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History of the FDLC Constitution and Bylaws

The Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) is a national organization composed principally of the diocesan liturgical commissions, and/or their equivalent offices and/or structures having the purpose of promoting the liturgical apostolate of the Catholic Church in the United States of America.

Formed by the BCL

In 1966 and 1967, The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy hosted meetings of the Chairs and Secretaries of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions in conjunction with the Liturgical Weeks of the Liturgical Conference. These meetings sought to achieve some coordination of efforts.

In October, 1968, the BCL convoked a meeting of Diocesan Liturgical Commission personnel in Chicago in order to prepare for the implementation of the Ordo Missae. In conjunction with this meeting, there was a session for Chairs and Secretaries as there had been in previous years at the Liturgical Weeks. At this particular session a resolution was passed which called for the creation of an Advisory Committee to the BCL. The advisory Committee was to be made up of members elected by the chairs and secretaries of the commissions from the twelve episcopal regions of the United States.

The BCL Secretariat conducted an election by mail, soliciting nominations in April 1969. One contribution of the BCL was the recommendation that, leaving the “exact name and character” of the projected body to the charter group, it should be “tentatively considered a federation of diocesan commissions.” “It is hoped,” said the BCL, “that [in addition to the exchange of information among the commissions themselves and the holding of regional meetings] the federation would be able to present informal proposals to the Bishops’ Committee and to be a source of information to the Committee.”

The purposes of the FDLC would develop and be refined, but the basic conception—not invented by the BCL but fostered by it— was clearly a distinct body, serving the commissions but equally prepared to submit its corporate recommendations to the BCL, a meld of subsidiary and collegial relationships.

Formation of the Federation

During 1969, the Advisory Committee became a Federation of Commissions. In February, 1969, the BCL Secretariat conducted an election among the Chairs and Secretaries of the Liturgical Commissions in the United States. Twenty-four representatives  (two per region) were selected and they met for the first time in conjunction with the 1969 National Meeting of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions in Pittsburgh. These twenty-four representatives became the Charter Members of the Board of Directors.

At a meeting in El Paso, Texas, in January, 1970, the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC) was formally established and a Constitution and Bylaws were adopted, patterned upon the Southwest Liturgical Conference. At this same meeting the first officers of the FDLC were elected.

Self-Study Project in 1976

In the years between 1970 and the beginning of the Self-Study Project in 1976, the Constitution and Bylaws remained basically unchanged. By 1976, however, the development of offices of worship and the appointment of full-time academically qualified persons to staff them led to the realization that substantial modification in the Constitution and Bylaws might be needed. Some changes were undertaken in 1976, but a complete revision was judged premature. During 1977, a substantial turnover in Board membership led to a desire for a study of the structure of the Board and the role of its members both as Board Members and as Regional Representatives.

The 1978 Self Study

In January, 1978, the Board decided that a full-scale self-study was needed. A professional consultant was retained to facilitate an intensive day-and-a-half session at the June, 1978, Board Meeting. After that meeting an ad hoc Self-Study Committee refined the results and produced a Self-Study Report. This report called for the restructuring of the style and method of the Board Meetings and charted a future direction for the FDLC in terms of “regionalism.”  The members of the Board were seen to have specific responsibilities both as Board Members and as Regional Representatives. The combination of these responsibilities, as they were actually fulfilled, was designed to lead to increased input to the Board and greater quantitative and qualitative grounding of FDLC action in the grassroots of the region and their constitutive dioceses.

This report was adopted “in substance” at a special meeting of the Board held prior to the beginning of the 1978 National Meeting in Panama City, Florida. It was accepted for a period of experimentation which was to conclude in June, 1980.

Prior to the June, 1980, Board Meeting, an ad hoc Evaluation Committee reviewed the period of implementation. The report of this ad hoc Evaluation Committee was adopted by the Board at its June, 1980 meeting and provided the basis for a number of modifications in the Constitution and Bylaws which were accepted at that same meeting and passed in final form at a special Board meeting held in conjunction with the 1980 National Meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho.

In June 1980 the Board of Directors voted to move the FDLC National Office to the Washington, DC, in order to provide better access to, and communication with, the BCL and other official Church bodies. The National Office moved to Washington in September, 1980.

The most tangible result of the increased cooperation with the BCL was seen in the publication of a major study of the Eucharist, entitled The Mystery of Faith. The entire organization both nationally and regionally mobilized to conduct this first study and evaluation of the structure of the Eucharist in its revised form. The study took place from September, 1981 to May, 1982; the results were submitted to the BCL in September, 1982.

At the 1981 National Meeting in Milwaukee, the work of the FDLC was delineated as twofold: the work of the Federation and its publications. Dues were substantially increased to begin to cover costs of the National Office and Federation, while publications were envisaged as a separate arm, paying for themselves and providing venture capital for future liturgical projects of the Federation.

At the June 1982 Board Meeting the Diocese of Saint Maron and Byzantine Churches were invited to form an Eastern Rite “region” of FDLC. Likewise the Instituto de Liturgia Hispana was invited to participate at Board Meetings as official representatives of the Hispanic community.

The FDLC was legally incorporated in the District of Columbia on July 1, 1982. The Articles of Incorporation were derived from the FDLC Constitution. The Bylaws were approved by the Board of Directors in January, 1983.

On September 6, 1983, at a meeting held in conjunction with the 1983 National Meeting in New Orleans, the Board of Directors approved the following structural and procedural changes:

1.   The terms of Board members was lengthened to four years.

2.   The terms of the Executive Committee and all Standing Committees of the FDLC Board of Directors was set to two years.

3.      Board elections were structured so that half the Board will be elected every two years.

4.   The term of office of Board Members was set to begin in October in conjunction with the National Meeting; elections were scheduled to be conducted during the preceding spring.

5.      Executive Committee elections were scheduled to be held in October in conjunction with the National Meeting.

6.   The number of Board meetings was reduced from two full Board meetings a year to one full Board meeting early in the year, and one short Board meeting in conjunction with the National Meeting.

1993 Self Study

In 1993 the Board of Directors began a self study which lasted two years, concluding with the adoption of the Bylaws in their current form. Responding to a wide range of concerns, the Board engaged in a process begun and guided by Mr. Dennis McManus when it met in January 1993. Areas in need of re-examination were articulated and assigned to “ad hoc” task forces, addressing Fund Raising, National Process and the “Who,” “What” and “How” of the FDLC.

While studies of finances and the National Process are ongoing concerns of the Board (along with many other areas which emerged during the process) the work of the “Who,” “What” and “How” task forces was completed in the fall of 1995 with the incorporation of the task force recommendations in the revised FDLC Bylaws.

Another area addressed during the 1993 Self Study was networking. Several actions were taken by the Board to provide a more visible and effective FDLC presence. The FDLC Chair and Executive Director now attend all plenary meetings of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Executive Director convened meetings of representatives of national liturgical organizations in Washington in May, 1996, and at the subsequent annual national meetings.

Chairpersons

Executive Directors