(As last amended in January, 2008)

Part 1 – Name

1.0  The name of the organization shall be the St. Pius X Parish Pastoral Council (the Council).

Part 2 – Duties of the Council

2.0  The Council shall deliberate and advise the pastor in all matters pertaining to the spiritual, administrative, educational, financial and social affairs of the parish.  It is important to recognize that the pastor is officially charged by the bishop to be the administrator of a specific parish.  As such, the pastor is the final authority in matters pertaining to that parish.  Therefore, the pastor may approve, disapprove or override any and all actions, recommendations or decisions made by the Council.

2.1  The Council shall operate within the policies of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.

Part 3 – Structure

3.0  The Council shall consist of up to twelve (12) discerned members, three (3) appointed members and those designated to be ex-officio members.

3.1  Refer to Part 10 for the discernment process by which candidates will be selected for the Council.

3.2  Appointed members shall be selected for the Council by the pastor, with the consent of a majority of the discerned members.  Appointed members shall be registered parishioners.  Appointed members shall reflect the composition of the parish or shall have expertise needed at a particular point in the parish’s life.

3.3  Ex-officio members shall include the pastor, associate pastor, trustee(s),  chairperson of the finance committee, school principal, religious education coordinator, and other staff members as designated by the pastor.

Part 4 – Voting by the Council

4.0  Each discerned and appointed member of the Council present at a Council meeting shall have one vote in deciding the questions brought before the Council.  In the event of a tie vote, the issue is to be referred to the pastor for resolution.

4.1  The pastor and ex-officio members of the Council do not vote.

Part 5 – Terms of Office

5.0  The full term for voting members shall be three years.  Terms of office shall commence at the September meeting.

5.1  Voting members shall not be eligible to serve more than two consecutive three-year terms, without a minimum one-year interim period.

5.2  In the event a member of the Council cannot serve, or shall cease to serve, the president of the Council will appoint a person to fill the vacancy.  This person will be selected from among the individuals who participated in the most recent discernment process, but who did not join the Council.  The person who agrees to fill the vacancy shall serve though the completion of the term of the member being replaced.

5.3  The Council may remove a voting Council member, for any reason, by a two-thirds vote of all voting Council members.

5.4  All ex-officio members of the Council shall continue to serve on the Council as long as the individual serves in the designated capacity. 

Part 6 – Officers, and the Duties of Officers

6.0  The Council shall have as officers a president, a vice-president and a secretary, each chosen from the voting members through a discernment process.

6.1  The officers shall serve for a term of one year, following the procedures established by the council.

6.2  Officers may succeed themselves in office except that the president shall not be eligible to serve more than two consecutive one-year terms.  Said terms for officers shall begin with the September meeting.

6.3  Duties of the president shall be: to present agenda in advance of all Council meetings; preside at all meetings; establish committees as deemed necessary to carry out the business of the Council; and fulfill other duties as outlined in the constitution.

6.4  Duties of the vice-president shall be: to act for the president in his/her absence; and carry out specific tasks assigned by the president.

6.5  Duties of the secretary shall be: to keep minutes of all Council meetings; keep a record of attendance at such meetings; ensure that all members are notified of meetings; and be responsible for all Council correspondence and publicity.6.6  The Council president, vice-president, secretary, and a member-at-large to be selected by the voting members of the Council, shall comprise the executive committee.  Newly selected voting members of the Council are eligible for selection as member-at-large of the executive committee.

6.7  The executive committee shall have such powers as may be delegated to it by the Council.  The executive committee shall report to the Council as required by the Council.

6.8  The chairperson of the executive committee shall be the president of the Council.

6.9  The executive committee shall meet when required by the president or by the pastor.  Three members of the executive committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

6.10  In addition to the foregoing, officers shall have such other powers and duties as may be delegated to them by the Council.

Part 7 – Relationship with Parish Committees and Organizations

7.0  The Council may rely upon existing parish committees and organizations, both standing and special, for carrying out the work of the Council.

7.1  All committees and organizations of the parish may initiate and carry out programs and activities consistent with their charters, subject to review and direction by the Council.

7.2  The Council may appoint an individual from the Council to act as liaison between the Council and the parish committees and organizations.  This will allow the Council to coordinate similar activities among various committees and organizations, and to facilitate communication and understanding.

Part 8 – Standing Committees of the Council

8.0  Standing committees shall be established by the Council according to the needs of the parish.  Such committees will include, but need not be limited to:

