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.
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Chairpersons
|
1969 to
1972 |
Rev. James D.
Shaughnessy |
|
1972 to 1975 |
Rev. Joseph L. Cunningham |
|
1975 and 1976 |
Rev. Daniel Coughlin |
|
1977 and 1978 |
Rev. W. Thomas Faucher |
|
1979 |
Rev. Gordon E. Truitt |
|
1979 |
Ms. Barbara
Minczewski |
|
1980 and 1981 |
Rev. Paul Demuth |
|
1982 and 1983 |
Sr. Janet Baxendale, S.C. |
|
1983 to 1987 |
Rev. Joseph S. McMahon |
|
1987 to 1991 |
Rev. Richard E. Ward |
|
1991 to 1993 |
Sr. Anthony Poerio, IBVM |
|
1993 to 1995 |
Rev. James P. Moroney |
|
1996 to 1999 |
Rev. Edward J. Hislop |
|
1999 to 2000 |
Rev. Kenneth J. Martin |
|
2000 - present |
Rev. John H. Burton |
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Executive
Directors
|
1974-1978 |
Rev.
Mauer Burbach, O.S.B. |
|
1978-1981 |
Rev.
Carl A. Last |
|
1981-1983 |
Rev.
Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. |
|
1983-1986 |
Mr.
Lawrence J. Johnson |
|
1986-2002 |
Rev.
Michael J. Spillane |
|
2002
to present |
|
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