CONSTITUTION

OF THE

COUNCIL FOR CLERGY LIFE AND MINISTRY

[1]             NAME

The name of the organisation shall be the Australian Catholic Council for Clergy Life and Ministry.

[2]            CONSTITUTION

The Council is constituted by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, subject to the Bishops Council for Church Ministry

[3]            OBJECTS

The Council is a body formed in response to the call of the Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis for the lifelong formation and education of clergy.

To achieve this principal object, the Council is directed towards the following subordinate objects:

(a)        To arrange gatherings of Diocesan Directors Clergy Life and Ministry appointed by Diocesan Bishops and, if they so choose, by the Leaders of Clerical Institutes, for mutual support, stimulation, challenge, reflection, conversion, communication, professional formation, and the development of skills.

(b)        On request by Dioceses and Clerical Religious Congregations to develop policies and programs for continuing education, and to support the evaluation of these programs.

(c)        To develop a team of resource personnel with expertise in spirituality, theology, Scripture, pastoral formation, psychology, anthropology, social analysis and business management, etc, who will be available to Dioceses and to Congregations of Clerical Religious.

(d)        To aid and promote the life-long education of clergy.

(e)        To promote liaison with seminaries and other resources and organisations involved in the life-long education of clergy.

(f)         To co-ordinate the sharing of resource persons.

(g)        To discern the need for and sponsor national programs for the life-long education of clergy.

(h)        To discern the need for and recommend appropriate therapy for clergy.

(i)         To use existing resources and venues for courses, retreats and programs.

[4]            MEMBERSHIP

(a)           A person becomes a member of the Council on receiving an appointment from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

(b)           The membership of the Council shall be constituted in the following way:

(i)            At least two Bishops for the Bishops Committee for Clergy and Religious

(ii)           Five Diocesan Directors of Clergy Life and Ministry, one from each of the Ecclesiastical Provinces, chosen by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry

(iii)         Two persons (one female, one male) chosen by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry from a list of three men and three women submitted by the Australian Conference     of Leaders of Religious Institutes,

(iv)          Three lay persons nominated by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry

(c)           All appointments to membership on the Council shall be for a period of three years.

[5]        THE EXECUTIVE

(a)             The Executive of the Council shall consist of the President, who will normally be a Bishop and shall be appointed to the position by the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry, the Chairperson, and two Executive members who shall be elected by the Council.

(b)           Office Bearers other than the President shall be elected for a term of two years or until the membership of the Council of the elected office bearer shall expire, whichever is the shorter.

(c)           The Chairperson shall be elected by the Council.

(d)           The Executive shall be responsible for the ordinary direction of the Council’s activities between Council meetings.

(e)           The Executive is responsible for the effective carrying out of the activities of the Council and shall be answerable to the Council for this activity.

[6]         THE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL FOR CLERGY LIFE AND MINISTRY

(a)           The Director shall be an employee of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference appointed by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference after consultation with the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry.

(b)           The Director shall be responsible for the carrying out of all the directives of the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry and shall be accountable to it.

(c)           The Director may be appointed initially for a period of three years.

[7]            MEETINGS

(a)           The Council shall meet at least once each year.

(b)            Meetings shall be convened by a decision of the Executive.

(c)           At the annual ordinary meeting of the Council the Director shall submit the report and financial statement for the preceding 12 months to the Council, along with the budget for the coming year.

(d)           A quorum for the meetings shall consist of not less than half the number of members.

[8]            ACCOUNTABILITY

The Council is accountable to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference through the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry. The Council shall prepare a detailed report of its activities at least once each year. This statement shall be submitted to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference through the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry and, except where the nature of the material is of relevance only to that body, the report shall be published.

[9]            FUNDS AND PROPERTY

(a)        The income and resources of the Council shall be applied in promotion of its objects.

(b)        The funds of the organisation shall be banked in the name of the Council in such banks as the Executive may from time to time direct.

(c)        Proper books and accounts shall be kept and maintained showing the financial affairs of the Council and the particulars usually shown in books of a like nature.

(d)        All monies shall be banked as soon as practicable after receipt of them.

(e)        All monies shall be paid by cheque signed by any two of the President, Chairman, Director or other designated signing officers.

(f)        Cheques shall be crossed Not Negotiable except those in payment of wages and allowances of petty cash recoupments, which may be open.

(g)        The Executive shall determine the amount of petty cash which shall be kept on the imprest system.

(h)        The financial year of the Council shall end at the 31 December each year.

(i)         As soon as practicable after the end of the Council’s financial year, the Director shall cause to be prepared a statement of receipts and payment and income and expenditure and a balance sheet for the Council’s financial year just ended, and a budget for the coming year.

(j)         All such statements shall be examined by the auditor who shall present his or her report upon such audit to the Director  prior to the holding of the next ordinary meeting following the Council’s financial year of which such audit was made.

(k)        Income shall be derived from:

(i)     Budget grant from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

(ii)    Voluntary donations from sources approved by the Council

(iii)    Revenue derived from the performance of functions

(iv)    Other sources at the discretion of the Council

[10]            OFFICE OF THE Council

The Office of the Council shall be situated in such city as the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference shall from time to time determine.

[11]            EVALUATION

(a)        Every three years the Council shall be evaluated to the satisfaction of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

(b)        Each year the Council shall formally review the efficiency of its activities.

[12]            DISSOLUTION

(a)        This organisation may be dissolved only by a decision of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

(b)        It is within the competence of the Council to recommend such a course of action to the Bishops Commission for Church Ministry.

(c)        Where such winding up or dissolution of the Council takes place, those funds granted to it by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference or amounts remaining therefrom in the financial year in which the dissolution takes place shall be returned to the endowing body.

  Australian Catholic Bishops Conference

December 1992, revised November 1997, and further revised November 2001, and further revised November 2006.

  Back | Home