Parish Council

CONSTITUTION OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

  1. The Council shall be known as The Parish Council of the Catholic Parish of St. Theodore of Canterbury in the Arch Diocese of Westminster. The address shall be 110 Station Road, Hampton, TW 12 2AS.
  2. The nature of the Parish Council is established in accordance with the requirements of Canon Laws 536 so that Pastor presides over it and the faithflul along with those who share in Pastoral care of the Parish give their help in fostering Pastoral activity. The Council possesses a Consultative vote only and is governed by norms determined by the Diocesan Bishop. The Council is a Parochial Structure consisting of representative members of the Parish who form one body with the Pastor in fulfilling the Churchs Ministry. The right and duty of the laity to participate in Parish Councils are founded in the Grace of Baptism and Confirmation. The Pastor continues to bear the final responsibility for the total Parish Ministry but carries out the responsibility less and less as the one and only Minister and increasingly as the presider over the Ministry of the People with the sharer with the people in that Ministry.
  3. The Parish Council enables all to collaborate in fostering Pastoral activity in an organised unified endeavour which broadly will include liturgy, education, social service, evangelisation, mission activity, family life, communications, ecumenism and administration.

GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. Once in every calendar year the Parish shall hold a General Meeting which shall be called The Annual General Meeting for the purpose of receiving a report of the business of the Council and its sub- committees, the accounts of the Parish, the appointment of members of the Council, the appointment of Officers of the Council and to transact any other general or special business of the Parish specified in the Notice convening the Meeting.
  2. All General Meetings of the Parish other than the Annual General Meeting shall be called Special General Meetings and shall be convened by the Secretary either upon the direction of the Council or s a requisition signed by 20 parishioners stating the object thereof Such a General Meeting shall be held within not less than 14 days and not more than 35 days of the date of delivery of the requisition to the address of the Council.
  3. Preliminary notice of the Annual General Meeting shall be given in the Parish Newsletter six weeks before the date of the Meeting and shall seek nominations to the Council and, where vacancies arise, for Officers of the Council, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and shall seek resolutions to be considered at the Annual General Meeting.
    6A Notice of the Meeting and any business to be conducted thereat shall be published by the Secretary in the Parish Newsletter not less than 14 clear days before the date of the Meeting specifying whether the Meeting is an Annual or a Special General Meeting stating the time, date and place thereof and the business for which it is to be convened.

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

  1. No business other than that specified in the Notice shall be brought before a Special General Meeting. No business shall be transacted at any General Meeting of the Parish unless a quorum of members is present at the time the meeting proceeds to Business. Twenty members entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum.
  2. At all General Meetings of the Parish the Chairman of the Council shall conduct the business or if there be no such Chairman or if he be not present or is unwilling to act the Vice Chairman shall conduct the Meeting. If neither the Chairman nor Vice-Chairman is available a Chairman for the Meeting shall be chosen by the Members of the Council present at the Meeting from among themselves.

THE COUNCIL

  1. The Parish shall have a Council and it shall consist of not less than 10 and not more than 20 Parishioners. The Priest of the Parish and any assistant Priest and the Parish Sister shall be members of the Council ex officio.
  2. The Council shall be elected by the Annual General Meeting of the Parish but shall have the power from time to time to appoint persons to membership of the Council to fill a casual vacancy. Such a member will stand to be ratified at the next Annual General Meeting of the Parish.
  3. The task of the Council shall be to organise the endeavours of the Parish and, to that end, to establish appropriate sub-committees. All sub-committees and groups shall report to the Council prior to publication of their deliberations,
  1. The Council shall establish a finance sub-committee as required in Canon Law 537 and this will be regulated by universal law as well as by the norms issued by the Diocesan Bishop. The Chairman shall be the Treasurer of the Council. All financial transactions shall be open to inspection by the full Finance sub-committee.
  2. The Council shall also establish a Pastoral Group, a Liturgical Group, a Building Committee and a Social Committee.

OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL

  1. THE OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL shall be the PRESIDENT who shall be the Parish Priest of the Parish appointed by the Arch Diocese of Westminster.

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL shall be appointed by the Annual General Meeting of the Parish for a single term of three years. He shall not be eligible for re-election in the year immediately following his three year term of office.

VICE-CHAIRMAN. The Vice-Chairman shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting of the Parish for a three year term. He will be eligible for re- election.

THE SECRETARY shall be appointed by the Anmial General Meeting of the Parish for a three year term of Office and shall be eligible to stand for re-election at the end of such term.

THE TREASURER shall be appointed by the Annual General Meeting of the Parish for a three year term and shall be eligible to stand for re-election.

LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE OFFICERS

  1. If a Lack of Confidence in the Officers or any Officer of the Council shall be felt a Special General Meeting of the Parish may be called in accordance with Rule 5. The business of such a Meeting shall be to consider a vote of No Confidence in any such Officer and such resolution shall be considered carried if it has the support of two thirds of those present at the Meeting and voting. If such a resolution is carried the Officer shall be removed from office and a vacancy shall be declared. The Special General Meeting may then proceed to an election to till the vacancy created.

MEETINGS OF THE PARISH COUNCIL

  1. Meetings of the Parish Council shall be conducted by the Chairman or in his absence by the
    Vice-Chairman or in the absence of both by a Chairman appointed for the Meeting by the Members of the Council present at the Meeting from among themselves.
  1. The first thing that the Council shall do is pray that with the Grace of God they may discern the Voice of the Holy Spirit and try to be one with Christ to acknowledge his presence in their midst.
  2. The Council shall proceed to the business of the Meeting as on the Agenda.
  3. Meetings of the Council shall be open to Members of the Parish who may address the Council but may not vote.
  1. Meetings of the Council shall be published in the Parish Newsletter 14 days before the Meeting specifying the venue, date and time of the Meeting and an outline of the Business to be conducted.
  2. Meetings of the Council shall be held on the second Thursday of January, April, July and October in each year, except that when the second Thursday of April shall be the Thursday of Holy Week the April meeting shall be on the first Thursday, and at such other times as are necessary.

MINUTES AND BOOKS

  1. The Minutes of every General Meetings and every Council Meeting shall be kept and such Minutes shall be read at the next such Meeting respectively and signed by the Chairman ot the Meeting at which they are so read. All Minutes so signed shall be conclusive evidence of any fact stated therein.
  2. All Books of Accounts duly registered and Minutes of the Parish and of the Council shall be kept at the address of the Council.
  3. The Minutes and books of the Parish and of the Council shall be available for inspection by any member of the Parish or any person having an interest in the funds of the Parish at reasonable hours at the address of the Parish and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to produce them accordingly.
  4. The Treasurer shall prepare accounts of the Parish in each year and his report shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Parish after the approval of the Finance Committee.
  5. The Treasurer shall send, through the President, to the Diocese of Westminster once in every calendar year the Annual Report in the form prescribed by the Diocese relating to the affairs of the Parish for the period required by the Diocese.
  6. The Constitution of the Parish Council shall be confirmed by the Annual General Meeting of the Parish and shall be amended only with the authority of the Annual General Meeting of the Parish.
  7. The Secretary shall deliver a copy of the Constitution of the Parish Council to every parishioner on demand on payment of such sum that the Council may determine. Such sum being a reasonable sum to cover the cost of production.

 

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