Particular Statutes of St. Thomas Forane Church

Transcription

1 Particular Statutes of St. Thomas Forane Church 2015 Drafted by - Adv. Baby George B.Sc, LL.B, PGDBA Guided by - Rev. Dr. Thomas Kallukalam CMI

2 Contents Foreword Preamble History Formation and establishment of St. Thomas Parish Trust Auditorium (St. Thomas Parish Halls) St. Thomas Parish Church Krupalaya Definitions Eparchy Local Hierarch Parish Church Parish Parish Priest Asst. Parish Priests Member of Parish Family Head of the family Temporal Goods Trustees Chief Trustee Donor Member Patron Sacristan Internal Auditor CCEO - means code of Canons of Eastern Churches Code of Particular Law of Syro Malabar Church...17

3 5. Board of Trustees Removal of Trustees Eligibility to Trusteeship Division of Responsibilities of the Trustees General Administration The Body of Donor Members of the Trust Privileges and Benefits of Donor Members Patron Members of the Parish Trust Eligibility For Membership Rights And Privileges of Patrons Election of Three Trustees from the Body of Donor Members Arbitration Meetings Bank Account Appointment/Removal of Permanent Staff Registers to be maintained in the Parish Trust...31 St. Thomas Parish Church Administration 19. General Body Meeting (Pothuyogam) The functions of the Pothuyogam Disqualifications For The Members of The Pothuyogam Election of Three Trustees by the Pothuyogam Parish Council Ward Councillors The rights and duties of the Ward Councillors: Associations Administration of the Temporalities of the Parish Church...41

4 26. Financial Competence Registers to be maintained in the Parish Church Advisory Board Amendment...44 Recognised Associations/Organizations of St. Thomas Parish 1. Mathruvedhi Pithruvedhi Santhome Senior Citizens Forum St. Christopher Association Santhome Choir Santhome Catechism St. Vincent De Paul Society Santhome Professional Forum St. Chavara Association Syro Malabar Youth Apostolate (SMYA) - St. Thomas Unit Cherupushpa Mission league (CML) Legion of Mary Santhome Souhardha Credit Co-operative Ltd...53 Other Major Allied Activities of the Parish 1. Minority Cell Kidzee Angels Nest STARTT Maria Sacred Vestments...56

5 Foreword The Particular Statutes of St. Thomas Forane Church, Dharmaram College, Bangalore, is to facilitate each member of this Parish to know, understand and help each one to get involved meaningfully in the general administration of the Church and its activities. Being the Mother Parish of Syro Malabar Catholics of Bangalore, our Parish has a responsibility to set an example for other Parishes. This particular statutes are formulated with utmost precision, profound clarity and due care. It enables the parishioners to be familiar with the guidelines, aims and objectives, duties and responsibilities as envisaged in the Trust Deed and the major provisions of the code of particular laws of the Syro- Malabar Church and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. St Thomas Parish Trust was first registered in the state of Karnataka and later the Parish Church was erected under the aforesaid Trust. As the activities of the church intensified, the Blessed Chavara Krupalaya Charitable Trust and St. Thomas Academy for Research Training and Transformation (STARTT) were registered. Therefore, for proper administration of the Parish, its activities and governance of the ecclesiastical and temporal goods, we have to take into consideration the laws of the land and essential Canon laws. Through the publication of this particular statutes of our Church, a long felt need is fulfilled. I thank wholeheartedly all those who contributed for the realization of this dream, especially I 5 I Particular Statutes

6 remember with gratitude the valuable contribution made by Rev. Dr. James Pampara CMI, the Professor of Canon Law at DVK and Adv. Baby George, our present Trustee of the Parish, who drafted the entire Statutes. The faithful observance of these statutes will help us to grow in Christian spirit, in a disciplined and systematic way. May Our Lord Jesus Christ guide us always and let the powerful intercessions of Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Thomas the Apostle, our Patron Saint, bring us the necessary grace to lead a meaningful Christian life. Bengaluru Rev. Dr. Thomas Kallukalam CMI 07/02/2015 Vicar, St. Thomas Forane Church Particular Statutes I 6

7 Particular Statutes of St Thomas Forane Church, Dharmaram College, Christ School Road, Bangalore Preamble The Church of St. Thomas Christians is an Apostolic Church founded in India by St. Thomas, the Apostle. After he suffered martyrdom at Mylapore, the Church of St. Thomas Christians later shared their liturgical, spiritual and ecclesiastical traditions with the East Syrian Church. At the same time they kept their distinctive character especially in church administration, socio-cultural and asceticospiritual life. Their socio-cultural life was fully Indian. Their ascetico-spiritual life reflected Indo-Oriental tradition. The administration were carried out through general and local assemblies(palliyogam). The sum total of this life was called The Law of Thomas (Mar Thoma Margam). 2. History The First phase of the history of the Syro-Malabar Church in Bangalore is intimately connected with the history of the establishment of Dharmaram College on 1st June 1957, in Bangalore, which is the Major Study House of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). The Second Phase of its history started in the year It was an year of great importance in the history of Syro-Malabar Church in Bangalore. On 10th March 1983 the then Archbishop 7 I Particular Statutes

