In fulfilling all its purposes and functions, the Council’s main goal is to seek and support God’s will for the Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic parish community. This requires that members pray and reflect on the matters of the Council asking God to release them from hidden prejudgments and to open their minds and hearts to His will as its affects the good of the parish community.

ARTICLE I

REGULAR MEETINGS

Section 1. The date of any scheduled Council meeting may be changed upon the recommendation of the Chairperson, with the approval of a simple majority of the Council and with the concurrence of the Pastor at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Council immediately prior to the rescheduled meeting.

The Secretary shall give written notice of each scheduled meeting to all members of the Council at least ten (10) days prior therto, and such notice shall state the date, time, and place of the meeting. A copy of the proposed agenda and minutes of the previous regular meeting shall be distributed by mail, email, or pickup after the Executive Board meeting. The Secretary shall also forward a copy of the notice and the agenda to the Parish office in time for insertion into the bulletin and posting in the Church the weekend before the stated meeting.

A copy of the notice of stated meeting and agenda shall be inserted in the minutes of the Council by the Secretary.

Section 2. The general order of business of the regular meetings of the Council shall be as follows:

a. Call to order, prayer and roll call

b. Approval of the minutes of the preceding regular meeting

c. Reading and/or report on any communications sent and received by the Council since the last regular meeting of the Council

d. Pastor’s Report

e. Old Business

f. New Business

g. Other Reports

h. Open Forum

I. Closing of the meeting, prayer and adjournment

The reading of the minutes of the last regular meeting of the Council may be dispensed with upon motion of the Chairperson and approval by a simple majority vote of the members present.

Consideration of any item on the agenda may be deferred to a subsequent meeting of the Council upon motion by a Council member and approval by a simple majority vote of the members present.

ARTICLE II

SPECIAL MEETINGS

Section 1. The Secretary shall give notice of special meetings to all Council members at least three (3) days prior to such meetings. Such notice shall state the date, time and place of the meeting and shall state the purpose for which it has been called.

Copies of the notice of the special meeting shall be posted on the parish bulletin boards by the Secretary. A copy of the notice of special meeting shall be included in the minutes of the Council. When possible, notice should be placed in the parish bulletin the weekend prior to the meeting.

The Secretary shall insert a copy of the minutes of the special meeting in the minutes of the regular meeting of the Council.

Section 2. The general order of business for a special meeting of the Council shall be as follows:

a. Call to order, prayer and roll call

b. Reading and/or report of any applicable communications sent and received by the Council

c. Conduct of business of the meeting

d. Closing of the meeting, prayer and adjournment

The business of a special meeting of the Council shall be strictly limited to the purpose for which the meeting was called. Only those matters set forth in the notice of a special meeting may be considered and voted upon by the Council.

ARTICLE III

PROCEDURES FOR MEETINGS

Section 1. General Procedures

The Chairperson shall be responsible for conducting meetings of the Council and shall have the primary obligation for facilitating discussions.

An atmosphere of dialogue should be fostered in which no one takes sides, but all members work together toward the common goal of finding God’s will. The Council should avoid an atmosphere of debate in which members attempt to promote their own point of view while refuting other arguments.

Members are responsible for letting their own views be known and for making sure that the views of all others are heard so that the Council has the benefit of the widest range of possibilities. Each member should listen to the concerns raised by others and seek alternatives which attempt to better meet those concerns.

Section 2. Presenting Recommendations

The Council shall receive and consider any recommendations made to it by the Pastor, the parish staff, Council members or members of the parish. The person presenting a recommendation at a Council meeting shall include an explanation of the grounds and considerations on which it is based.

Section 3. Considering Recommendations

The floor should be opened for questions to the presenter about the recommendation, and then it shall be opened for general discussion as described in Section 1 of this Article. Members shall evaluate the recommendation and shall, as appropriate, seek and suggest alternatives which might better address the purpose of the recommendation and any objections which have been raised.

