The Pastoral Council, made up of you, the lay members of the parish community, serves as a consultative body to the Pastor to promote individual and collective spiritual growth and to plan ways for the parish to carry out the mission of the church. 

We welcome any registered parishioner to serve on the Pastoral Council, and encourage participation in the mission of the parish.

                    

                         

                                           

                                

Pastoral Council meeting dates will be posted ahead of time in the bulletin, and parishioners are welcome to attend. Meeting notes will be posted the following week online and in the bulletin.    -  Thank you ! 

                                       ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, ROCKVILLE, CT.

                                             PASTORAL COUNCIL BYLAWS
                                                   MISSION STATEMENT

The Parish of St. Joseph Church, Rockville, is a Roman Catholic faith community of the Diocese of Norwich, CT, which is united to the Catholic Church throughout the world.
As a parish, we invoke the Holy Spirit to put the love of Christ into action by providing for the spiritual nourishment of the community, living according to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, reaching out to those in need, sharing with others the gifts and talents we have received from God, and extending the love of Christ to all people.

Article I: Name
The name of this body shall be the St. Joseph Church Pastoral Council in the Diocese of Norwich, CT. It shall be hereafter referred to as the “Council”.

Article II: Purpose and Function
“The Parish Pastoral Council is an advisory and consultative body for the pastor. Its purpose is to promote community, to be a sign and witness of unity, and to assist the pastor in pastoral planning. The council performs its function of pastoral planning by listening to the parish community and formulating broad priorities, goals and policies which articulate and foster the mission of the parish.” (“Guidelines for Parish Pastoral Councils,” Diocese of Norwich, 2001)
Specifically, the Council will:
a.    Prayerfully discern the needs of the parish;
b.    Formulate a simple mission statement;
c.    Be aware of needs and priorities of the universal church, of the diocesan church, and of the local church and community;
d.    Establish goals and objectives for the parish and plan for implementation;
e.    Coordinate parish activities to ensure that stated goals and objectives are implemented;
f.    Serve as a vehicle for constructive dialogue within the parish community;
g.    Coordinate apostolic activity within the parish;
h.    Deliberate and act upon its responsibilities in an atmosphere of mutual trust and Christian love;
i.    Identify and call forth gifts and talents of parish members. 

Article III: Membership
Section 1 – Council Makeup
The council shall be composed of up to 13 members, all of whom have a right to vote:
a.    Ex-officio members: The pastor (who presides over all meetings of the Council), Parochial Vicar ( upon approval of the Pastor), Permanent Deacon (s) (up to two), a representative of the Finance Council, Director of Religious Education and other representatives of parish ministries as assigned by the Pastor.
b.    Members at-large: Six members to be selected from the parish
c.    Appointed members: Once the at-large council members have been selected, the Pastor may appoint one or two additional members in order to ensure balance within the council membership.

Section 2 – Terms
At-large and appointed members shall serve three year terms. Terms for at-large members will be staggered such that no more than three terms end during a given year. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms, and no individual shall serve for more than four total terms. The commencement date for any term will be the First of June.

Section 3 – Eligibility
Any registered, confirmed parishioner, 16 years of age or older, who worships regularly with the community, is eligible for at-large or appointed membership. Such a person must be willing to attend an orientation workshop to prepare for ministry on the Council.

Section 4 – Removal of a Member  
Any at-large or appointed member who is absent for two meetings during a year without previously notifying the Chairperson shall be removed from the Council. The Council Chairperson shall declare a vacancy.

Section 5 – Vacancies
A vacancy of an at-large position shall be filled by random selection of a candidate who was not selected during the last regular selection. In the absence of such candidates, the Pastor will appoint a person to complete the term. A vacancy of an appointed position will be filled by another appointment by the Pastor for the remainder of the term. Filling a vacancy does not constitute a full term for the individual.



Article IV: Selection of Members
Section 1 – Nominating Committee
If any terms of at-large members are ending in a given year, an ad hoc committee of at least five members will be appointed in March for the purpose of nominating potential candidates for service on the Council. This committee will also be responsible for planning the orientation workshop to take place in late April or early March. After the orientation workshop, all eligible nominees who would like to have their names added to the list of candidates, will inform the Pastor.
Section 2 – Selection of Candidates 
At a Sunday mass before the end of May, the names of all candidates will be placed on the altar while the parish prays for guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit. The names of the at-large members will be randomly drawn by someone appointed by the pastor.