8 of Bangalore His Grace Pakkiam Arokiaswamy through a decree erected and established the personal Parish of St. Thomas Parish in the Chapel of Dharmaram College, the first of its kind in the whole of India outside the so-called proper territory of the Syro-Malabar Church. This Parish was formally inaugurated by the said Archbishop on 19th March From the said period onwards religious services were conducted in the Dharmaram Chapel for the Catholics of the Syro Malabar Church. The Agreement between the Archbishop of Bangalore and the Prior General of the CMI Congregation is foundational in the establishment of this Parish. This Parish is entrusted to the CMI Congregation and as such the Prior General of the CMI Congregation after consulting the Rector of Dharmaram College, proposes the name/s of Priest/s to be appointed as Parish Priest/s to the competent Bishop (cf. CCEO c. 284, 2). The Rector of Dharmaram College may designate additional Priests and Scholastics to the Parish to help in the various activities of the Parish in various capacities. This Parish uses the Syro- Malabar Rite in its liturgical celebrations. 3. Formation and establishment of St. Thomas Parish Trust Since Dharmaram Chapel is a seminary Chapel, its use as a permanent Parish Church would raise many inconveniences. Hence steps had been taken and negotiated with the CMI Particular Statutes I 8

9 Congregation by the St. Thomas Parish for allotting two acres of Land to have a separate church and premises. To build, establish, maintain the Parish Church, to provide pastoral care exclusively for the Syro-Malabar Catholics, to promote spiritual as well as temporal programmes for their welfare and for the proper administration and in accordance with the statutory requirements of the law of the land, a separate Trust was registered in the name of St. Thomas Parish Trust bearing document no. 129/87-88 on 23rd July 1987 by the Study House of CMI Congregation, Dharmaram College, as the settler, represented by the Rector. About two acres of land, being a portion of Survey No.36/3, Byrasandra Village, in the ownership and possession of the Study House was set apart and settled as provided in the Trust Deed, for the utilization and enjoyment of the Parish Church, its priest quarters, Parish Office, Auditorium and other necessary structures. The St. Thomas Parish Trust functions according to the relevant Trust laws of the land and at the same time the Parish Church follows the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1990 and the Particular Laws enacted by the Syro Malabar Synod. 3.1 Auditorium (St. Thomas Parish Halls) On 18th February 1990, we constructed the first St. Thomas Parish Hall. The new Parish Hall was constructed on 3rd July I Particular Statutes

10 3.2 St. Thomas Parish Church Since 1987, we have been celebrating Holy Mass on week days in a small hall in the aforesaid land settled by the CMI Congregation.The present Parish Church was constructed and Blessed on 15th February Krupalaya The St. Thomas Forane Church decided to start a Social Service Centre, being an Old Age Home, to serve the under privileged, aged, mentally challenged and physically handicapped people in the society and a Trust was registered on 19th October 2004, vide document no.447/04-05 in the name of Bl. Chavara Krupalaya Charitable Trust and started its project by constructing a suitable building thereon in the piece of land set apart and settled by the CMI Congregation as provided in the Trust Deed. 4. Definitions 4.1. Eparchy Eparchy means Diocese (a portion of the people of God that is entrusted to a Bishop to shepherd) 4.2. Local Hierarch Local Hierarch means the eparchial bishop, the exarch, the apostolic administrator, as well as those who for a time legitimately succeed them in governance in their absence, also the protosyncellus and the syncellus. Particular Statutes I 10

11 4.3. Parish Church Parish Church means a building exclusively dedicated for divine worship of the Parish Community by consecration or blessing Parish Parish means a definite community of Christian faithful established on a stable basis Parish Priest Parish Priest means a presbyter appointed by the eparchial bishop to whom the care of souls in a given Parish is entrusted as to its own pastor; he is the principal corporator of the eparchial bishop in the Parish under the authority of the same eparchial bishop (cc 282; 284) The Parish Priest, who is also called Vicar or Pastor is the Chief Executive Officer of the Parish and he is at the same time the Managing Trustee of the St Thomas Parish Trust. He is to be a CMI Priest presented by the CMI Prior General and appointed by the Archbishop of Bangalore. He has the rights and duties as stipulated by CCEO cc It is his duty that the spiritual needs of the Parishioners are adequately taken care of. He has to obey and execute the directives of the Syro-Malabar Synod in all liturgical matters and all the directives of the Archbishop of Bangalore in all other administrative and ecclesiastical matters. He is the President of the Parish Council and Pothuyogam and all the 11 I Particular Statutes

