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Diocesan Pastoral Council - Constitution
Diocese of Trenton Pastoral Council Constitution
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Pastoral Council of the Diocese of Trenton.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
A. The purpose of the Pastoral Council is to advise the diocesan Bishop on pastoral activities throughout the diocese and in general to assist the Bishop in his care of the People of God.
B. It shall develop and be governed by statutes or a constitution approved by the diocesan Bishop.
C. It shall provide a means of communication with the diocesan Bishop and shall serve a planning function when requested.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION
A. Members of the Pastoral Council shall be Catholics of proven faith, good moral character and prudence. There shall be a regular lay member and an alternate from each parish in the Diocese.
B. Where there is a functioning parish council, that group can recommend to the pastor the lay members to represent the parish; in the absence of a parish council, the pastor shall design a process to assist him in selecting members to represent the congregation.
C. All representatives shall be selected annually. No person shall serve as a representative for more than four consecutive years, except as noted in paragraph F below.
D. Each county shall have Pastoral Council Deaneries. Each deanery shall consist of the pastoral council representatives from parishes and/or communities. Each deanery shall elect a coordinator and an assistant coordinator from among its members for the purpose of setting meeting agendas, conducting meetings, and representing it at the Pastoral Board meetings. The Pastoral Council Deaneries shall have the same geographical boundaries used by the corresponding diocesan Presbyterial Council Deaneries.
E. A Pastoral Board, consisting of the coordinators and assistant coordinators of the Pastoral Council Deaneries, shall be established to plan and coordinate the activities of the Pastoral Council.
F. The Pastoral Board shall have an executive board consisting of at least the three officers as required by Article VI below and may have up to two other members selected by the officers with the approval of the Pastoral Board Membership on the executive board does not count as part of the four years of consecutive service as a representative.
G. The Pastoral Council may request secretarial support from the Chancery Office to assist in planning and coordinating its activities.
ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS
A. The Pastoral Council, including all representatives, shall meet at least twice each year and at the call of the diocesan Bishop.
B. The Pastoral Board shall meet at least four times each year and at the call of the diocesan Bishop. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the coordinators and assistant coordinators of the deaneries. Each deanery shall be entitled to one vote.
C. The deaneries shall meet in between the established meetings of the Pastoral Board.
D. The executive board will convene on the initiative of the President to plan agendas for the Pastoral Board Meetings and to carry on other necessary business between regular meetings of the Pastoral Board.
E. The coordinators of the Pastoral Council Deaneries and representatives, or their alternates, from the corresponding diocesan Presbyterial council Deaneries will meet semi-annually.
F. Every meeting of representatives shall begin with a short prayer to the Holy Spirit asking for help and guidance and shall close with a short prayer to God our Father thanking him for bringing the representatives together.
G. It is the responsibility of the Pastoral Council representatives to gather the ideas and views of their parish and communicate these to the bishop on topics selected by him or on topics which they are concerned about in the diocese.
H. Deanery meetings should provide an opportunity for the spiritual and educational development of the representatives, both to aid in their personal spiritual formation and to provide a continuous opportunity for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. This can be accomplished by prayer and by engaging speakers who will present the representatives with the information and inspiration necessary for them to accomplish God's will in their deliberations.
I. All decisions as to recommendations to be submitted to the Bishop should be the result of deliberations based on Christian consensus, wherein council members shall seek to reach substantial agreement through open discussion and prayerful reflection. The representatives will seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit while respecting the unique giftedness of each individual before God. This will allow the Holy Spirit to work in the deliberative process. The ultimate goal of all deliberations should be prayerfully to determine the will of God for the council and the diocese.
J. At the second annual meeting each year the Pastoral Council should spend some time discussing whether it has achieved its goals for that year and what could be done to improve the effectiveness of the Pastoral Council in the future. Included in the discussion should be an evaluation of what methods and strategies have worked best in the past and which need to be improved, changes in the diocese which will affect future decisions and new challenges which the diocese will face in the coming year.
ARTICLE V: ADDITIONAL DUTIES
A. The Pastoral Council, in conjunction with the diocesan Presbyterial Council shall assist the diocesan Bishop to the greatest extent possible in clarifying the role of priests by prioritizing what is expected of them and in formulating and clarifying the duties of a particular diocesan assignment.
B. The Pastoral Council, in conjunction with the Presbyterial Council, shall assist the Diocese in developing plans to provide for the pastoral needs of non-English speaking Catholics, including liturgy in their own language, when it cannot be provided by their proper Pastor.
C. The Pastoral Council, under the direction of the Bishop, shall participate in a review of the statutes of the Fourth Synod of Trenton in order to evaluate their effectiveness and suggest modifications which may be needed. This process is to assist in keeping the work of the synod alive and effective.
D. The Pastoral Council shall consult, as necessary, with diocesan officials in order to develop sensitivity to the concerns of women and minorities in the diocese.
ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS
Each spring the Pastoral Board officers shall be elected by a majority of the Pastoral Board and shall consist of a president, vice president, and secretary with duties as follows:
1. The president shall serve as the chief representative of the Pastoral Board, shall preside at all meetings, and shall appoint committees as needed.
2. The vice president shall assist the president in representing the Board, shall preside at meetings in his/her absence, and shall chair one or more committees as assigned.
3. The secretary shall provide notice of meetings, shall record and arrange for distribution of minutes of the meeting, and shall send other correspondence as directed.
4. The immediate past president of the Pastoral Board shall be invited to continue on the Pastoral Board as President Emeritus so that the Board may profit from his or her advice and prior experience.
ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS
1. The constitution may be amended at any Pastoral Board meeting by a two-thirds vote of all the coordinators as long as the proposed change was discussed at the preceding meeting and also communicated in writing to all Board members two weeks prior to the meeting at which the vote will take place.
2. Any Pastoral Council member may propose an amendment to the Pastoral Council constitution by submitting a draft of the proposed amendment to one of the members of the executive board prior to the scheduled meeting at which it will be discussed
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