RPC Charter

Charter for the Regional Pastoral Councils

Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Revised May 17, 2018  FINAL

Article 1 | Introduction

Archbishop Gomez and the Regional Bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles recognize and reiterate the importance and need for Regional Pastoral Councils.  

 “ It is greatly desired that in each diocese a pastoral commission will be established over which the diocesan bishop himself will preside and in which specially chosen clergy, religious and laypeople will participate. The duty of this commission will be to investigate and weigh pastoral undertakings and to formulate practical conclusions regarding them.”  (Christus Dominus 27)

We adopt this Charter for use by all of the Regional Pastoral Councils functioning within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Through these Councils, we specifically acknowledge the role of the clergy, religious, and laity and the “requirement to exercise all ministry in a more communal and collaborative fashion.”   (As I Have Done For You, p. 16)

The Church proclaims that all the faithful are free to make known their needs—especially their spiritual needs—and wishes to the pastors of the Church. (Canon 212, §2)  The faithful have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence, and position to manifest to their pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. (Canon 212, §3).

Therefore, each Regional Pastoral Council will work in dialogue with its Regional Bishop for the good of the Church as a whole, assisting him in his role as a sign of unity.

Article II | Purpose

The purpose of a Regional Pastoral Council is to:

  1. “Help the Bishops investigate any of those things which pertain to pastoral works, reflect upon them, and to propose practical conclusions about them.”   (Canon 511);
  2. Assist the Regional Bishop in other matters he may choose to bring before them.

Article III | Function

The Regional Pastoral Council’s mission is to complement the ministry of the Regional Bishop in a consultative role. At times, the Bishop may ask the Council to serve him in an advisory role on a particular matter. In conducting its own internal affairs, each Council functions in a deliberative manner.

“The pastoral council, therefore, can give the bishop great help by presenting him with proposals and suggestions – regarding missionary, catechetical and apostolic undertakings within the diocese; concerning the promotion of doctrinal formation and the sacramental life of the faithful; concerning pastoral activities to help the priests in the various social and territorial areas of the diocese; concerning public opinion on matters pertaining to the Church as it is more likely to be fostered in the present time; etc. The pastoral council can also be extremely useful for mutual communication of experiences and for proposed undertakings of various types by which the concrete needs of the people of the diocese may become clearer to the bishop and a more opportune means of pastoral action may be suggested to him.”[1]

The functions of the Regional Pastoral Council are to provide consultation to the Bishop, when requested, on matters such as:

  1. The ministry and authority of the Regional Bishop;
  2. Plans within the region;
  3. The establishment of a Pastoral Council in each parish that is representative of the parish community;
  4. Providing recommendations, arrived at by consensus, to the Regional Bishop. (See Second Vatican Council, Christus Dominus, no. 27: “It will be the function of this [pastoral] council to investigate and consider matters relating to pastoral activity and to formulate practical conclusions concerning them.” See also Code of Canon Law, Canon 212, Sections 2 and 3.)
  5. Providing Council members with continuing education and Christian formation in the areas of their responsibility, discernment practices, applicable canon law and other appropriate areas.  (See Canon 231, Section 1).
  6. Participating in relevant Archdiocesan-wide events and initiatives, including but not limited to the Inter-Regional Pastoral Council Gathering.

Article IV | Membership

Section 1 | Composition

The Regional Bishop (President) presides over the Council.

The members of the Council shall include:

  1. The Bishop’s assistant (who serves in a non-voting ex-officio capacity);
  2. Priests, one appointed or elected from each deanery;
  3. Two permanent deacons to be elected using a methodology to be determined by the Diaconate Council;
  4. Two religious appointed by the Regional Bishop in consultation with the men and women religious (brothers and sisters) of the Region;
  5. Laypersons, four per deanery, appointed or elected in consultation with the Pastors, Administrators and/or Parish Life Directors and the Parish Pastoral Councils;
  6. Up to five additional persons appointed by the Regional Bishop to ensure comprehensive representation from the region.

