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Article III. 1           Purpose

Since the FDLC is a federation of local commissions/offices of worship, its agenda is determined by the grassroots needs and priorities of its membership. Needs and priorities, however, may differ from region to region as well as from diocese to diocese. Some issues may be important everywhere, whereas others may be important in only one or a few regions or dioceses. The National Process is the means to surface, share, and discern such issues on various levels of concern. The specific purpose of the National Process is:

·        To help each diocese and region determine and clarify its own priorities and articulate those ideas and projects to which it is committed;

·        To allow the same to happen on the national level, and to commit the national resources of the FDLC to the priorities which have been discerned.

The process is intended to be collegial and deeply Christian. Priorities and statements to which people are committed are not determined in a "win-lose" fashion, but in a spirit of mutual respect and collaboration with that willingness to compromise which collaboration sometimes entails.

Article III. 2           Sources for Input

The National Process has three sources of opportunities for input:

Article III. 2.1     Diocese

Issues shared within the diocese itself;

Article III. 2.2     Region

Issues shared between dioceses at the regional level;

Article III. 2.3     Board

Issues arising from the FDLC Board and its standing committees.

Issues shared at these levels may result in the formulation of Position Statements.

Article III. 3           Formulation of Position Statements

Article III. 3.1     Nature

Position statements are a call to a particular action. They are to address only one topic in as simple a form as possible. They may be preceded by a preamble detailing the reasons for the action that is called for, but this preamble is not the subject of the voting at the business sessions. Achieving consensus on its highest priority will require discipline on the part of the members of the region. Regional concerns which do not receive the full consensus of the region may be submitted to the appropriate standing committee of the Board as a possible subject for its position statement.

Article III. 3.2     Directed Toward a Specific Group

Position statements are addressed to one of the following:

·        the FDLC Board of Directors for assignment to a standing committee (Eucharist and Liturgical Year; Prayer; Sacraments; Liturgical Arts and Music; Ministries; National Process; Executive).or to an ad hoc committee;

·        the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy;

·        diocesan liturgical commissions/offices of worship. When position statements are directed to local commissions/offices of worship, responsibility for their implementation rests completely on the local level. A positive vote by a member commission on a position statement so directed represents a pledge of commitment by this commission to implement this statement in its own diocese. No action is required of the FDLC or the BCL by such statements.

Article III. 3.3     Number

Each region may submit one position statement which should reflect a consensus of the commissions of the region after input from all the regional commissions. Regional position statements should be developed in the Spring and the completed texts forwarded to the National Process Facilitator on or before the date designated. Forms for this purpose (see page 31 “Form for Obtaining Position Statements” and page 30 “ Sample Letter Requesting Position Statements from FDLC Board Members”) should be distributed to the senior representative from each region by the National Process Facilitator early in March. The FDLC Board as a whole and its individual standing committees may also submit one position statement each.

Article III. 3.4     Alternatives

Regions may always request an FDLC standing committee to consider a particular issue as a topic for a position statement to be presented by that committee. This may be done, for example, when a concern does not receive the full consensus of a region or when a region has already formulated the one position statement to which it is entitled. Such concerns may also be brought to the hearing session which deals with resolutions of immediate concern.

Article III. 3.5     Procedures

During the winter and early spring each region is invited to formulate a position statement. The position statements (regional, from standing committees, and from the Board as a whole) are gathered together and collated by the National Process Facilitator. The Facilitator arranges these statements as well as any other statements submitted to the FDLC Board or its committees according to broad categories.

The National Process Facilitator in collaboration with the FDLC Executive Director is responsible for forwarding the texts of position statements to the primary and secondary liaison persons of all active FDLC member commissions so that their members may discuss the statements and make recommendations for voting to their representatives at the meeting.

To aid the regions in discussing the statements, the sponsoring region is requested to submit a thorough explanation of its position statement to the National Process Facilitator, to be distributed to all the regions along with the position statements in time for their adequate study and preparation. This explanation should include a statement of the context for the position statement (if possible, more detailed than the preamble), supporting theological, ecclesial and/or liturgical arguments, and a bibliography or list of references for further study.

The statements are also included in the FDLC Newsletter and in the Program Book for national meeting. The position statements as they appear in the Program Book form the official texts for the Business Sessions of the national meeting. During the meeting there will be opportunities for regional caucusing during which each region may review the position statements for purposes of clarification.