Section 4. Voting on Recommendations

Following discussion and consideration of a recommendation as outlined in this Article, voting members of the Council present at the meeting shall vote on the recommendation. Recommendations will be accepted upon a simple majority vote of the Council.

Section 5. Submitting Recommendations to the Pastor

Recommendations of the Council shall be submitted to the Pastor in writing as part of the minutes of the Council meeting. To the extent practicable, the written recommendations of the Council shall set forth the grounds and considerations upon which they are based.

Section 6. Reconsidering Recommendations

In the event that a recommendation shall not be accepted by majority vote of the Council, the recommendation may be submitted for reconsideration at a subsequent meeting. After reconsideration, the results shall be submitted to the Pastor.

ARTICLE IV

ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Election Committee is responsible for developing procedures, organizing the election, counting the ballots and notifying the Pastor of the results.

Those persons desiring to run for the Council shall submit their names, addresses and other qualifications to the Election Committee of the Council not later than the first Sunday in the month of April.

Prior to the election, the parish bulletin shall contain a listing of the candidates and a short statement and information about them.

Ballots shall be deposited in specially placed ballot boxes during all of the scheduled masses on the third Sunday in May, including the masses scheduled on the preceding Saturday evening.

All candidates shall be personally notified of the results of the election by the Pastor within five (5) days thereafter. The names of those elected shall be published in the parish bulletin the weekend following the election.

ARTICLE V

ATTENDANCE

Section 1. Requests to be absent from a Council meeting must be received by one of the officers of the Council or by the Pastor in advance of the meeting.

After three (3) absences in any one calendar year, whether excused and unexcused, a member shall be contacted by the Chairperson of the Council as to that member’s intention to continue as an active member of the Council.

Two unexcused absences during the period of one calendar year by an elected or appointed Council member from properly called meetings shall cause such member’s seat on the Council to be deemed vacant.

ARTICLE VI

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The election of officers of the Council shall be held at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Council in the month of June following the election of the new members.

At the April meeting of the Council, an “ELECTION” Committee will be formed. The “ELECTION” Committee will include one outgoing member, one appointed member and one elected member.

The “ELECTION” Committee will complete a slate of officers to include one nomination for Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary from the continuing members of the Council, both elected and appointed.
The “ELECTION” Committee will present the slate at the June meeting of the Council. Following presentation of the slate, nominations will be taken from the floor and added to the slate. Voting shall then take place by secret ballot for each office separately, by continuing, new and appointed voting members., A majority vote of acceptance shall prevail, and in the event of a tie balloting shall be continued until a candidate receives a majority.

Upon completion of the election, the newly elected officers, Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary shall assume the duties of their respective offices at the close of the June meeting.

ARTICLE VII

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Section 1. The regular meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held on the first Tuesday in September and on the first Monday in the months of November, January, February, April and June, unless the date of such meeting shall be changed by the Chairperson with concurrence of the Pastor. The meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held not less than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting of the Council for which the agenda is to be established.

Section 2. The Pastor may appoint an individual to act as his representative at any meeting of the Executive Committee. Such appointment shall be in writing and signed by the pastor. The representative shall deliver such written appointment to the Secretary to be inserted in the minutes of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VIII

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

Section 1. The Chairperson, with the approval of the Council and with the concurrence of the Pastor, may create one or more Ad Hoc Committees as the need therefore may arise. To the extent practicable, such committee shall be given a specific scope of responsibility and shall continue for such period and perform such duties as directed.

The Chairperson shall appoint chairpersons for the above mentioned committees. Such chairpersons shall serve at the discretion of the Chairperson. The chairpersons shall select the members to serve on each committee.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Proposed Amendments to these By-Laws shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary. The Secretary shall furnish each member of the Council with a copy of the proposed Amendment not less than ten (10) days prior to the meetings at which the Amendment is to be considered.

Section 2. A proposed Amendment may not be brought before the Council for consideration unless three-fourths (3/4) of the voting membership are present at the meeting. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of those present shall be required for adoption of the proposed Amendment.

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