Section 2 | Criteria for Lay Membership


The membership of the Council shall reflect the diversity of God’s family within the region. Membership shall be balanced in terms of gender and inclusive of the demographic realities of the community, drawing upon the gifts of the faithful of various ethnicities, ages, cultures, geographical areas, “social conditions and professions, and the role which they have in the apostolate whether individually or jointly.” [2]

“As far as the composition of the pastoral council is concerned, although the members of the council cannot in a juridical sense be called representatives of the total diocesan community, nevertheless, as far as possible, they should present a witness or sign of the entire diocese, and, therefore, it seems extremely opportune that priests, religious and laity who expound various requirements and experiences take part in the council. The persons, then, appointed to the pastoral council ought to be selected in such a way that the entire composition of the People of God within the diocese is truly represented, taking into consideration the different regions, social conditions, and professions as well as the parts which individuals and associations have in the apostolate, especially those who possess noteworthy prestige and prudence.”[3]

In addition, members shall be:

  1. Individuals who, blessed with good listening and dialogue skills, have demonstrated consistent commitment to serving God and the Church;
  2. Fully-initiated Roman Catholics in good standing with the Church, outstanding in firm faith, good morals and prudence;
  3. Registered and supporting members of a parish;
  4. Active participants in the life of their parish;
  5. Committed to ongoing formation;
  6. Competent and equipped to carry out the threefold responsibility of investigating, reflecting and recommending.

Section 3 | Terms of Office

Members shall serve for a term of three years. Individuals may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. After two consecutive terms, an intervening three-year period must elapse before another term(s) is served.

Section 4 | Vacancies

The President is responsible for filling any vacancies (See Section 1).  In the event of a member unable to serve full term, the President may consult the executive committee to identify a replacement to serve the unexpired portion of the term. 



Article V | Executive Officers

The Executive Officers shall be the President, the Moderator, the Vice-Moderator, the Secretary, two Delegates-at-Large, the Immediate Past Moderator and the Bishop’s Assistant (who serves in a nonvoting ex officio capacity).  The President shall be the Regional Bishop, who is nonvoting and ex officio.

The Moderator, Vice-Moderator, and Secretary shall be nominated and elected by the Council. The election of the Executive Officers shall be held at  the meeting prior to July 1st  of each year and shall be decided by a simple majority vote.

The term of office for Executive Officers shall be one year. Any Executive Officer can be re-elected for additional terms by a vote of the Council:

  1. Candidates for Moderator shall have served at least one year on the Executive Committee, and be approved by the Bishop prior to the election;
  2. Any one of the elected officers of the Council may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of “no confidence” at any regular meeting or special meeting. A pro tem officer or officers, as appropriate, shall be appointed immediately by the President, with a formal election to be held at the next scheduled meeting. The resulting new officer(s) shall serve for the unexpired portion of their predecessor’s term.

Article VI | Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Officers

1.   The President shall:

  1. Preside at all Council meetings;
  2. Have overall responsibility for the work of the Council.

2.  The Moderator shall:

  1. Work closely with the President and the Executive Committee in the preparation of the Council agenda;
  2. Conduct all Council meetings;
  3. Serve as liaison to Council Committees;
  4. Serve on the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council as a member;
  5. Assist in planning the annual Inter-Regional Pastoral Council Gathering with the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council and encourage RPC members to attend;
  6. Report to the Regional Bishop the outcomes of meetings when the Bishop is unable to attend.

3.  The Vice-Moderator shall:

  1. Serve in the absence of the Moderator;
  2. Assist the Moderator in the carrying out of the Moderator’s responsibilities.

4.  The Secretary shall:

  1. Maintain accurate and organized records of council proceedings and any documents it may issue, and to make all these Council papers publicly available (unless they involve matters undertaken in Executive Session), also posting them on the Council Web site.  In this way, transparency and accountability will be maintained;
  2. Keep membership and attendance records and inform the Moderator when a Council member has exceeded allowable absences;
  3. Delegates-at-Large shall fill absences or needs as deemed by the President or Moderator.

Article VII | Executive Committee

Section 1 | Composition

The Executive Committee shall be composed of the:

a.         President

b.         Moderator

c.         Vice-Moderator

d.        Secretary

e.         Immediate Past Moderator

f.          Bishop’s Assistant (ex officio)

f.         Two at-large delegates elected from among the Council members for a one-year term

           elected by the Council at its last  meeting before July 1st  . The at-large delegates shall be:

i.   Voting members in all Executive Committee Meetings;

ii.   Available to assist the Moderator in any business of the Council and its Committees.

