Parish Finance Council
At OLB the Parish Finance Council consists of pastoral staff and parishioners appointed by the pastor who meet on a regularly scheduled basis to create (in conjunction with the business manager) the budget for each year, to review the yearly report (developed by the business manager) to the Archdiocese, and to review the on-going fiscal status of the parish. The PFC makes a yearly report to the parish in October at the weekend Masses, and again at our semi-annual Parish Meetings.
“Because of the canonical responsibilities of the pastor and the Finance Council as described in the revised Code of Canon law, the composition of the Parish Finance Council should be in accord with Archdiocesan Policies and Canon 37 which states that the Finance Council is to assist the pastor in the stewardship of parish goods. Since the Finance Council relates to the administrative responsibilities of the pastor, it should not be part of the Parish Pastoral Council structure. An appropriate means of communication should be developed between the Parish Finance Council and the Parish Pastoral Council and this should be done so as to insure that the Parish Finance Council does not enter into areas of policy and mission which are the prerogative of the Parish Pastoral Council.” (Parish Pastoral Councils – Norms and Theological Reflections of the Archdiocese of Chicago, pp. 3-4)
Members
Fr. Tom Moran, Pastor
Dcn Peery Duderstadt
Wayne Buback
Jim Futrell
Bill Hass
Wally Kurczewski
Al Mundt – Chair
Dee Phillips
Rosalie Rodiek – Business Manager
Meeting Dates & times: quarterly and as needed
Other Information
As an Appendix to the Norms, the Archdiocese of Chicago has laid out the following specifics regarding the Parish Finance Council:
“In the administration of the temporalities of the parish, Canon 532 defines the role of the pastor as the authoritative representative of the parish. Canon 537 introduces the element of the Parish Finance Council as a mandated body having an advisory and consultative role with the pastor.
Every parish therefore is required, both by adherence to the Code of Canon law and Archdiocesan regulation, to have a parish Financed Council. An existing structure within the parish already in place may serve this role provided they are able to meet the requirements and execute the responsibilities noted below.
1) The parish Finance Council is about the life of a community of faith and as such its members should be members of that community of faith. If there is any need for pastoral discretion, that should be done by the pastor as it is in other matters.
2) Members are to be appointed by the pastor for fixed terms to be determined as the local level, and may be reappointed or terminated in this role by the pastor.
3) Members should be drawn from the parish community. This requirement maybe waived in the event of special expertise if all other conditions of membership are met. Where appropriate outside advice and counsel can be sought when specific expertise is needed.
4) Members of the Parish Finance Council should be chosen based on demonstrable skills or expertise in management and or finance.
5) Membership should consists of no less than three members, and should not include as members any person who may have a conflict of interest in view of other services, paid or unpaid, rendered to the parish, not any person related to the pastor.
6) Members of the Parish Finance Council may serve in other volunteer service roles in the parish such as others committees and boards if, in the judgment of the pastor, such a dual service will not create conflict of interest situations. The role of the Parish Finance Council should not be vitiated.
7) The pastor is obligated to consult with the Parish finance Council on the following matters, although he remains the juridic authority for final decisions:
a) any commitment of parish resources in excess of $10,000 before permission for such expenditures is requested of the Pastor Center;
b) the management of those parish funds and monies which the parish is authorized to retain and manage;
c) at the minimum, review of the Annual Budget and Annual Parish report before submission to the Pastoral Center; to the extent practical, they should be involved in the preparation of both reports, particularly the budget report;
d) the Parish Finance Council should provide assistance and review in the formulation of eh Parish report to the parish community, as required by Canon 1287.
8) Since the Parish finance Council relates to the administrative responsibilities of the pastor, it should not be art of the Parish Pastoral Council structure.
An appropriate means of communication should be developed between the parish Finance Council and the parish pastoral Council and this should be done so as to ensure that the Parrish Finance council does not enter into areas of policy and mission which are the prerogative of the of the Parish Pastoral Council.
9)The pastor in consultation with the Parish pastoral Council should develop specific guidelines for the implementation of these norms.” (Parish Pastoral Councils – Norms and Theological Reflections of the Archdiocese of Chicago, pp. 21-22)
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