12 decisions of the Parish Council and Pothuyogam are to be approved by him. He has to fix the agenda of the Parish Council and the Pothuyogam in consultation with the Assistant Parish Priests and the Trustees. He has to obtain the consent of the Parish Trust/ Parish Council / Pothuyogam regarding all important matters except the day-to-day running of the Parish and the ordinary administration of the Parish. He shall be entitled to appoint Internal Auditor/s, Sacristan (Devalayasusrushi), Accountant/s, Secretary, Cashier, Cleaning Staff, Gardner, Supervisor/s, Security agency etc., as and when required with the consent of the Board of Trustees. However, in order to create a new office which implies a new financial obligation, in addition to the consent of the Board of Trustees, he should also consult the Parish Council Asst. Parish Priests Assistant Parish Priest means a presbyter appointed by the eparchial bishop to assist in the proper pastoral care of the Parish under the authority of the Parish Priest and, if need should arise, to substitute for the Parish Priest (cc. 301; 302) In the overall Parish Trust and Parish Church Administration, the Parish Priest is helped by the Assistant Parish Priests, who are appointed either by the Archbishop of Bangalore or by the Rector of Dharmaram College. The Assistant Parish Priest appointed by the Archbishop of Bangalore has the vicariate power. If the Assistant Parish Particular Statutes I 12

13 Priest is appointed by the Rector of Dharmaram College, then he functions on the basis of delegated power given to him by the Parish Priest. The Assistant Parish Priests are also called Parochial Vicars (CCEO cc ). The Parish Priest entrusts particular ministries and services to the Assistant Parish Priests Member of Parish Member of Parish means a Christian Faithful belonging to the same eparchy having domicile or quasi-domicile within the territory of the Parish or those who have obtained membership through special orders by the eparchial Bishop Family Family means a person or persons residing within the territory allotted to each Parish and entered as a family in the parish register Head of the family Head of the family is the senior member of the family, male or female, who is responsible for the running of the family and who has attained 21 years of age Temporal Goods Temporal Goods means all movable and immovable properties of the Church. 13 I Particular Statutes

14 4.11. Trustees Trustee means a member of the Parish, either elected/ nominated by the Pothuyogam or elected/nominated by the body of Donor Members of the trust and confirmed and appointed by the local hierarch, or directly appointed by him under special circumstances, to help the Parish Priest in keeping and administering Parish Trust and Parish Church properties and income according to the norms of ecclesiastical law and conducting the programmes and affairs of the Parish and to work in cooperation with the Parish Priest in exercising pastoral ministry and administering financial matters of the Parish Chief Trustee The Chief Trustee is responsible for the general administration of the Parish and the Trust together with the Parish Priest, and he is the closest collaborator to the Parish Priest in all the temporal affairs of the Parish. The office of the Chief Trustee is one year and it can be renewed only for a further period of one more year successively. He coordinates all the activities of the Trust and the Parish together with the other Trustees under the guidance of the Parish Priest and the Assistant Parish Priests. He shall be a member of the Parish and a practicing Syro-Malabar Catholic of good reputation and morals. The Chief Trustee has to co-ordinate the division of responsibilities among the Trustees under the guidance of the Parish Priests. Particular Statutes I 14

15 4.13. Donor Member Donor Member means a Roman Catholic Christian who has contributed in favour of St. Thomas Parish Trust the prescribed minimum Sum, being donation, fixed by the board of Trustees and duly approved by the Parish Council and holding Donor Membership Certificate signed by the authorised signatory and counter signed by the Parish Priest. The person means an individual, association or institution. The prescribed sum is fixed at Rs. One Lakh for the time being, which may vary from time to time in accordance with the decision and determination of the Board of Trustees, duly approved in the Parish Council Patron Patron means a Roman Catholic Christian, active in the community life, with potential to contribute in the religious, social or cultural spheres or in financial segment related to the Parish or Christian Community at large, who has contributed in favour of St. Thomas Parish Trust the prescribed minimum Sum, being donation, fixed by the board of Trustees and duly approved by the Parish Council and holding Patron Membership Certificate signed by the authorised signatory and counter signed by the Parish Priest. The prescribed sum is fixed at Rs. 5,00,000 for the time being, which may vary from time to time in accordance with the decision and determination of the Board of Trustees, duly approved in the Parish Council. 15 I Particular Statutes

16 4.15. Sacristan (Devalayasusrushi) means the person, appointed as per eparchial statutes and approved by the local hierarch to serve in the Church, assisting the sacred ministers at divine worship and other functions, with or without allowance or remuneration. There shall be a Sacristan appointed for the Parish by the Parish Priest to oversee and help in the liturgical celebrations of the Parish. He shall be a pious Catholic and shall be in charge of the Sacristy, sacred vestments and vessels, and the arrangements within the Church and the chair arrangements outside the Church for the liturgical celebrations. He may be given additional duties by the Parish Priest according to the needs of the Parish and the Trust Internal Auditor The St. Thomas Parish and Trust shall have Internal Auditor/s appointed by the Board of Trustees to make the internal auditing of all the accounts of the Parish and Trust activities. The office of the Internal Auditor/s is not an office of benefit and he/she shall audit the accounts of all the Associations and Wards of the Parish twice a year and the accounts of the Parish and the Trust regularly. He shall submit the audit reports to the Board of Trustees through the Managing Trustee. Particular Statutes I 16