Article V: Officers
Section 1 – Positions
The officers of the Council will be a Chairperson, Vice-chairperson and Secretary. The Chairperson and Vice-chairperson will be elected by the Council from its membership to serve a one year term. They may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The Council may appoint a Secretary who is not a member of the Council.

Section 2 – Duties
The duties of the Chairperson shall be:
a.    Prepare an agenda, in consultation with the Pastor, for each meeting.
b.    Conducts all meetings of the Council.
c.    Receives and considers requests from parishioners for items to be discussed by the Council. Those appropriate for Council action will be placed on the agenda upon the consent of the Pastor.     
d.    Perform all other duties usually associated with this office.
The Vice-Chairperson shall perform all duties of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson.
The duties of the Secretary shall be:
a.    Record the minutes of the Council meetings
b.    Issue notices of all meetings of the Council
c.    Perform other duties usually associated with this office.

Article VI: Meetings
Section 1 – Meeting Schedule
The Council shall meet each month, on the fourth Tuesday of the month, except the months of July and August.  
When the Pastor is away, the meeting shall be rescheduled giving due notice as described in Article VI, section 2.
Special meetings may be called by the Pastor, the Chairperson, or by written request of six Council members. The purpose of the meeting must be stated in the call. Except in the case of an emergency, five-day notice must be given.
A simple majority of the current members of the Council shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.

Section 2 – Notice of meetings
Notice of all regular meetings of the Council will be published in the parish bulletin on the Sunday before the scheduled date of the meeting.
Notices shall include the following information:
a.    Date, time and location of the meeting
b.    Topics to be discussed at the meeting, and, if possible, the agenda
c.    An invitation for parish participation that includes the information contained in Article VI, Section 5, and contact information for the Chairperson.  
If a regular meeting will be canceled/rescheduled, if possible, notice of the cancellation/rescheduling shall be published in the bulletin on the Sunday before the cancelled date of the meeting.
Copies of the agenda for each meeting shall be distributed to all Council members prior to the next scheduled meeting.
The minutes from the preceding meeting shall be distributed to all Council members prior to the next scheduled meeting. If possible, distribution shall take place no more than two weeks after the meeting or the Friday preceding the next scheduled meeting.

Section 3 – Annual Meeting
An Annual Meeting shall be held in the month of June for the purpose of installing new members, receiving reports and transacting any other business that may arise. Any matters left unfinished at the adjournment of the Annual Meeting shall constitute the first order of business in September

Section 4 – Decision Making
Decision making by the Council shall be accomplished through consensus, where members of the Council work to reach a substantial, though not necessarily unanimous, agreement that is accepted and supported by the Council members present. All decisions must be accepted and supported by the Pastor to be put into effect.

Section 5 – Parish Participation
Any member of the parish may attend any regular or special meeting of the Council.
To address the Council, parishioners must communicate with the Chairperson prior to the scheduled meeting. The communication should include his/her desire to address the Council and the nature of his/her concern. Once recognized, he/she may speak before the Council.
Parishioners may, at any time, submit their questions, concerns or comments in writing to the Council by dropping a note in the collection basket. The note should be addressed to “Pastoral Council”, or, in the case of requesting to speak to the Council, to the Chairperson.

Section 6 – Closed Sessions
Where special circumstances warrant, the Council, by a two-thirds majority, may designate any meeting, or any portion of any meeting, to be in closed session. Only Council members, and persons specifically invited by the Council, may attend a meeting in closed session.

Article VII: Committees
Committees of the Council may be established to address specific needs or objectives of the Parish. 
Any such Committee may be chaired by a member of the Council, and, may include other members of the Parish who are not members of the Council.

Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1 – Notice of Proposed Amendments
Proposed bylaw amendments shall be available to all parishioners.
The topic of bylaw amendments must be included in the notice of the meeting in order to vote on the amendment.

Section 2 – Voting on Amendments
Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the total Council membership. Council members impeded from attending a meeting at which amendments are to be ratified may vote by absentee ballots (in writing).
All such amendments become effective only with the approval of the Pastor.

           - Amended November 2021