected pursuant to Article VI of this constitution.

ARTICLE V - COMMITTEES

Section 1.

The council may establish such standing committees, subcommittees, and ad hoc committees, appoint their chairs, fix their membership, and assign their responsibilities, as it deems appropriate.

Section 2.

The term of office for committee members and chairs shall be one (1) year, provided however that such members and chairs may be reappointed by the Council after determining the willingness of such members and chairs to continue to serve. Reappointments shall take place not later than May of each year.

Section 3.

The chair of each standing committee shall be considered an ex officio member of the Council, and shall have one vote on the Council, if such chair is not already a member of the Council. If such chair is already a member of the Council, such chair shall continue to exercise his or her single vote, except that such vote shall be cast and understood as representative of such standing committee.

Section 4.

The Chair and Pastor shall be deemed ex-officio members of all standing committees and shall be notified of any meetings of such committees.

ARTICLE VI - ELECTION TO THE COUNCIL

Section 1.

Any registered member of the parish who is eighteen years of age or older is eligible to be a member of the Pastoral Council.

Section 2.

The requirement set forth in section 1 hereinabove concerning age, shall not apply to the chair of any standing committee appointed by the council pursuant to article V, whose purpose is to deal with or to represent the youth of the parish.

Section 3.

The pastor shall appoint a nominating committee of three (3) Council Members not later than March 1, whose purpose shall be to guide the selection process. The Vice-Chair of the Council shall be one of the three and shall chair this committee.

Section 4.

The selection process shall take place during the month of May so that new members may be present at the June Meeting. The process shall be as follows:

a. A notice shall be placed in the Sunday Bulletin not later than the second weekend in March requesting the congregation to nominate either themselves or some other parishioner.

b. A second notice shall be placed in the succeeding Sunday bulletin.

c. After the two notices have been published in the bulletin, the nominees shall be contacted by the chair of the nominating committee to verify their willingness to serve.

d. At a weekend liturgy not later than the second weekend in May, the chair of the Council, or in his absence, the chair of the nominating committee shall arrange to have sufficient persons selected to fill such vacancies as may occur.

e. New members shall be seated at the June meeting by a majority vote of members of the Council then present, irrespective of whether a quorum is present.

f. After being seated at such meeting, new members shall have all the rights, privileges, responsibilities, and voting powers of current Council members. 

g.  Any requirements and limits concerning the size of the council contained in this constitution shall be waived for the meeting at which new members are seated, and for the purposes and only for the duration of that session, there may be more than twenty five members.   

Section 5.

There shall be a total of not less than six (6) nor more than eight (8) persons selected in the above manner. For each year of this nominating process, sufficient persons shall be selected to fill such vacancies as may occur.

Section 6.

The term of a member shall be 24 months from the June meeting in which they are seated to June of the second year following such seating. Except as otherwise provided in this constitution, no person shall serve on the Council for more than three terms consecutively.

Section 7.

The chair and the vice-chair shall establish an orientation procedure for new members.

ARTICLE VII- MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL

Section 1.

The Council shall meet a minimum of four (4) times a year, and at such times, or upon such schedule as may be established by the Pastor or the Council Chair.

Section 2.

Insofar as may be practicable, the Pastor and all members of the Council shall be furnished with a notice of any regularly scheduled meeting, and a copy of the agenda for the meeting, at least seven (7) days before the date of the meeting. The Secretary shall furnish this information.

Section 3.

Notice of each meeting shall be published in the Church Bulletin the Sunday prior to the meeting.

Section 4.

Regular meetings of the Council are open to the members of the Parish. The Chair shall provide a reasonable period of time during any regular meeting for parishioners in attendance who are not members of the Council to offer suggestions, present problems, or discuss issues.

Section 5.

Items for the agenda may be presented to the Council Chair by any member of the parish. Those items to be listed on the agenda must be given to the Chair no later than ten (10) days prior to the next meeting.

Section 6.

