Two documents on the National Council website — What Is Expected of an Archdiocesan/Diocesan Council and What Is Expected of a District Council — clearly explain what a Council should be doing. A few key reminders are listed below. As part of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Council will:
- Accept and strive to achieve our stated missions.
- Operate within the Rule, Manual, Nationally Approved Bylaws, and Resolutions of the Society.
- Report annually on a timely basis on its activities and results.
- Take part in the larger Society by attendance at meetings and participating in Regional or National Committees when asked to do so.
- Share all best practices, processes, or procedures with other Councils whenever possible.
- Actively promote training and formation of its members.
- Develop a program of extending our work to those parishes within our Diocese that have no Conference.
- Do everything possible to strengthen the spiritual life of its members.
We thought focusing attention on these expectations at the start of a new fiscal year would be helpful.
In addition to the documents linked above, another useful areas of the website that’s worth checking out is: https://members.ssvpusa.org/information-for-members/standards-of-excellence/.