17 4.17. CCEO - means code of Canons of Eastern Churches Code of Particular Law of Syro Malabar Churchmeans rules and regulations for the time being in force for the pastoral care of the Catholics of the Syro Malabar Church enacted by the Syro-Malabar Synod. Although every Eparchy had its statutes, there was no written law common to the entire Syro-Malabar Church. With the promulgation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches on 18 th October 1990 and with the recognition of the Syro-Malabar Church as a Major Archiepiscopal Church on 16 th December 1992 by the Supreme Authority of the Church, codification of particular laws applicable to the whole of Syro-Malabar Church became indispensable. The particular laws of the Syro-Malabar Church have been promulgated by the Syro- Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Curia on 3 rd December 2013 and published in a single volume as the Code of Particular Law of Syro- Malabar Church and decreed the publication by His Beatitude Major Archbishop Mar George Cardinal Alencherry. The Synod has taken care that these laws reflect the liturgical, theological, spiritual, cultural and disciplinary heritage of the Syro Malabar Church. 5. Board of Trustees The Rector and the Financial Administrator of Dharmaram College are permanent members of St Thomas Parish Trust. However, in the regular Trust Meetings, their nominees may 17 I Particular Statutes

18 represent them. The Assistant Parish Priests participate in the Trust meetings as the nominees of the Rector and the Financial Administrator. St Thomas Forane Church is administered by the Parish Priest who is also called Vicar, appointed by the Archbishop of Bangalore and he will be the Managing Trustee of the St Thomas Parish Trust. In the Parish administration, he is helped by the Assistant Parish Priests appointed either by the Archbishop of Bangalore or by the Rector of Dharmaram College and the Trustees confirmed by the Managing Trustee. The Managing Trustee/Parish Priest shall have six Trustees elected/nominated every year for a one year period term. Three of these Trustees are elected/nominated by the Annual Pothuyogam of the Parish and three of them are elected from Annual Meeting of the Donors of the Trust. However, the Managing Trustee has the competence either to confirm or to reject any of the elected/nominated Trustees. One of these six Trustees is appointed as the Chief Trustee and another one appointed as the in-charge Trustee (Nadathukaikkar) by the Managing Trustee. Together with the Managing Trustee, the two nominees of the Rector and the Administrator and the Six elected/nominated Trustees shall together constitute the nine members of the Board of Trustees. Particular Statutes I 18

19 6. Removal of Trustees The local Hierarch is competent to remove any of the Trustees from the office if and when in their considered opinion, the concerned person is not fulfilling the obligations of the office satisfactorily or for reasons of negligence of duty, dishonesty, disability, financial misconduct, commission of offenses involving moral turpitude, after giving him an opportunity of being heard. The resignation of any of the Trustees can be accepted by the Local Hierarch, if they assess the reason for the resignation as justifiable. 7. Eligibility to Trusteeship a. He shall be a member of the Parish for a minimum period of preceding five consecutive years. b. Three representatives shall be elected/nominated by the General Body Meeting of the members of the Parish (Pothuyogam) and three representatives shall be elected/ nominated by the General Body Meeting of the Donor Members of the St. Thomas Parish Trust. c. The aforesaid elected representatives must be confirmed and appointed by the Parish Priest. d. He/She shall be person not below the age of Thirty years. e. He/she shall be one who is faithful, honest, efficient, service minded and having no Parish arrears. 19 I Particular Statutes

20 f. He/she shall not have any disqualifications mentioned for the members of the Pothuyogam. g. He shall be one having deep-rooted in faith, Christian values and committed. h. A Trustee shall never be appointed as an employee of the Trust or Parish during the period or afterwards at any time. i. An employee of the Parish or the Trust shall never be elected/nominated as a Trustee during the time in office as an employee. j. An Ex-Employ of the Parish or Trust shall never be nominated/elected as a Trustee for the succeeding period of Five years from the date of leaving his/her service. k. A person shall not be a member of the Board of Trustees for a consecutive period of more than two years, under whatsoever title. However, he may be again nominated or elected after a break of one year. 8. Division of Responsibilities of the Trustees There shall be a division of responsibilities among the Trustees. The responsibilities shall be divided depending upon their area of experience and their talents. The Chief Trustee shall be entrusted with General Administration, Cheques and Payments, Public Relations, Particular Statutes I 20

21 Coordinator of Trust Meetings, Parish Feasts and General Body Meetings. He shall keep the records of the proceedings of all meetings of the Trust. He shall keep, maintain and preserve all records of the Board of Trustees and shall regulate, co-ordinate and correspond all the activities under the guidance of the Parish Priests and the Trustees. The In-Charge Trustee (Nadathukaikkar) who is to supervise the day-to-day activities of the Parish and the Trust. He has to report to the Parish Priest the day to day Administration, Purchase and Allocation of work, Organizing Trust Meetings, in charge of additional security personnel, additional lift operators and additional cleaning personnel and any overtime payment to any personnel. He shall be In-Charge of Church Yard, Coconut Trees, Gardens, Parking, Security, Cleaning of Halls and Surroundings, Repair and Maintenance. The under mentioned duties and responsibilities shall be divided among other Trustees by the Parish Priest / Managing Trustees in consultation with the chief Trustee. There shall be a Trustee in-charge for each association, organisation and other major allied activities of the Church The Trustees shall be entrusted with the supervision of the Finance Management which includes, in-charge of Booking of Halls, Dealing of Requests for Discounts, Service Providers Settlement, Accounting & (Internal- External) Auditing; Banking, Finance Management of Trust 21 I Particular Statutes

