The New Haven Council of Catholic Women acts through its membership to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service.New Haven Council of Catholic Women programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world.
INTRODUCTION
The Articles of Association and the By-Laws shall be the governing rules for the New Haven Council of Catholic Women.
ARTICLE I
PATRONAGE
The Council shall be under the patronage of Our Lady of Good Counsel.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Section 1.Any Catholic woman living in the City of New Haven or the area
coextensive with that served by Catholic Charities, New Haven
District, shall be eligible for membership.
Section 2.The annual membership dues and the time for payment of dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors at its first meeting after each Biennial Meeting of the Council.
Section 3.Upon completion of the membership drive, one-half of the individual membership dues shall be sent to the District Office of Catholic Charities, New Haven District and one-half shall be retained by the Council treasury.
Section 4.Honorary Membership: Honorary members shall be excused
from the payment of dues.Proposals for the designation of persons as honorary members must be submitted to the Membership Committee. The Membership Committee will make a final determination concerning the disposition of such proposals.
ARTICLE III
MEETINGS
Section 1.Regular Meetings
Regular meetings of the Council shall be held four times per year on a Thursday in February, April, September, and November.The dates, times, and places of the meetings will be determined by the Board of Directors and notice of the meetings will be given to the membership by means of the calendar published in the Newsletter.
Section 2.Board Of Directors Meetings
The Board of Directors shall meet, as neded, in the week that precedes each regular meeting of the Council with the exception of election (odd numbered) years when the Board shall meet in March rather than in the week preceding the April meeting.
The President shall designate the time and place of the meetings of
the Board of Directors.
Section 3.Biennial Meetings
The Biennial Meeting shall be held in May of odd-numbered years.Installation of officers, elected at the April meeting in odd-numbered years, shall be held at the Biennial Meeting.
Section 4.Special Meetings
The President may call a special meeting of the Council at any time.
A special meeting of the Council may also be requested by a majority of the Board of Directors and must be called promptly by the President upon receipt of such a request.
Notice must be provided to the membership of all special meetings in a timely manner.
ARTICLE IV
ELECTION OF OFFICERS, ELECTIVE MEMBERS
OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Section 1.Nominations for Officers and Elective Members of the Board of Directors
A Nominating Committee of five members shall be designated by the Board of Directors to serve two continuous years. This selection shall take place at the regular April meeting in odd numbered years. The chairperson of the Nominating Committee must be a member of the Board of Directors.It is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to prepare a slate of officers for the next election.
Members of the Council also may make nominations for any elective office. A minimum of ten Council members must submit the nomination in writing, signed by them, to the Secretary at least ten days before the April election meeting in odd numbered years.
Nominations for officers and members of the Board of Directors may also be made from the floor by any member in good standing at the regular April meeting in odd numbered years when elections are conducted.
Section 2.Officers
The elective officers of this organization shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Third Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Assistant Treasurer.These officers comprise the Executive Committee and serve as members of the Board of Directors.
Section 3.Election of Officers
At the regular April meeting of the Council immediately preceding each Biennial Meeting officers shall be elected for a term of two years to commence upon adjournment of the Biennial meeting. No officer except the Secretary and the Treasurer shall serve more than two successive terms. All officers shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the Council present and voting at the regular April meeting held for such purpose in odd numbered years.
Section 4.Elective Members of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors shall be comprised of six elected directors. At the April meeting in odd numbered years, directors shall be elected to succeed those whose terms will expire at the next Biennial Meeting, and such successors shall serve for terms of four years each commencing with the adjournment of the Biennial Meeting.
Section 5.Election of Directors
All Directors shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the Council present and voting at the regular April meeting held for such purpose in odd numbered years.
Section 6.Appointed/ Other Members of the Board of Directors
In addition to the officers and elective members of the Board of Directors, all commissioners and chairpersons of standing committees shall serve as members of the Board of Directors for the remainder of the term of the President by whom they were appointed.
The immediate past president of the Council, if willing, shall also serve as a member of the Board of Directors for a period not to exceed two years from the end of her term as president.
