Council By-Laws
Meetings: Ordinarily the Council will meet monthly in the Chapel Annex. The dates, time, and place of the meetings – except for those called on short notice in extraordinary circumstances – will be announced in the bulletin and will be open to all members of the Catholic community. Any member of the community may request a topic be placed on the agenda in advance of the meeting by contacting the Council president. Anyone can speak to an issue that is on the agenda after Council members have spoken and when recognized by the chair. Only Council members can vote on an issue.
Voting: Only Council members may vote. Any member of the Council who receives compensation for services to the Chapel community is a non-voting member. A simple majority of the voting Council members present will carry the vote. Half of the voting members must be present.
Elections: A nominating committee of three Council members will be appointed by the President and announced the first weekend of August. Members of the Catholic Community may suggest themselves or others as nominees for membership on the Council. Such suggestions will be made to any member of the Nominating Committee, which will make its choices, verify the candidates’ willingness to serve and announce the list of nominees, to contain no more than twice the number of new members to be elected, on the first weekend of September. Voting will take place on the last weekend of September, with paper ballots distributed to all registered members of the Catholic Community who are 18 years or older. The nominating committee will tally the vote, and announce the election results the following Sunday, at which time the new members will take office.
Day of Spiritual Reflection: The Council will schedule a day of spiritual reflection for the Council members and ministry leaders on the first day that is feasible after the new Council has formed.
Duties of Council Officers: Duties of the Council officers will include the following:
President shall:
· Prepare and distribute an agenda for all Council meetings;
· Conduct the Council meetings;
· Appoint sub-committees;
· Serve as the faith group representative in matters dealing with the Religious Offering Fund (Cf. ROF below);
· Facilitate communication between the Command Chaplain, the Council and parishioners:
· Consult with or advise Chaplain on Catholic matters;
· Follow up on phone calls and mail forwarded from the Chapel (re: military and other parishioners);
· Consult and communicate with the Archdiocese of Military Services (AMS);
· Consult with Contract Priests on Church and liturgical matters;
· Keep Council informed on Chapel matters.
Vice President shall:
· Act in the place of the President when the President is absent from meetings:
· Assume responsibilities when the President is absent:
· Coordinate Council’s ROF (q.v. below) responsibilities;
Recording Secretary shall:
· Take minutes of all Council meetings to include a list of those present, the issues, and actions taken;
· Submit electronic copies of the minutes to all Council members in attendance at the meeting for approval;
· Provide the approved copy of the minutes electronically to all council members;
· Provide an approved electronic copy of the minutes to the chapel secretary no later than the Thursday before the 2nd weekend after the Council meeting so that copies can be made and provided to the congregation on the 2nd weekend after the meeting. (The RP files a copy of the minutes signed by the secretary and reviewed by the command chaplain.)
Religious Offering Funds (ROF): Religious Offering Funds shall be designated primarily for Catholic charities, fellowship, and miscellaneous expenses. In limited cases the council can designate ROF towards military assistance programs.
New charities can be proposed by any Catholic chapel member at a council meeting. Consideration of such proposal will be on the agenda of the Council meeting following such proposal. Written information should be provided when presenting a new charity.
The Vice President of the Council will be responsible for:
· Bringing the previous month’s balance of ROF funds to the meeting;
· Preparing ROF Disbursement Request for the designations approved at the Council meeting;
· Bringing current month balances to meeting in January and July, when designations are critical to meet audit requirements;
· Providing a complete charities report at the February meeting for the prior calendar year.
Ministries: Members of the Catholic community volunteer to participate in the particular ministry for which they are qualified. Current Ministries include: Lay Eucharistic Ministers; Altar Servers; Lectors; Ushers; Choir; Sacristans; CCD (Religious Education of Youth); RCIA; Sacramental Training; Youth Group; Priest Scheduling; Fellowship; Social Outreach; Bulletin; Web page Editor; Community Outreach; Pilgrimages; Bereavement Outreach.
Leadership for the various ministries is approved by the Council. Leader’s Duties include:
· Scheduling members service;
· Recruiting new members;
· Training new members;
· Making budget submissions for supplies to the Council.
Leaders together with the members of the ministry are to:
· Develop and/or review policies for the particular ministry;
· Document criteria for membership in the ministry (e.g. Eucharistic Ministers must be practicing - - Catholics. Ushers may be anyone who attends the Catholic service);
· Document training processes.
All events including socials should be discussed at a Council meeting prior to their scheduling and announced in the bulletin for several weeks before the event takes place. When Religious Offering Funds are being spent, approval must be obtained from the Council in advance. Each specific major event should be documented with a written report to the Council, which should provide enough detail for someone else to coordinate the activity in the future.
Any ministry or other group that wishes to hold a fund raiser (e.g. K of C Christmas card sales) must notify the Council and receive written approval from the Command Chaplain in advance.
All ministry leaders are encouraged to attend Council meetings to keep the Council apprised of their needs and/or problems.
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Revised 22 June 2009 R E MALMSTROM
LT, CHC, USN
COMMAND CHAPLAIN