22 and Parish, Employees, Finance matters, Education aid, Medical Aid;. There shall be a special sub-committee of the Trust to closely monitor the financial activities of the Parish and the Trust. The Trustees shall be in Charge of Fund Raising, Legal Matters, Advertisement and Publicity for Halls, In-Charge of Law and Order, Police, Parking and Gates, Permissions, Fund Raising, Customer Relations and Complaints. 9. General Administration In the administration of the Parish and the Trust, the Parish Priests are helped by the six Trustees. They are to be appointed by the Parish Priest cum Managing Trustee to this office and shall take the oath of office in a ceremony to be held in the Parish Church in order to assume their office. One of them is to be appointed by the Parish Priest as the Chief Trustee. No Trustee is entitled to any financial benefit or remuneration or allowance from the Parish or the Trust for his/her services. The Trustees shall be available for the activities of the Trust and shall attend every Trust Meeting without fail, except in emergency. The Trustees shall be responsible for the upkeep, repair, maintenance, improvements, modification, replacement and renovations of the Trust properties. They shall be responsible for the development and maintenance of garden, lawn, plants, Particular Statutes I 22

23 trees, etc. to enhance the aesthetics of the premises. They have to be involved in the activities of the various Associations of the Parish according to the division of responsibilities. The Board of Trustees have to formulate the detailed guidelines for the smooth functioning of the staff in various departments. 10. The Body of Donor Members of the Trust It is an Advisory Body. All Roman Catholic Christians are eligible for membership. Whereas a representative to the Board of Trustees must be a member of St. Thomas Forane Church for a minimum period of preceding 5 consecutive years. The other Donor Members are eligible only for casting vote for electing the representatives. For the Donor Membership the minimum prescribed sum is fixed at Rs. One Lakh for the time being, which may vary from time to time in accordance with the decision and determination of the Board of Trustees, duly approved in the Parish Council. 11. Privileges and Benefits of Donor Members The names of all the Donor Members shall be appropriately displayed in the administrative block of the Parish Trust Building Three representatives shall be elected or nominated from the approved list of Donor Members maintained in the register of parish trust, provided 23 I Particular Statutes

24 that the elected or nominated representative must be a member of St. Thomas Forane Church for a minimum period of preceding five consecutive years. The other Donor Members are eligible only for casting vote for electing or nominating the representatives. The elected representative must be having deep rooted in faith, Christian values, committed and above the age of thirty years having no parish arrears. He shall not have any disqualifications mentioned for the members of the pothuyogam. However the Managing Trustee has the competence either to confirm or to reject any of the elected Trustees. They shall hold their office for a period of one year, administer the parish Trust affairs along with the other Trustees as provided in the Trust Deed and eligible for re-election or renomination. But a person shall not be a member of the Board of Trustees for a consecutive period of more than two years under whatsoever title. However, he may be again nominated or elected after a break of one year The Donor Member is eligible for 75 % discount on the prevailing tariff to get the Community Halls on rent on two occasions for his/her family functions. Family means spouse, parents, children and grand children only. The Donor member shall not be eligible for this concessional facility for a period Particular Statutes I 24

25 of one year from the date of joining as the Donor Member and the Donor member has to follow the terms and conditions prescribed by the Parish Trust. If there are several request for booking on a particular date, the Donor member shall be given preference over others, provided the request for booking shall be received on time before allotment to others. Proper Donor membership register must be maintained in the Parish Trust Office and each occasion of availing the concessional hall booking facility must be recorded in the register with date and also behind the donor membership certificate signed by the authorised signatory and counter signed by the Parish Priest. 12. Patron Members of the Parish Trust It is a body consisting of maximum 10 persons, created by a resolution of St. Thomas Forane Church, in its General Body meeting and confirmed by the Board of Trustees of St. Thomas Parish Trust Eligibility For Membership A practicing Roman Catholic Christian, active in the Community life, with potential to contribute in the religious, social or cultural spheres, or in financial segment related to the parish or Christian community at large, who has contributed the prescribed minimum sum, being donation, in favour of St. Thomas Parish Trust fixed by 25 I Particular Statutes

26 the Board of Trustees and duly approved by the Parish Council is eligible for patron membership. The threshold level of funds contribution at present is fixed at Rs. 5 lakhs which may vary from time to time in accordance with the decision and determination of the Board of Trustees and duly approved in the Parish Council Rights And Privileges of Patrons 1. Names of patrons will be displayed prominently in the administrative block of the Parish Trust building. 2. Patrons will be special invitees in meetings of the donor members of the Parish Trust. 3. Every year a Patrons & Donors Day will be observed with thanksgiving Holy Mass offered in the Parish Church for the Patrons along with the Donor members of the Trust, followed by agape. It will also be a day of remembrance of those patron members and Donor Members who departed from us for the heavenly abode. On such days, the heirs of departed patrons will be invited to the Holy Mass and Agape. 4. Patrons will be invited on important occasions of the Parish. 5. Patron membership is lifelong. Particular Statutes I 26

