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Constitution of the Steering Committee

of the Parish of St. Augustine, Galway

"Our Service to the Church to-day can be measured by our capacity to acknowledge the role of the Laity and to walk with them in Faith".
(Chapter 11 - 17 Ordinary General Chapter 1995)

OBJECTIVES

The objectives for which the Committee is established are all or any of the following, but not limited to these. The Committee may, at its discretion, adopt other objectives from time to time

• To assist in all ways possible in the running of the Parish of St. Augustine.
• To encourage members of the Laity to become involved in Parish affairs.
• To present to the general Public the ethos of the Parish and to promote the Parish as a Community Centre for the City.
• To assume responsibility for the provision of suitable Groups to carry out the normal functions of the Church and Parish and to liaise with the Clergy in this regard.
• To ensure that individuals in the various Groups have suitable training and encouragement to carry out their duties.
• To promote suitable activities and events in the celebration of various Religious and other Festivals by way of making these more meaningful to the Congregations. These will assume, at times, a social dimension.

ACCOUNTS

The Committee shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended. The Committee shall have overall responsibility for Parish Funds and access to the separate books kept for Parish Revenues. These books shall be audited in accordance with standard Church practice.

MEETINGS

Regular meetings of the Committee shall take place with a minimum of four per year. The Chairman and one other member shall have the power to call Special Meetings from time to time. In addition, any three members shall have the power to call a special meeting. A Quorum of four members will be required to validate a meeting.

A General Parish Meeting under the auspices of the Committee shall take place at least once a year. Part of this meeting shall be Open to facilitate an exchange of ideas but will be used mainly to provide information and updates. A quorum of four Parishioners plus two Committee members will be required to validate a General meeting. A minimum of one week's notice of all meetings should be given via the weekly newsletter.

PARISH GROUPS

For the efficient running of the various activities within the Church and Parish, existing Groups engaged in these activities should be fostered and added to. The Committee should appoint a leader for each Group whose duty it would be to arrange the efficient running of the Group and to take responsibility for recruiting new members. The Committee would have a responsibility to offer advice, help and training in assisting the leaders to carry out their duties. All members of the Groups and Committee members alike will have an ongoing role in recruitment of new members.

MEMBERSIHP

The Committee shall have the following membership as a minimum:
The Parish Priest
The Prior
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Immediate Past Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Members
The Parish Priest, the Prior and the immediate Past Chairman are de facto members.

The immediate Past Chairman shall step down on the appointment of a new Chairman. The immediate Past Chairman may serve as Deputy Chairman in the absence of the Chairman and Vice Chairman.

The Chairman, who shall not be a Cleric, shall serve for two years and shall be replaced by the Vice-Chairman.

The Vice Chairman shall be appointed by consensus of the Committee membership and will serve also as Deputy Chairman with the power to chair meetings and carry out other functions in the absence of the Chairman.

The Secretary and Treasurer will be appointed on a yearly basis and may serve as many terms as they are appointed. The Secretary shall have the duty to record the Minutes of meetings and to maintain these in a suitable Minutes Book. The Treasurer shall have the duty to maintain the required Books of Account as described above and to keep the Committee informed. of financial matters on an ongoing basis. The positions of Deputy Secretary and Deputy Treasurer may be formed at the discretion of the Committee.

Membership will be made up of the Leaders of the various Groups de facto. The Committee may co-opt other members either permanently or for special events. Experts may be invited to attend meetings from time to time as advisers.

All Members should constantly be on the lookout of new members who would enhance the quality of the Committee and be vigilant in encouraging such people to become involved.

Signed:
Cathal Cunningham, (Chairman, Parish Steering Committee)
Richard A. Lyng, (Parish Priest)

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