Section 2 | Duties

The Executive Committee shall:

  1. Coordinate and plan the activities of the Council;
  2. Develop the agenda for Council meetings;
  3. If necessary, select members for the Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees of the Council taking into account the interests and skills of those to be appointed;
  4. Engage in on-going evaluation of the Council and all of its Committees;
  5. Create an impartial Nominations/Elections Committee for Council elections;
  6. Follow directives of the Council regarding decisions made at meetings of the
    Council.

Article VIII | Council Meetings

Section 1 | Regular meetings

  1. Council meetings shall be held on at least a quarterly basis.
  2. A written or electronic notice stating the date, time, place, and agenda for each meeting shall be communicated to each Council member at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
  3. Ordinarily, the Council year shall be from July 1st through June 30th.

Section 2 | Special Meetings

  1. Special meetings may be called at the discretion of the Bishop or by petition (written or oral) of 25% of the membership, with the consent of the Bishop.
  2. Members shall receive written or electronic notice of such a meeting not less than 10 days before the meeting date.
  3. The notice shall specify the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting.


Article IX | Other Committees

Section 1 | Ad Hoc Committees and Task Forces

          1.      From time to time it may be necessary for ad hoc committees and task forces to be
            created.

  1. The members of ad hoc committees and task forces shall serve until their charge is completed.
  2. Council members whose terms expire must be replaced.
  3. When the members of these ad hoc committees or task forces have, in their judgment, fulfilled their mandate, they shall prepare a written report for submission to the Council.
  4. The ad hoc committee or task force shall cease to exist once their mandate has been fulfilled as recognized by the Council.
  5. Members of Sub-committees, Ad-Hoc Committees and/or Task Force members approved by the Bishop are not required to be Regional Council members.

Article X | Attendance

Section 1 | Commitment

  1. It is recognized that before accepting the nomination for election or appointment to the Council, to any committee of the Council, or to any task force, a member will understand the nature and duration of their responsibility and commitment.
  2. It is further understood that members shall attend meetings on a regular basis.

Section 2 | Absences

  1. When a member is unable to attend a meeting, the upcoming absence shall be reported to the Council Secretary.
  2. Members of committees shall contact the Chair to report upcoming absences. In the event of the second absence within a Council year, the Moderator shall contact the member. The Executive Committee shall determine whether to recommend the continuation or termination of this member of the Council to the Bishop.  The Bishop will make the final decision of continuation or termination of the member.
  3. The decision on continuation or termination shall be communicated to the member in writing by the Moderator.

Article XII | Amendments

  1. Amendments to Council procedures may be proposed by any member of any Regional Council at any regular meeting provided they have been distributed in writing to all Council members at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which they will be discussed.
  2. Discussion of the proposed amendment(s) must be initiated at the next regular meeting of the Regional Council following the amendment(s) timely submission to the Council members.
  3. Final action to approve or disapprove the proposed amendment(s) shall be taken at the next regular meeting following the conclusion of the discussion.
  4. Approval by three-fourths of the members present shall be required for the proposed amendment to be presented to the Charter Review Committee. The Region submitting the proposed amendment(s) shall be responsible for convening and hosting the Charter Review Committee meeting(s).
  5. The Charter Review Committee shall:
    1. Consider and review any proposed amendment(s);
    1. Change or modify the proposed amendment(s) as determined by a majority vote of the Committee; and
    1. Recommend approval or disapproval of any proposed amendment(s).
  6. Upon approval by a simple majority of the members of each of the Regional Pastoral Councils of any proposed amendment(s) submitted by the Charter Review Committee, the subject amendment(s) shall become effective on the first day of the month following the approval of all the Regional Councils and the Archbishop. If the proposed amendment(s) is disapproved by any of the Regional Councils, such amendment(s) shall be considered defeated, null and void.

[1] Omnes Christifideles, 1/25/73, The Congregation for the Clergy (no. 9)

[2] Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, “Private Letter on ‘Pastoral Councils'” (Omnes Christifideles, 1/25/73), reprinted in James I. O’Connor, editor, The Canon Law Digest, Vol. VII: Officially Published Documents Affecting the Code of Canon Law 1968-1972 (Chicago: Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus, 1975), pp. 280-288. Also published as “Patterns in Local Pastoral Councils,” Origins 3:12 (Sept. 13, 1973): 186-190.) 

[3] Omnes Christifideles, 1/25/73), no. 7