27 6. Whenever a vacancy arises in the body of Patrons, by the death of a member, it will be filled up with fresh nomination. In that case, in the display board of Patron members, against name of the deceased member, a suitable notation will be made. The board will carry the names of all patron members including the diseased, but at all times number of live members will be restricted to The Patron is eligible for 75 % discount on the prevailing tariff to get the Community Halls on rent on two occasions for his/her family functions. Family means spouse, parents, children and grand children only. 8. They shall be a part of the Donor members while electing the three representatives to the Board of Trustees. 13. Election of Three Trustees from the Body of Donor Members It is always preferable and desirable to nominate three suitable and eligible representatives to the Board of Trustees by the majority of the Donor members to avoid election process, failing which the election is to be conducted. The election is to be conducted after having announced it on two consecutive Sundays in the Parish Church during the Divine Liturgy. 27 I Particular Statutes

28 Every donor member having a membership in the Parish for a minimum period of preceding five years and having deep rooted faith, Christian values, commitment and above the age of thirty years, having no Parish arrears can become a candidate in the election. He shall not have any disqualifications mentioned for the members of the Pothuyogam. The other Donor Members are eligible only for casting vote for electing or nominating the representatives. The procedure to be followed in this election is the same as that of the election of Trustees conducted in the Pothuyogam. In order to facilitate the election process, the nomination paper/s provided through the Parish office has to be submitted to the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest before 8.00 PM of the previous day of the election either by the candidate or his/her proposer. If it is submitted through his/her proposer, the consent of the candidate in writing is necessarily required. The Managing Trustee/Parish Priest shall scrutinize the nomination papers together with the Assistant Parish Priests. During the General Body Meeting of the Donor Members, the proposed names will be announced by the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest and they will be introduced to the Electoral College. If the candidate is absent during the election process, it must be reported to the Parish Priest/Managing Trustee in advance by the candidate and the condonation of absence shall be purely at the discretion and determination of the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest. Each Donor member of Particular Statutes I 28

29 the Electoral College may write three names in the ballot. There is no quorum required for the General Body Meeting. Those who get above fifty per cent of the votes of the members present will be declared elected by the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest. One of the existing Trustees will act as the Secretary during the election process and two other Trustees will act as the tellers. 14. Arbitration The Board of Trustees have all powers to sue and to be sued and to compromise/compound all actions, suits, proceedings or settle any dispute/s, demand/s or difference/s arising among the staff, service providers, agents/ agency or any others and to do any acts or things which are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the aims and objects of the Trust. The Board of Trustees shall frame rules and regulations for any purpose of the Trust and from time to time shall amend, add to or alter the same in consultation with the Parish Council. The Board of Trustees shall by a resolution direct any act/s, deed/s or thing/s required to be done or executed by them. 15. Meetings There shall be at least one meeting of the Board of Trustees every month. The meetings of the Board of Trustees are presided over by the Managing Trustee and the agenda of the meetings are prepared by him in consultation with the Chief Trustee of the Parish. In the absence of the Parish 29 I Particular Statutes

30 Priest, one of the Assistant Parish Priests, designated for this purpose by the Managing Trustee, presides over the meeting. 16. Bank Account The Board of Trustees may open an account or accounts with any one or more banks in the name of the Church and the Trust, and to be operated jointly by the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest and the Chief Trustee. 17. Appointment/Removal of Permanent Staff Advertisement shall be given for inviting application for any vacancy of Staff through any media or by publishing in the notice board of the Parish or Trust. Preference shall be given to Christians especially Parishioners. Appointment shall be done by the Parish Priest / Managing Trustee with the consent of the Board of Trustees. Salary scale for Staff must be fixed by the Board of Trustees depending on their post, eligibility, qualification, experience, duties and responsibilities. To dismiss a permanent member of the staff, the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest has to obtain the consent of the Board of Trustees and he has to intimate the Parish Council about the decision as early as possible. To dismiss in case of misconduct or dereliction of duties, more than one administrative warning is warranted. The employee should be charge-sheeted and an enquiring committee of Particular Statutes I 30

31 three members appointed by the Board of Trustees shall be constituted, where the employ will be given an opportunity of being heard. For resignation by an employee, one month advance intimation in writing is required to be submitted to the Managing Trustee. 18. Registers to be maintained in the Parish Trust 1. Staff movement register 2. Vehicle movement register 3. Security register mentioning all incoming and outgoing of items. 4. Stock inventory register mentioning the details of all materials and articles. 5. Duty Log book for supervisors. 6. Stock register of stationary items. 7. Stock register of electrical items. 8. Stock register of Plumbing items. 9. Patrons Register 10. Donor Membership Register 11. To-do list for all staff 12. Terms and conditions for hiring Parish halls 31 I Particular Statutes