• Buildings and Grounds - - this group is responsible for assuring that each building that is part of St. Pius (that is, the church, parish center, school, convent and rectory, including the electrical, HVAC, etc. systems in them), and the grounds around those buildings, are properly maintained, and upgraded as needed.
• Christian Works and Service - - this committee leads programs that provide
•  services to those in the community who are in need (for example: food pantry collections; collecting school supplies, books and socks/underwear for our Sister Parishes; and coats and jackets and sheets and blankets for the Lawanga House and Mercy House).
• Discernment - - “discernment” is the parish's method for selecting people to serve on the St. Pius X Parish Pastoral Council.  Members of this committee work to publicize the program, and to generate interest among St. Pius parishioners to participate in the discernment process.
• Hospitality - - once a month after the 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Masses, and also at other parish functions such as Confirmation, All Souls Mass, and music performances, the committee provides refreshments and hospitality.
• Ministry - - the members of this committee plan for, and conduct, a Ministry Fair every other year.  The purpose of this fair is to inform parishioners about all of the ministries and programs that are active in the parish, and to encourage parishioners to join a ministry or program in which they may be interested.
• Prayer and Worship - - this committee works on various liturgical programs and ministries (for example: eucharistic ministers; choir; lectors; altar servers; ushers; children’s liturgy; etc.)
• Sister Parishes - - The committee members maintain a relationship with our sister parishes in Swainsboro and Metter, Georgia.  They try to respond to whatever needs there may be in those parishes - spiritual, physical or monetary.  They use news items and fund-raisers to keep St. Pius parishioners involved and informed about activities in those parishes and our efforts to help them.  Committee members also try to arrange for reciprocal visits between the parishes every other year.
• Welcoming - - Welcoming Committee members contact new parishioners and welcome them into our parish family.  Arrangements are made to meet the new parishioners, familiarize them with the ministries of the parish and present them with a welcoming basket. 

8.1  The chairpersons of the standing committees of the Council shall be appointed by the Council president from among the voting members of the Council by the second regular meeting following the discernment process, subject to the advice and consent of the executive committee.

8.2  Committee chairpersons shall have the responsibility for appointing members of their standing committees, provided however, that the executive committee may appoint to the standing committees such additional members as it may deem appropriate.

8.3  All parishioners who are eligible to participate in the discernment process are eligible to serve as members on the standing committees of the Council.

Part 9 – Council Meetings

9.0  The Council shall hold regular monthly meetings from September through June, at the parish, at a time and date to be determined by the president of the Council.  All regular council meetings shall be open to all parish members.

9.1  Special meetings may be called by the president or the pastor, as needed.  Special meetings can be convened only after all members have been notified.  The special meeting shall be limited to consideration of the business for which it was convened.

9.2  The presence of a simple majority of the voting members of the Council at a regular or special meeting shall constitute a quorum.

9.3  The procedures for council meetings will be in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, unless otherwise specified in this constitution.

9.4  At all Council meetings, every motion proposed and seconded shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast, unless otherwise specified in this constitution.

Part 10 – Discernment Process

10.0  The discernment committee chairperson will be appointed in September.

10.1  At the regular March Council meeting, the discernment committee members will present to the Council a procedure and a timetable to be followed for discernment.  The discernment committee members will oversee the time line and process to ensure that the new Council members will begin their term of office at the September meeting.

10.2  All registered parishioners fifteen years of age or older are eligible to participate in the discernment process.

10.3  The discernment committee members will actively solicit individual parishioners using appropriate means to encourage a wide spectrum of the parish to participate in the process.  The discernment committee members will contact all persons who are interested in participating in the process.

10.4  The discernment process will be conducted by a facilitator.

Part 11 – Amendments

11.0  Amendments must be proposed in writing at a regular meeting by any voting member of the Council.  A copy of any proposed amendments shall be made available to each Council member at the meeting at which the amendment is proposed.

11.1  The proposed amendment shall be added to the agenda for discussion by the Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting.  At the conclusion of the discussion, a vote shall be taken among the voting members present to decide if the proposed amendment shall be put forth as a formal proposal.  Provided, however, that minor changes to the constitution will not be presented to parishioners for consideration and approval, and a hearing will not be held concerning them.  If a majority of the council members present at a meeting at which one or more proposed amendments are being discussed, agree that such amendment or amendments are minor in nature, and do not in any way change the intent or meaning of the language of the constitution, then the proposed amendment or amendments can be adopted if two-thirds of the members present vote to approve the change or changes.  Such minor changes may be: corrections of typographical errors; the rewording of a statement only for the purpose of clarifying its intent, or to make it easier to understand; or anything else that a majority of the council members consider to be minor in nature.

11.2  If it is decided by vote that a formal proposal to amend the parish constitution shall be put forth, the president of the Council shall call a hearing for the next regular meeting of the council for the purposes of discussing the proposal, and permitting any member of the parish to speak concerning the proposal.

11.3  For changes that are determined to be significant by a vote of the members of the parish pastoral council, notice of the hearing, and a copy of the proposed change or changes, shall be published in the parish bulletin and posted on the parish web site.  This publication and posting shall occur not less than one week before the meeting at which the hearing is scheduled, and not more than four weeks before said meeting.

11.4  At the conclusion of the hearing, as determined by the president, a vote by the voting Council members present shall be taken concerning the proposal.

11.5  A quorum of the voting Council members must be present for a vote to amend the parish constitution to take place.

11.6  A two-thirds majority vote of the voting Council members present and voting shall be necessary to approve an amendment to the parish constitution.  A voting Council member who is present, and who elects to abstain from voting, shall not be considered as a vote, but that member will be deemed to be “present” for the purpose of establishing a quorum.