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Parish boards represent interests of churchgoers
By J.D. Long-García, The Catholic Sun
March 20, 2008
When the Phoenix Diocese’s comprehensive restructuring process goes into effect later this year, civil law will recognize each parish as a non-profit corporation — complete with a board of directors.
This board, a legal requirement for all corporations, will observe corporate formalities, exercise banking authority and will be responsible for entering into contracts.
It will also accept the parish finance council’s recommendations on the purchase or sale of parish property and the annual parish budget.
Each parish board will consist of five people: the bishop, the moderator of the Curia, the pastor, and the chairpersons from the parish finance and pastoral councils.
“Those two councils are essential to parish life,” said Fr. Fred Adamson, vicar general and moderator of the Curia. “This structure really allows us to function as canon law would guide us.”
Canon law, the law of the Church, requires each parish to have a finance council. Additionally, parishes in the Phoenix Diocese are required to have a pastoral council.
“Both of those councils should be helping the pastor in the day-to-day operations of the parish,” Fr. Adamson said.
The pastoral council helps the pastor determine the mission and direction of the parish, while the finance council advises the pastor on the parish budget.
The pastor will be designated as the chairman of the board of directors and as the president of the corporation, and will exercise the same powers and duties that he currently has over the parish and over any parochial school.
The chairperson of the parish pastoral council will serve as the secretary of the parish corporation and will draft the meeting minutes.
The board of directors will get together at least once a year — probably for a brief meeting — and file a simple annual report with the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Valuable consultation
The two lay members of the board will not have a vote; their role is one of consultation.
“Consultation in the Catholic Church isn’t simply lip service,” said Fr. Chris Fraser, judicial vicar for the diocese and a canon law expert. “It’s much more meaningful and valuable in the decision-making process.”
Fr. Fraser noted how the pastoral and finance councils exemplify lay involvement in the daily operations of a parish.
“The pastor is obligated to listen to his parishioners and they are obligated to bring their concerns to him,” he said.
The consultation of the parish and finance council is invaluable to Fr. Kieran Kleczewski, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale.
“If I ignored their advice, I’d have to have my head examined,” he said. “If those groups thought I had a problem with what I’d thought to do, chances are the rest of the parish would as well.”
Fr. Kleczewski noted that canon law requires clergy to be responsible for the running of a parish, but pastors cannot do this without lay involvement.
“Every pastor is to take seriously the advice given by the parish and finance councils,” he said.
The same will hold true for the councils’ charipersons serving on the board of directors.
Fr. Richard Felt, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Mesa, also noted the value of his councils.
“It’s pretty clear from the start that they’re advisory councils. But I have to have a really good reason not to take their advice,” he explained. “They’ve been a wonderful help.”
Jerome Alterton, chairman of Holy Cross’ pastoral council, said the relationship is “pretty smooth.”
“More or less he throws everything by us to see what we think,” he said. “As far as remodeling or what programs we offer, the council has a lot to do with it.”
Fr. Patrick Mowrer, pastor of St. Francisco de Asís, said his finance council helps keep spending in check.
“The finance council truly keeps me on board with the finances, alerting me to trouble and offering great suggestions to keep us on top of things,” he said. “The parish council keeps me up to date with the feel of the parish.”
Robert Boyle, chairman of the Flagstaff parish’s finance council, said the parish incorporation plan is a good idea.
“The council is embracing its consultative role by providing the highest quality of information to be utilized at the board level in making the best possible financial decisions for the parish,” he said.
Steve Anderson, Boyle’s counterpart on the pastoral council, said the group seeks out parishioners’ perspectives.
“Our role as a ‘consultative body’ is an exciting one,” he said. “Being advisory to the pastor holds great responsibility and it’s one we take very seriously.”
The board of directors
“What’s important to recognize is that the corporate board is not the kind of board that will give direction to the parish,” Fr. Kleczewski said. “That will happen at the local level.”
The pastoral and finance councils represent the whole parish, while the chairpersons from those councils represent the councils themselves on the board of directors, Fr. Fraser explained.
“It’s not just two people,” he said. “They’re bringing the experience and expertise of a bigger group.”
The board will not replace the main consultative parish groups, such as the parish pastoral council and the parish finance council. The parish councils will continue to perform the critical tasks that they perform today.
The Phoenix Diocese took on the restructuring process so that its civil organization would match up with its canonical structure. After the diocese files articles of incorporation this summer, each of the more than 90 parishes will become its own non-profit corporation.
That change reflects canon law, which recognizes each parish as a separate juridic person.
Bruce Nordstrom, who has served the San Francisco de Asís Parish finance council for more than 10 years, is welcoming the parish incorporation.
“The restructuring process is necessary and long overdue,” he said. “These efforts result in parish autonomy, provide parishioners a voice in its destiny, and demand a better working knowledge of legal issues and canon law.”
Catherine E. Hanley in Flagstaff contributed to this story.
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