32 13. Contract with Service Providers (Furniture, Flower etc. 14. Contract with Security agency. St. Thomas Parish Church Administration 19. General Body Meeting (Pothuyogam) Pothuyogam is an expression of the communion of the people of God in the Parish, intended to advise and help the Parish Priest and to work in cooperation with him, in exercising the pastoral ministry and administering financial matters of the Parish. The Pothuyogam of the Parish is a decision-making body which shall be convoked at least twice a year The functions of the Pothuyogam The Pothuyogam is to be convoked to decide upon the modality of conducting the Parish Feast and to elect the three members to be appointed as Trustees. The Pothuyogam should approve the Annual Budget and accounts of the Parish and the Trust. It is the right and duty of the pothuyogam to devise means of raising funds and to fix amounts of contribution by the Parishners for ordinary expenses and/ or special projects. The Pothuyogam shall also fix, if needed, a gradation of contribution on the occasion of marriage etc. according to the financial capacity of the families. It fixes Particular Statutes I 32

33 the rate of fees for the use of the Church paraphernalia and also the rate of offerings for taking devotional objects in procession. It is the right and duty of the Pothuyogam to pass resolutions regarding construction of Church, chapels and buildings for any of the Parish institutions and buying or selling or borrowing or gifting of movable or immovable properties of considerable value and importance. It is to decide on the number of the solemn celebrations of feasts in the Parish and to propose programmes for the same. It shall deliberate upon matters of importance that affect the Parish generally. 20. Disqualifications For The Members of The Pothuyogam The following persons shall not be entitled to become members of any of the meetings of the Pothuyogam (Cfr. Code of particular Law of the Syro-Malabar Church, Section II, Nos ) Those who stand publicly against the faith and teachings of the Church; Those who are under ecclesiastical censure; Public sinners; Persons convicted of offenses involving moral turpitude until reformed and certified by the Parish Priest; Persons who have defaulted annual paschal duties; Persons who are unsound mind, willful defaulters of Church laws and known drunkards or those under intoxication shall not be permitted to participate in the meetings of the pothuyogam and Pratinidhiyogam. 33 I Particular Statutes

34 21. Election of Three Trustees by the Pothuyogam It is always preferable and desirable to nominate three suitable and eligible representatives to the Board of Trustees by the majority of the members of the Pothuyogam to avoid election process, failing which the election is to be conducted in the following manner: The election is to be conducted after having announced it on two consecutive Sundays in the Parish Church during the Divine Liturgy. The Election is to be conducted according to CCEO cc It means in nutshell, that the election be conducted by secret ballot and the absolute majority is needed for one to be elected and if nobody gets absolute majority in the first and second ballot, relative majority is sufficient in the third ballot. Pothuyogam means a body of all the Heads of the families in the Parish. The husband and wife can mutually agree who is to represent the family in the Pothuyogam on a stable basis and that has to be communicated to the Parish Priest in writing. If the Head of the Family is permanently disabled to attend such meetings, he/she can nominate another senior member of his/her family who is not below the age of 21 years to attend such meetings on behalf of the family. Any such nomination shall be communicated in writing to the Parish Priest 7 days in advance. Particular Statutes I 34

35 The members of the Pothuyogam are Parish Priest, Assistant Parish Priests, Superiors of the houses of the Institutes of consecrated life, Trustees of the year, and the heads/ representatives of every family registered in the Parish and having a Family register and having made the up-to-date monthly subscription payment. However, in order to facilitate the election process, the nomination paper/s provided through the Parish office has to be submitted to the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest before 8.00 PM of the previous day of the election either by the candidate or his/her proposer. If it is submitted through his/her proposer, the consent of the candidate in writing is necessarily required. The Parish Priest shall scrutinize the nomination papers together with the Assistant Parish Priests. During the Pothuyogam the proposed names will be announced by the Parish Priest and they will be introduced to the Electoral College. If the candidate is absent during the election process, it must be reported to the Parish Psriest/Managing Trustee in advance by the candidate and the condonation of absence shall be purely at the discretion and determination of the Managing Trustee/Parish Priest. Each member of the Electoral College, which consists of the head of each registered family of the Parish, may write three names in the ballot. There is no quorum required for the Pothuyogam. Those who get above fifty per cent of the votes of the members present will be declared elected by the Parish 35 I Particular Statutes

36 Priest. One of the existing Trustees will act as the Secretary during the election process and two other Trustees will act as the tellers. 22. Parish Council In the administration and governance of the Parish, two bodies, namely, the Parish Council and the Pothuyogam help the Parish Priests and the Trustees. Parish Council means a body consisting of those elected by the Pothuyogam or by the heads of families in the ward/family unit meetings and others duly elected or nominated or posted ex-officio as members and approved by the Parish Priest. It is a policy making body of the parish Church. All decisions by the parish council within its competence shall have the same force as the decisions of the Pothuyogam. Parish Council consists of the Parish Priest, the Assistant Parish Priests, the Trustees, the Ward Councillors, the Superiors of Religious houses in the Parish, the two representatives of every Association/Organisation of the Parish, the Principal and the Secretary of the Sunday School and members nominated by the Parish Priest. The Associations of the Parish are represented in the Parish Council by their respective President and Secretary or their delegates. The Parish Council is to be convened once a month and the monthly accounts of the Parish and the Trust are to be presented there. Matters of special importance related to the Parish and Trust Activities are to be presented in the Parish Council. Particular Statutes I 36

