PURPOSE AND AUTHORITY
The Finance Council of Old St. Mary’s Catholic Parish exists to assist the Pastor in the stewardship, administration, and oversight of the temporal goods of the Parish, in accordance with Canon 537 of the Code of Canon Law and the norms of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
The Council serves as a consultative and advisory body, supporting the Pastor in fulfilling his canonical responsibility for financial management. While the Pastor retains final decision-making authority, he is obligated to consult the Finance Council on significant financial matters and give due consideration to its recommendations.
The Council promotes transparency, accountability, and the financial health of the Parish in support of its mission. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of the Finance Council to share your questions, compliments, concerns, and suggestions about the stewardship of the resources of Old St. Mary’s Parish. You can email us at financecouncil@oldstmarys.com.
MEET YOUR FINANCE COUNCIL
Joe Tyler, Chair
Carol Clavadetscher
Liz Kolshak
Priscilla Mims
Matt Smith – Liaison from Parish Pastoral Council
Jim Walz – Liaison to the Buildings and Grounds Committee
Dawn Burns – Parish Business Manager (ex officio)
Shannon Carsello – School Finance Director (ex officio)
Fr. Rich Andre – Pastor
MEMBERSHIP AND TERMS
The Pastor shall appoint 5-7 members. They shall reflect the diversity of the parish and possess relevant expertise in areas such as finance, accounting, development, law, business, investment, real estate, or wealth management. Ideally a minimum of one member of the council would be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or be familiar with standard accounting practices.
Members are suggested to serve a three (3) year term which can be extended by mutual agreement of the Pastor and the appointee. Terms shall be staggered to ensure stability and new perspectives. No more than one-third of the board should turn over in a single year.
Anyone interested in serving on the Finance Council should contact the pastor directly.
DUTIES OF FINANCE COUNCIL MEMBERS
The Finance Council will meet in-person on the third or fourth Tuesday of January, April, July, and October from 6:30-8:00 pm, unless there is a conflict. They may be asked to participate in video conference calls if other issues arise between quarterly meetings. Members of the Finance Council should have the following gifts:
- A desire to support the evangelizing mission of Old St. Mary’s Catholic Parish and the Paulist Fathers.
- The ability to attend at least 75% of meetings and to review materials at least 48 hours in advance.
- The ability to consider multiple points of view simultaneously and to bring the concerns of others to the decision-making table.
- The willingness to share one’s opinion in front of the other members during meetings, especially if that opinion is different than the other members of the Council.
- The availability to contribute up to 5 hours/month outside of meeting time to help with ad hoc projects or subcommittees as the need arises.
Finance Council members are expected to be active participants in the life of the Parish, contributing regularly to the financial needs of the Parish. They must maintain discretion regarding sensitive matters and ensure that they do not have conflicts of interest.