Mission Statement
Orlagh in the City is an evolving, inclusive and welcoming Christian Community. In coming together, we share our life experience and hear, reflect and are nourished by a deeper understanding of the Word of God, and so we encounter one another in love, joy and Eucharist.
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name shall be Orlagh in the City Community
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE and ACTIVITES
The purpose of the Orlagh in the City Community is to bring together people’s experience of life with a deeper understanding of the gospel to renew them for the times in which we live.
The activities of the community are as follows;
- To gather for worship and fellowship
- To organize, deliver and participate in retreats, presentations, talks and lectures on topics of interest to the community.
- To disseminate information on topics of interest to members of the community.
- To participate in and raise funds for charitable causes as agreed by members of the community.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the community is open to anyone who wishes to join in the community’s activities and subscribe to its Mission Statement.
ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS OF THE COMMUNITY
The community will meet each Sunday morning at 10.30am for fellowship and worship as well as other occasions as agreed by the community.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEE
A committee comprising of not less than 7 members and not more than 11 shall oversee the management of the affairs of the community. Membership of the committee shall be open to regular participants of the community’s activities. Any member of the regular participants of the community may volunteer to become a member of the committee. Membership of the committee shall be for a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 48 consecutive months. A member shall give 1 months’ notice of intent to resign from the committee. A member, who has previously been a member of the committee, will become eligible to rejoin the committee after having spent a period of 6 consecutive months off the committee. When necessary the chairperson of the committee shall organize a process to fill committee vacancies. The committee will meet bi-monthly or more regularly if required. A quorum of the committee shall be half the committee members plus one. There are currently three (3) ex-officio committee members namely, John Byrne OSA, Kieran O’Mahony OSA and Bernadette Toal OSA.
ARTICLE VI: SELECTION AND ROLE OF OFFICIERS
The committee shall have three officers namely a chairperson, a secretary and a treasurer who will carry out the following functions;
Chairperson: The chairperson is responsible for the calling and chairing of committee meetings. The chairperson, in consultation with the secretary, is responsible for setting the agenda of committee meetings. In the absence of the chairperson, another committee member will chair committee meetings as decided by the committee.
The Chairperson is responsible for informing the members of the community of discussions that have taken place at committee meetings and any decisions taken by the committee regarding the community. The Chairperson will represent the community, at meetings with other third parties as required.
Any member of the committee can serve as Chairperson. The period any member of the committee can serve as Chairperson is limited to 36 consecutive months. A member, who has previously been Chairperson, will become eligible again to become Chairperson of the committee after spending a minimum of 12 consecutive months out of the position.
Secretary: The secretary is responsible for circulating the agenda of the meeting prior to any meeting of the committee. The secretary is responsible for recording the attendance at committee meetings and the minutes of the meetings. The secretary is also responsible for all correspondence in relation to the committee. The secretary will represent the committee at meetings with other third parties as required.
Any member of the committee can serve as Secretary. The maximum period any member of the committee can serve as Secretary of the committee is limited to 36 consecutive months. A member, who has previously been Secretary, will become eligible again to become Secretary of the committee after spending a minimum of 12 consecutive months out of the position.
Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for administering the financial affairs of the community. This includes the lodging of all monies into the community’s bank account. The treasurer is responsible for the paying of all community expenses out of community funds as directed by the committee. The treasurer shall report to the committee on the financial position of the community at each regular committee meeting. The treasurer will represent the committee at meetings with other third parties as required.
Any member of the committee can serve as Treasurer. The maximum period any member of the committee can serve as Treasurer is limited to 36 consecutive months. The Treasurer will then become eligible for immediate reappointment. The officer positions of Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer will be filled from the committee.
ARTICLE VII: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
An annual general meeting of the community shall be held every 12 months. The committee for the following year shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
ARTICLE VIII: FUNDING
The funding of the community is provided from the donations of the members.
Any member of the community, other than members of the committee, shall be entitled to apply to the committee for community funds in relation to a charitable cause. The maximum amount of any donation the committee can approve for any single applicant or charitable cause should not exceed €1,000 in a calendar year. The maximum amount of all donations to all charitable causes that the committee can approve shall not exceed €3,000 in a calendar year. In the event of a requirement to exceed these amounts the approval of a majority of the community is required.
An annual audit of the finances of the community shall be made by an independent person not a member of the committee.
ARTICLE IX: SUB-COMMITTEES
Sub-committees may be set up from within the community for specific tasks as decided by the committee. The treasurer must be a member of any financial sub-committee. Sub-committees will report regularly on their work to the committee.
ARTCILE X: RATIFICATION
The constitution will be ratified by two thirds of the membership of the community, present at the Annual General Meeting.
ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by any community member provided they are seconded by another community member. The support of two thirds of the membership of the community, present at a General Meeting of the community, is required to amend the constitution.
Click here to download a copy of this constitution.