37 23. Ward Councillors The Parish is divided into various Wards and each ward shall have at least one councillor for every fifteen families. Any change in the boundaries of the Wards or the creation of new Wards is to be done by the Parish Priest after having consulted the Parish Council. However, there shall be a minimum of three councillors from every ward of which one shall be a female councillor. The Ward Councillors are elected on the Annual Day of the Ward or any other appointed day, but before 31st of March by the members of the Ward and their names are to be confirmed by the Parish Priest. Parish Priest may nominate a member of the Ward as the Co-ordinator of the Ward after having consulted the Priest-in-charge/ Brother-incharge of the Ward. One of the Ward Councillors shall be nominated as the Secretary and one shall be the Treasurer of the Ward by the Councillors. Each Ward Councillor is to be assigned a particular territory of the Ward or a particular number of families, though there should be a collective responsibility among the Ward Councillors. There shall be at least two Youth Councillors in every Ward of which one shall be a Female and those shall be elected on the Ward day. However, they will not be part of the Parish Council, though they may be invited to the Parish Council Meetings. 37 I Particular Statutes

38 The Ward Councillors must be deep rooted in faith, service minded and socially acceptable and shall attend the Parish Council meetings without fail The rights and duties of the Ward Councillors: a) Maintain reports and general accounts of the ward and ascertain that they are approved in the ward meeting and submit to the Parish Priest within Six months of the year b) Arrange prayer meeting at least once in a month in the ward. c) Arrange ten days Rosary in October. d) Arrange carol in December. e) Arrange ward day. f) Co-ordinate Parish Feast and Ambu-Procession. g) Arrange Onam celebration. h) Inform the ward members about any important message or information announced during Sunday Holy Mass. i) Collect details of sick people in the ward and any death must be informed to the Parish Priest. j) Co-ordinate the participants for all retreats, Seminars and Festivities organized by the Parish. Particular Statutes I 38

39 k) Distribution of Santhome Messenger, Calendar and Christmas card in each house. l) Remind monthly subscription charges. m) Formulate year plan for the ward. n) Collect details of newly arrived families and youth o) Arrange ward outing in consultation with the Priest-in-charge of the ward. p) Report to Parish Priest if any special award or recognition received by any ward members. q) Arrange for the allotted Sunday Holy Mass offertory at 7 am once in a year. r) Arrange Krupalaya visit once in a year. s) Collect blood donation list from the ward. t) Inform the Parish Priest about any family issues, faith Problems, financial crisis etc. in the ward. All the particular accounts such as the accounts of stalls during Church feast, Carol accounts, Ambu accounts and / or any other accounts must be presented in the ward meeting by the treasurer and the approved accounts must be submitted to the Parish Priest within one month. Any extra-ordinary fund collection shall be done only with the prior approval of the Priest-in-charge of the Ward and after having consulted the Parish Priest. The list of 39 I Particular Statutes

40 regular absentees from the Ward prayer meetings must be submitted to the Parish Priest. Travelling allowance to Brothers, Sisters and in-charge Priest should be paid by the respective ward whenever and wherever it is necessary. An appraisal report of each family in the ward in the prescribed format by the Ward Councillors must be submitted to the Parish Priest once in a year. Any recommendation for admission, or education scholarship, the request letter must be signed and forwarded by the Ward Councillor. 24. Associations The Associations of the Parish are non profit organizations working for the welfare of the people of the Parish and the needy in and around the Parish. Every Association shall function under the directorship of one of the Parish Priests, and one of the Trustees shall also closely associate with each Association so that there is a co-ordination of activities of the Parish and the Trust and that there shall be no conflicts in their functioning. Each Association shall have a President, secretary, Treasurer and executive committee. Each Association has to submit the periodic accounts to the Director and annual accounts to the Internal Auditor. An account book of the Association is to be maintained by the treasurer and the accounts are to be presented in the regular meetings of the Association and it must be submitted to the Parish Priest within one month without fail. The funds of Particular Statutes I 40

41 the Associations shall be used according to the stated goal and purpose of the Association or for the activities of the Parish or the Trust. However, there can be an annual tour of the members of the Association for which a sum of up to Rs. 5000/- or an amount fixed in consultation with the Director and approval of the Parish Priest, can be taken from the fund of the Association and the rest of the amount shall be borne by the participants of the tour. For every individual fund raising activity of the Association, the prior permission of the Parish Priest is needed and within a month after the activity, the special detailed account of it shall be submitted to the Parish Priest through the Director of the Association. All decisions of the Associations have to be approved by the concerned Director-in-Charge. All major decisions have to be approved by the Parish Priest only. 25. Administration of the Temporalities of the Parish Church The administration of the finance and other temporalities of the Parish is to be done by the Parish Priest and the Trustees with mutual understanding. The Nadathukaikkaran and the Parish Priest shall maintain Bills, Vouchers and Receipts regarding income and expenditure relating to the matters they have dealt with. The accounts of the Parish shall be maintained on the basis of such bills, vouchers and receipts. The Trustees shall make available the accounts as and when 41 I Particular Statutes