Section 7.Procedure to fill Vacancies
The Board of Directors may fill a vacancy occurring in any office by majority vote of its members present and voting at any meeting.
Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors shall be filled by majority vote of the Board of Directors present and voting at any meeting.
By majority vote the Board may remove any director other than an officer, for failure to attend three consecutive meetings without sufficient excuse.
Section 8.Office Manager
The Executive Committee may appoint a person to fill the position of Office Manager with the approval of the Board of Directors.The Office Manager shall perform such duties as are established by the Board of Directors and shall be responsible to the President.The Office Manager shall send out all notices of meetings and events on behalf of the Council, as directed by the President and Board.The Office Manager shall keep an up-to-date list of names and address of all members of the Council in good standing at the office of the Council.
ARTICLE V
POWERS AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1.The President shall preside at all meetings of the members of the Council and the Board of Directors and shall be, ex-officio, a voting member of all committees except the nominating committee.She shall appoint all standing committees and commissions and name the chairmen of those committees and commissions.She shall examine all bills submitted to her by the Treasurer and, if the bill is for expenditures authorized by the Board of Directors, may countersign checks in payment thereof.She shall be the official delegate to the National Council of Catholic Women Convention and shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Council of Catholic Women: Archdiocese of Hartford and the Southern Advisory Board of Catholic Charities, New Haven District.She shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as may be given her by the By-Laws, as amended, or as may be assigned to her by the Board of Directors.
Section 2.The First Vice President shall have the powers and duties of the President in event of absence, incapacity, resignation or death of the President, and at other times shall assist the President in the performance of her functions.She shall serve as Editor of TheCouncilor newsletter and shall be in charge of the Mary G. Desmond Silver Tea Raffle.
Section 3.The Second Vice President shall be in charge of the Annual Membership Drive and shall serve as Parish Representative Coordinator.At each Biennial Meeting, the Second Vice President shall present to the Board of Directors a slate of Parish Representatives consisting of one or more members of the Council from each parish within the New Haven District of Catholic Charities/ Catholic Charities.
In addition to the above duties, the Second Vice President shall have such powers and duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time assign to her.
Section 4.The Third Vice President shall be in charge of meeting arrangementsand hospitality.She shall chair the Mary G. Desmond Silver Tea and the Biennial Installation meeting.
In addition to the above duties, the Third Vice President shall have such powers and duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time assign to her.
Section 5.The Treasurer shall be custodian of all funds of the Council and deposit those funds in a bank. She shall keep adequate financial records and furnish signed statements of all receipts and disbursements to the Board of Directors and shall provide an accounting for all funds and property entrusted to her at each meeting of the Board.She shall also submit signed annual financial reports to the Board of Directors at such time and in such form as it prescribes.She shall serve as Chairman of the Finance/Budget Committee.
Section 6.The Assistant Treasurer shall have the powers and duties of the Treasurer in event of absence, incapacity, resignation or death of the Treasurer, and at other times shall assist the Treasurer in the performance of her functions. She shall serve on the Finance/Budget Committee and shall consult with the Treasurer with a frequency that permits her to be fully aware of all financial transactions.
Section 7.The Secretary shall keep adequate minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the General Council meetings.She shall conduct such correspondence as the Board of Directors or the President may assign to her.She shall have custody of the seal of the Council.
Section 8.A surety bond furnished by the Archdiocese shall cover the Treasurer, President, First Vice President and Council Office Manager. Section 9.All officers shall deliver all Council records, property, funds or articles to their successors at the meeting at which their terms expire. ARTICLE VI
COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES
Section 1.Immediately upon her election, the President shall appoint theChairpersons of the Commissions and members of all standing committees with the exception of the Nominating Committee which is named by the Board as described in Article IV, Section.She shall also appoint such special committees as she or a majority of the members of the Board of Directors may at any time deem necessary. Section 2.CHURCH COMMISSION
This commission shall have as its purview the development and/ or publicizing of scriptural, liturgical and ecumenical programs to enhance public and private prayer, to promote sound liturgical practice and to provide resources for the development of the faith community.