Any member of the Council or any Council Officer who is absent from three (3) or more consecutive regularly scheduled meetings may be asked to resign from the Council. It will be the responsibility of the Vice-Chair to investigate the reasons for those absences and report to the Chair; the Chair, after consultation with the pastor, shall take appropriate action.

Section 7.

The council may at any time, whether during a regular meeting or at any other time, acting upon motion of the chair or upon majority vote of the council, convene into executive session. If it convenes an executive session during a regular council meeting, it may immediately reconvene into the regular meeting following the executive session. Such executive session shall be guided by the following strictures and requirements concerning confidentiality:

a. Such executive session shall not be open to the public.

b. Each member of the council attending such executive session shall do so only upon understanding that all matters discussed in such executive session are to be kept confidential.

c. A member who does not agree that such matters should be kept confidential shall so state, and shall absent himself or herself from the proceedings of such executive session.

d. A member who violates the requirements for confidentiality may be removed from the council.

ARTICLE VIII- VOTING BY THE COUNCIL

Section 1.

Fifty percent of the members of the Council shall constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of a majority of those present, each having one vote, shall carry the matter being voted on.  A quorum shall be necessary for the transaction of any voting matters. 

Section 2.

Any matter so voted shall be presented to the Pastor. The Pastor shall not, without just reasons, disregard the vote of the Council. If, for just reasons, the Pastor does disregard the vote, he shall explain his reasons therefore, not later than at the next meeting of the Council.

Section 3.

A member of the council shall abstain from voting on any matter in which he or she has a conflict of interest. As a general matter, it shall be left to the conscience of each member to determine whether such conflict exists, provided however that the council may at any time establish rules governing conflicts of interest.

Section 4.

In any matter affecting an individual member of the council, the chair on its own initiative, or at the request of any council member, may ask such affected member to absent himself or herself from the proceedings and/or vote of the council.

ARTICLE IX- OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL

Section 1.

The Officers of the Council shall be: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary.

Section 2.

The members of the Council shall elect among their members the above officers by a majority vote of the members then present at a duly constituted meeting.  The Chair and Vice-Chair shall be selected from members elected to the Council, and shall not be selected from among the appointed members.  The Chair and Vice-Chair shall be elected at the June meeting, or if there is no June meeting, at the meeting next after the selection of new members, and shall take office at the September meeting, or the meeting next after such election, whichever is earlier. 

Section 3.

The term of office shall be one year. No officer may hold more than two (2) terms consecutively, except the Secretary who is hereby excepted in the interests of organizational continuity.

Section 4.

In addition to any other duties of the officers as may be assigned by the council or by the pastor, the Duties of Officers shall consist of the following: The Chair shall

a. preside over all meetings of the council,

b. compile the agenda for all meetings.

The Vice Chair shall

a. preside when Chair is absent,

b. be responsible for the orientation for the new Council members,

c. investigate the reasons for absences from meetings by members of the council, pursuant to Article VII, Sec. 6,

e. chair the Nominating Committee.

The Secretary shall

a. take or arrange to be taken, minutes of each meeting,

b. take, or arrange for the positing of such minutes at each of the six (6) entrances of the Church,

c. send or arrange to be sent the following to all members seven (7) days prior to the next meeting: agenda, minutes, notice of the meeting,

d. take role at each meeting,

e. be responsible for any communication from the Council to any other entity, organization, or individual.

ARTICLE X-AMENDMENTS

Section 1.

Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by any member of the Council by filing the proposed amendment, in writing, with the Chair. The Chair shall send a copy of the proposed amendment to the Pastor and all members of the Council and enter it on the agenda for discussion at the next meeting.

Section 2.

The proposed amendment will not be voted on until the meeting after it shall have been proposed and discussed, provided however, that such amendment must be discussed at the next succeeding meeting after it shall have been proposed pursuant to section one hereinabove of this article.

Section 3.

When approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the total membership of the Council, the proposed amendment shall become part of the Constitution.