1. |
Name
The
name of the Commission is the Diocese of Southwark Liturgy Commission.
In this Constitution it shall be referred to as ‘the Commission’.
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2. |
Status
The Commission is responsible to the Archbishop for the promotion of the liturgy [1] and other acts of public worship.
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3. |
Object
The object of the Commission
is:
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[a] |
to inform itself about the
practice of the liturgy in the Diocese [2];
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[b] |
to inform itself of the
proposals of the competent authorities in liturgical
matters and to help put these into effect in the Diocese,
under the direction of the Archbishop [3];
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[c] |
to inform itself of what is
being said and done in liturgical matters in other
dioceses in this country and in other parts of the
world;
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[d] |
to make recommendations to
the Archbishop, and to the Departments and Committees of
the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales on matters
within its competence;
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[e] |
to suggest and promote,
under the direction of the Archbishop, practical schemes
to further the liturgical movement, especially to assist
priests and parish liturgy committees in their work of
planning and executing liturgical celebrations and of
liturgical formation [4];
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[f] |
to suggest steps for a
pastoral liturgical programme within the Diocese and to
provide or give advice about the persons, resources and
materials available to put such a programme into effect
[5];
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[g] |
to co-operate with other
Commissions, diocesan agencies and associations in the
promotion of joint projects to ensure that Diocesan
schemes for the promotion of the liturgy have the
goodwill and co-operation of all concerned [6];
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[h] |
to advise the Archbishop on
the building, decoration and furnishing of churches and
the adaptation of existing ones according to the norms
laid down in the relevant liturgical documents;
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[i] |
under the direction of the
Archbishop to further studies and necessary experiments
in the case of adaptations in liturgical rites to be
submitted to the Apostolic See [7] and to carry out such
consultations as requested by the Departments and
Committees of the Bishops' Conference;
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[j] |
to give assistance when
requested in the planning of Diocesan liturgical
celebrations.
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4. |
Membership and Officers of
the Commission
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[a] |
The Archbishop shall be the
President of the Commission.
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[b] |
The Archbishop shall appoint
the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and members of the
Commission.
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[c] |
The
Chairman shall nominate to the Archbishop for appointment to the
Commission the Chairmen of the Committees of the Commission, and other
such persons as he shall decide to nominate. In the case of the
Liturgical Formation Committee, this will include its Chairman and up
to two other members.
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[d] |
The
Cathedral Dean, the Diocesan Master of Ceremonies and the Director of
the Centre for Catholic Formation shall be ‘ex-officio’ members of the
Commission.
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[e] |
When the Chairman of a
Committee cannot or does not wish to attend regularly or
attends in some other capacity he should nominate
through the Chairman another member of the Committee to
be appointed by the Archbishop to represent the
Committee on the Commission.
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[f] |
The Commission shall select
both its Secretary and its Treasurer and, if not already
members, the Chairman of the Commission shall nominate
them to the Archbishop for appointment to the
Commission.
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5. |
Officers' duties
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[a] |
The duties of the Chairman
shall be to:
- preside when it is
possible for him to do so over all meetings of the
Commission and to sign all minutes approved by the
Commission as a true record of its proceedings;
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- ensure that the
Committee responsible puts into effect such
resolutions as the Commission may require;
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- provide a link
between the Archbishop and the Commission and to
submit its recommendations to him;
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- undertake any other
duty that the nature and scope of his office may
require.
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[b] |
The duties of the
Vice-Chairman shall be to:
- support, assist and
represent the Chairman in such ways as the Chairman
and Vice-Chairman shall mutually arrange;
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- preside at
Commission meetings in the absence of the Chairman;
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- undertake any other
duty as the nature and scope of his office may
require.
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[c] |
The duties of the Secretary
shall be to:
- draw up the agenda
of the Commission meeting in consultation with the
Chairman;
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- call Commission
meetings on the instruction of the Archbishop, the
Chairman of the Commission or at the written request
of four members of the Commission;
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- give Commission
members at least 14 days notice of any meetings so
called;
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- act as a point of
contact for correspondence;
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- attend all meetings
of the Commission and keep a record of the
proceedings;
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- submit minutes of
all Commission meetings to the Archbishop and to all
members of the Commission;
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- submit proposals
received from parish liturgy committees to the
Commission for consideration;
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- undertake any other
duty that the nature and scope of his office may
require.
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[d] |
The duties of the Treasurer
shall be to:
- receive all monies
paid to the Commission;
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- enter all accounts
into the books of the Commission;
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- give up all books,
documents and money to his successor on his
departure from office;
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- present to all
members at the first Commission meeting each year a
statement of accounts for the financial year and a
balance sheet as at 31st December of the preceding
year.
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[e] |
The Vice-Chairman, Secretary
or Treasurer may be removed from office at any time by
the Chairman in consultation with the Archbishop.
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6. |
Meetings
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[a] |
The Commission shall meet at
least four times a year.
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[b] |
Special meetings of the
Commission may be called by the Archbishop, by the
Chairman or at the written request to the Secretary of
four members of the Commission. Fourteen days clear
notice of such meetings shall be given to all members.
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[c] |
The agenda for meetings
shall be drawn up by the Secretary in consultation with
the Chairman.
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[d] |
The quorum for meetings of
the Commission shall be one third of the members.
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[e] |
Any motion duly proposed and
seconded shall be decided by a simple majority of those
members present and voting.
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[f] |
If necessary the Chairman
shall have a casting vote in addition to his
deliberative vote.
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[g] |
Any member who does not
attend four consecutive meetings of the Commission of
which he has been given prior notice and has not given
an acceptable apology for absence shall be deemed to
have resigned. Such a member shall, however, remain
eligible for re-appointment.
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7. |
Committees of the
Commission
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[a] |
The work of the Commission
shall normally be carried out by the following
Committees:- Liturgical Formation
- Music
- Art and Architecture
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[b] |
Membership of the Committee
shall be open to all members of the Commission. Officers
of the Commission shall be ex-officio members of all
Committees.
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[c] |
Each Committee shall appoint
its own Chairman, subject to the approval of the
Chairman of the Commission, and appoint its own members.
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[d] |
Each Committee shall
regulate its procedure and work
to
the the terms of
reference of the Committee as approved by the
Commission.
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[e] |
The Commission may institute
additional committees to deal with other aspects of its
work for a specific purpose or
for
a specific period of
time.
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[f] |
The Committee shall have no
power to make executive decisions but shall submit their
recommendations in writing to the Secretary of the
Commission except in so far as powers are specifically
delegated to a Committee.
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9. |
Amendments
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Amendments to this
Constitution, duly proposed and seconded, shall be
carried by a two-thirds majority of those members
present and voting at a meeting of the Commission, the
notice of which shall have contained clear details of
the proposed amendment.
Fourteen days notice of such
amendments must be given by the Secretary to all members
of the Commission. Any such amendments so passed shall
be subject to the approval of the Archbishop.
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Footnotes
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[1] |
Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy, 'Sacrosanctum Concilium', No 45 |
[2] |
Instruction on the
Constitution 47a |
[3] |
Instruction on the
Constitution 47b |
[4] |
Instruction on the
Constitution 47c |
[5] |
Instruction on the
Constitution 47d |
[6] |
Instruction on the
Constitution 47e and 45e |
[7] |
Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy, 'Sacrosanctum Concilium', No 44 |
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Approved by the Most Reverend Peter Smith Archbishop of Southwark November 2015 |