Section 3.COMMUNITY CONCERNS COMMISSION
This commission shall have as its purview a focus on actions that affect the life, growth, productivity and well-being of all people in our communities.The commission will concentrate efforts on:
a.Catholic Charities Projects
b.Social Justice Projects
c.Consumer Education/Community Health & Safety Projects
Section 4.FAMILY CONCERNS COMMISSION
This commission shall have as its purview the support and enhancement of family life within the Church and society.The focus of this commission shall be to assist families to achieve a Catholic life and to carry out family responsibilities in the Church, civic community and the world.Efforts shall be focused on:
This commission shall have as its purview the promotion of responsibility for the world community through the teaching that our wealth and resources must be shared by all.The commission shall focus on education concerning the needs of women and children throughout the world and concentrate efforts on:
a.Works of Peace/Catholic Relief Services/ Catholic Charities Projects
b.World Medical Mission Projects
c.International Relief & Development Programs
Section 6.LEGISLATION COMMISSION
This commission shall have as its purview the encouragement of legislative advocacy.Guided by Catholic social teaching, it shall assist Council members to understand the legislative process, provide the tools to analyze current and proposed legislation, and promote activities that will bring about greater social and economic justice in our society.
Section 7.ORGANIZATION COMMISSION
This commission shall have as its purview the provision of opportunities for leadership training, public relations and communication mechanisms to assure the successful management of the Council and its programs.
Section 8.NOMINATING COMMITTEE
This committee shall be a standing committee with members selected as described in Article IV, Section 1.
Section 8.All Standing and special committees and commissions shall perform such functions as the Board of Directors may from time to time assign to them, for such periods as the Board may determine.
Section 9.The Board of Directors, by majority vote of all its members, may remove any member of a commission or committee for neglect of duty or other cause when such action is deemed essential to the best interest of the Council.
ARTICLE VII
SPIRITUAL MODERATOR Section 1.The Council shall be guided in all spiritual matters by a Spiritual Moderator. He shall be designated by the Archbishop of Hartford to serve until the Archbishop shall name his successor.
Section 2.The Spiritual Moderator shall be a consultant to the Council and the President.He may attend all meetings of the members of the Council and the Board of Directors, and shall be notified thereof.He shall be an Honorary member of the Council.
ARTICLE VIII
QUORUM
Section 1.Ten Council members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the members of the Council.
Section 2.Six members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX
NOTICES
Section 1.Barring any other provision in these By-Laws, two weeks notice shall be deemed sufficient for any change in date for a regular meeting of the members of the Council or for a special meeting of the members of the Council for any purpose.
Section 2.Notices of all meetings and events will be sent by the Council Office Manager to all pastors of parishes within the area served by the Catholic Charities, New Haven District requesting that their parishioners be made aware of the meeting or event at least two weeks prior to the meeting or event.
ARTICLE X
AMENDENTS OF BY-LAWS
Section 1.These By-Laws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the members of the Council by majority vote of those present and voting provided that any proposed amendment(s) shall have been read at a previous regular meeting of the Council prior to such vote and that the time and place of the meeting to vote upon the amendment(s) shall have been announced.
ARTICLE XI
RULES OF ORDER
Section 1.The meetings of the Council and the Board shall be governed by the latest revision of Robert’s Rules of Order in every case they may apply and in which they do not conflict with the Articles of Association and By-Laws of the Council.
ARTICLE XII
DISSOLUTION OF ASSETS
Section 1.Upon dissolution of the Council, the Board of Directors shall, after paying all liabilities of the Council, dispose of the assets of the Council by transferring them to the Connecticut Council of Catholic Women: Archdiocese of Hartford and/or to a non-profit Catholic organization that has a mission and goals similar to those of the New Haven Council of Catholic Women.Any organization to which the assets are transferred must hold a valid tax exemption permit issued by the Commissioner of Revenue Services of the State of Connecticut.
The above By-Laws were accepted and adopted at a meeting of the Council held on 24 April 2003.
Amended 28 April 2005 at a meeting of the Council:Added Article XII, amended the Mission Statement, and replaced “Catholic Family Services” references with “Catholic Charities”.Removed maintenance of membership list from responsibility of the Treasurer and placed it under the Office Manager.