It is recommended to switch page set up to 'lanscape' for printing. An Ideal Parish Constitution Analyzed The original article can be viewed at the following link:
I. BACKGROUND Why a written document? As we have seen earlier, for the same reason we have written gospels, namely, Clearly, each Parish is different, has its strengths and weakness, its own customs and celebrations, and therefore should have its own written Constitution to spell out its mission, its own best practices, its Creating such a Constitution takes a great deal of work by a dedicated team-oriented Drafting Committee. The work of the Parish or the Drafting Committee cannot be done here. However, we can look at what thinking and writing has been done on a contemporary Catholic Constitution. Although what I suggest that we look at here is in the form of a Parish Constitution, it is essentially taken from the Proposed Catholic Constitution for the Universal Church which can be found at . Nevertheless, much of its initial part will be pertinent to a Parish Constitution, especially the portion dealing with the general rights and responsibilities of all Catholics and the general principles that should prevail in all governance. Because that material is quite extensive, In beginning to work with a Parish Meeting, or Parish Council, or any other community group, I recommend that first all of section II and III A and B be read aloud through without stopping for questions or discussion, but perhaps making marks on the documents to come back for questions and discussion. Then each section can be read through again slowly, discussing it thoroughly, and notes be taken on what parts of it might be useful in By way of general background to the following document, the Proposed Catholic Constitution (see Appendix), on which it is based, was created under the auspices of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) in collaboration with many Catholic renewal groups both in the United States and in Europe, Africa, and Asia over several years. I served as the Chair of the Drafting Committee (see: ). II. CREATING A PARISH (DIOCESE) CONSTITUTION PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES A. Goals This is what a Parish (or Diocesan) Constitution should have when fully developed. All these elements 1. Decision-Making Power 2. Representativeness 3. A Bill of Rights 4. Due Process of Law 5. Accountability/Transparency B. Interim Steps 1. Start Where You Are 2. Dialogue 3. Education to Change Consciousness to Pro-Democracy/Constitution 4. Making All Accountable and Transparent
A PROPOSED PARISH CONSTITUTION This Constitution provides the framework within which the Parish governs itself. The Constitution sets forth I. PREAMBLE 1. We the people of Parish X hold that because all men and women are created in God’s image and likeness and that the same divine teaching on how they should live is written in every human heart, all persons are 2. We hold that by our faith in God through Jesus and our baptism with water and the Holy Spirit, all Christians become “members of the body of Christ,” that is, the Church universal, and are committed to living out the Gospel proclaimed and lived by Jesus. We further hold that all Christians who recognize the Ministry of Unity which has historically been exercised by the Bishop of Rome, are members of the Catholic Church (hereafter, simply, the Church), and we here are members of Parish X. 3. We hold that the Church’s mission, grounded in the Gospel, is to proclaim and show forth Jesus’ Good News of how to live a fully human life as images of God in individual and communal justice and love. We hold that the Church realizes this mission within the context of the laws which it enacts to foster and preserve the spirit of the Gospel and to assist its members as they endeavor to live in the love of God and neighbor. Fundamental to the Church’s , and hence also Parish X’s mission are certain rights and responsibilities II. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. The following are the Church members’ fundamental rights, flowing either from their basic human rights or their basic baptismal rights. Each right entails a corresponding responsibility on the part of the rights holders, some of which are so obvious that they do not require specific articulation. In all instances these rights and responsibilities apply to all Catholics, regardless of race, age, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, state-of-life, social or economic position. A. Basic Human Rights and Responsibilities 1. All Catholics have the basic human rights)e.g., (a) freedom of action, (b) freedom of conscience, (c) freedom of opinion and expression, (d) the right to receive and impart information, (e) freedom of association, (f) the right to due process of law, (g) the right of participation in self-governance, (h) the right to the accountability of chosen leaders, (i) the right to the safeguarding of one’s reputation and privacy, (j) the right to marry, (k) the right to education)and the corresponding duty to exercise them responsibly. 2. As a consequence of the basic human right of freedom of action, all Catholics have the right to engage in 3. As a consequence of the basic human right of freedom of conscience, all Catholics have the right and responsibility to follow their informed consciences in all matters. 4. As a consequence of the basic human right to receive and impart information, all Catholics have the right 5. As a consequence of the basic human right of freedom of opinion and expression, all Catholics have the right to express publicly in a responsible manner their agreement or disagreement regarding decisions a) Laity have the right and responsibility to make their opinions known in a responsible manner, especially where they have first-hand experience of the issue at hand. b) Catholic teachers and scholars of theology have a right to, and responsibility for, academic freedom; the acceptability of their teaching is to be judged in dialogue with their peers)and, when appropriate, Church authorities. Such scholars and teachers will keep in mind that the search for truth and its expression entails following wherever the evidence leads, and hence, the legitimacy of responsible dissent and pluralism of thought and its expression. 6. As a consequence of the basic human right of freedom of association, all Catholics have the right to form voluntary associations to pursue Catholic aims; such associations have the right to decide on their own rules of governance. 7. As a consequence of the basic human right to due process of law, all Catholics have the right to be dealt 8. As a consequence of the basic human right of participation in self-governance, all Catholics have the 9. As a consequence of the basic human right to the accountability of chosen leaders, all Catholics have the right to have their leaders render an account to them. 10. As a consequence of the basic human right to the safeguarding of one’s reputation and privacy, all Catholics have the right not to have their good reputations impugned or their privacy violated. 11. As a consequence of the basic human right to marry, all Catholics have the right to choose their state 12. As a consequence of the basic human right to marry, with each spouse retaining full and equal rights during marriage, all Catholics have the right to withdraw from a marriage which has irretrievably broken down. a) All such Catholics retain the radical right to remarry; and b) All divorced and remarried Catholics who are in conscience reconciled to the Church retain the right to the same ministries, including all the sacraments, as do other Catholics. 13. As a consequence of the basic human rights to marry and to education, all Catholic parents have the right and responsibility, a) To determine in conscience the size of their families, b) To choose appropriate methods of family planning, and c) To see to the education of their children. B. Basic Baptismal Rights and Responsibilities 1. As a consequence of their baptism, all Catholics have the right to receive in the Church those ministries which are needed for the living of a fully Christian life, including: a) Worship which reflects the joys and concerns of the gathered community and instructs and inspires it; b) Instruction in the Christian tradition and the presentation of spirituality and moral teaching in a way that promotes the helpfulness and relevance of Christian values to contemporary life; and c) Pastoral care that applies with concern and effectiveness the Christian heritage to persons in particular situations. 2. As a consequence of their baptism, all Catholics have the right, a) To receive all the sacraments for which they are adequately prepared, b) To exercise all ministries in the Church for which they are adequately prepared, according to the needs 3. As a consequence of their baptism, all Catholics have the right to expect that the resources of the Church expended within the Church will be fairly distributed on their behalf. Among other concerns, this implies that, a) All Catholic women have an equal right with men to the resources and the exercise of all the powers of the Church; b) All Catholic parents have the right to expect fair material and other assistance from Church leaders in the religious education of their children; and c) All single Catholics have the right to expect that the resources of the Church be fairly expended on their behalf. 4. As a consequence of their baptism, as well as the social nature of humanity, all Catholics have the corresponding responsibility to support the Church through their time, talents and financial resources. III. GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES A. Fundamental Insights 1. Through the centuries the Church has wrestled with the concrete issues of the exercise of power and 2. Two key insights gained from all these experiences are fundamental for the governance of the Church B. Principles 1. It is of the essence of the Church to be a community. The most basic unit of that Church community is 2. It is, however, also of the essence of the Church that it is a communion of communities, so that the local communities, including Parish X, are also united in intermediate level communities, as the diocese, and national communities, and finally in the global community of the universal Catholic Church. 3. In keeping with the spirit of the Gospel, developing human experience, and the dynamic Christian tradition, especially its two key insights of shared responsibility/corresponding freedom and dialogue, the following basic principles shall shape the governing structures and regulations of the Church: b) All leaders of the Parish, including the Pastor, shall be elected to office through appropriate structures, c) A Parish leaders, including the Pastor, shall hold office for a specified, limited term. d) All Parish leaders, councils and committees will regularly provide their constituents, and ultimately the Parish, an account of their work, including financial accounts, to be reviewed by an outside auditor when appropriate. e) All groupings of the faithful, including women and minorities, shall be equitably represented in all C. Councils 1. The members of every Parish (or equivalent) shall elect a Council, which shall be the principle decision-making body of the Parish. The Pastor shall be an ex officio member of the Council. 2. The Parish Council, either directly or through committees, shall bear ultimate responsibility for Parish 3. The Parish Council shall observe the following: a) Members of the Parish Council shall be elected in as representative a manner as possible, including, b) Members of Parish Council shall serve for a specified term of office, namely....... c) The rule of one person, one vote shall prevail in the Parish Council and all Parish committees. d) No one shall have veto power. D. Leaders a) General 2. Commissioned holders of ministries are church leaders who normally work full-time for the church and 3. All commissioned holders of ministries shall be chosen in a manner which shall give a representative 4. All commissioned holders of ministries shall serve for specified terms of office. 5. All commissioned holders of ministries can be removed from office only for cause, following a procedure 6. All commissioned holders of ministries have responsibilities and corresponding rights which are specified below. b) Pastor 2. The Pastor shall serve as the leader of the Parish pastoral team. Within the policies set by the Parish Council, they bear the main responsibility for the worship, spiritual and moral instruction, and pastoral care dimensions of the Parish. This responsibility entails: a)Worship that reflects the joys and concerns of the gathered community and instructs and inspires it; b)Instruction in the Christian tradition and the presentation of spirituality and moral teaching in a way that promotes the helpfulness and relevance of Christian values to contemporary life; and c)Pastoral care that applies with love and effectiveness the Christian heritage to persons in particular situations. 3. Pastors have both a right to and responsibility for proper training and continuation of their education throughout the term of their office. 4. Pastors have a right to fair financial support for the exercise of their office, as well as the requisite liberty needed for the proper exercise thereof. c) Parish Council
IV. JUDICIAL SYSTEM A. Principles 1. The Catholic Church is a pilgrim church, always in need of reform and correction. Disputes, contentions, 2. A system of parochial, diocesan, provincial, national and international tribunals shall be established, B. Parish Tribunal 1. A Parish Tribunal shall be set up to which all cases of dispute which cannot be amicably settled within the various bodies of the Parish–after every effort of dialogue, conciliation, and compromise has failed, shall be sent for adjudication. 2. Persons elected to the Parish Tribunal shall if at all possible have training and experience in law, and shall serve for a term of five years. 3. The Parish Tribunal shall have consist of five members in staggering terms of office. 4. Appeals against the judgment of the Parish Tribunal shall be heard by the Diocesan Tribunal. C. Continued Fitness for Office of Leaders Parish leaders shall serve out their elected term of office unless the question of competence and continued fitness for office is formally raised in the Parish Tribunal, due process being observed.
IV. AMENDMENTS This Constitution can be amended by a three-quarter vote of all present at a Parish Meeting which is open Leonard Swidler has an STL in Catholic Theology, University of Tübingen and a Ph.D. in history and philosophy, |