Article III. 3.6     Contact with the BCL

The BCL and FDLC, co-sponsor the National Meeting of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions. If, during their formulation, the Position Statements warrant consultation, individual regions may consult with the BCL secretariat by fax, phone or letter for suggestions or clarifications, if they so choose.

USCCB Secretariat for the Liturgy
3211 Fourth Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20017-1194
202 541 3060 (Phone)
202 541 3088 (Fax)

Copies of the formulated Position Statements are also sent to the BCL secretariat by the National Process Facilitator.

Article III. 4           Formulation of Resolutions of Executive Committee Resolutions

Article III. 4.1     Nature

Resolutions of Immediate Concern have been suspended for a 3 year period beginning at the Indianapolis National Meeting in 2002. If a person or group feels that some issue must be brought to the floor of the National Meeting and cannot wait until the following year, they may present their concern to the Executive Committee at the Executive Committee Hearing Session.  

Article III. 4.2     Process for Presenting Executive Committee Resolutions

Executive Committee Resolutions must be presented during the Executive Committee Hearing Session, which will meet prior to the first Business Session and be facilitated by the Chair of the FDLC Board of Directors. If the Executive Committee determines that the matter should be brought to the floor for a vote, it shall compose a resolution (ECR–Executive Committee Resolution) to present to the delegates for voting. Votes shall be tallied in the same manner as for position statements.

If more than three ECR's are presented, the Executive Committee will determine a method of prioritizing the resolutions and limiting the number of ECR's to three. These statements, including their preambles, will be voted upon in the usual manner after the delegates vote on all the position statements.

Article III. 5           Business Sessions

A major portion of the meeting is devoted to the business sessions of the FDLC. These sessions are part of the National Process.

Article III. 5.1     Chairperson of the Business Sessions

The Chairperson of the Business Sessions is appointed by the National Process Facilitator.

Article III. 5.2     Credentials for Voting

The following norms govern eligibility to vote:

a.     Each active (dues paying for the current year) FDLC member diocese is entitled to two voting representatives;

b.     these representatives must be members of and duly authorized by the diocese on behalf of which they vote.

Article III. 5.3     Credentials Committee

In case of any disputes concerning the voting status of a particular delegate or diocese, the National Process Facilitator, the chair of the business sessions, and the FDLC Executive Director will act as a credentials committee to resolve the issue.

Article III. 5.4     Discussion

During the business sessions there will be an adequate period of time for discussing each position statement and resolution of immediate concern. (See Article V.2.1.1 Time Allotments) During this period all participants in the meeting, unless otherwise stated in these Guidelines (see Section VI), may share their thoughts and comments on any aspect of the item under discussion. Business Sessions are concluded by the evening of the last full day of the meeting.

Article III. 5.5     Amendments

Position statements and resolutions of immediate concern may be amended according to established parliamentary procedure. All amendments will be carefully recorded so that the final wording of these statements and resolutions is accurate.

Article III. 5.6     Voting Procedure

Article III. 5.6.1                        Number of Voting Delegates

At each business session the number of voting delegates from each region will be recorded on a form provided for this purpose.

Article III. 5.6.2                        Ballots

The ballots will identify the region and contain yes, no, and abstain.

Article III. 5.6.3                        Invalid Ballots

Each delegate will indicate his or her name and diocese on the ballot. Failure to do so will invalidate the ballot.

Article III. 5.6.4                        Tallying

After the voting sessions, the results of the voting will be counted, and the total number of points received by any position statement or resolution of immediate concern will be divided by the total number of persons voting. To receive the endorsement of a meeting a position statement or Executive Committee resolution must receive 2/3 yes votes of the total yes/no votes cast. If more than 20% of the votes cast are abstentions, the position statement fails.

Article III. 5.6.5                        Challenges

Any challenge to the balloting procedure must be received by the National Process Facilitator no later than December 1 of the same year. The challenge will then be referred to the FDLC Parliamentarian for resolution. If no challenge has been received by this date, the ballots will be destroyed.

Article III. 6           Implementation

Article III. 6.1     Responsibilities of the FDLC Board

Article III. 6.1.1                        Implementation

To oversee the implementation of position statements that have received the endorsement of the meeting;

To review actions taken to fulfill a statement

To declare by a formal vote that a position statement is complete. (In the absence of this vote, a position statement remains unfinished business of the Board of Directors.)

Article III. 6.1.2                        Communication

To communicate to the membership the completion of a position statement, giving a full accounting in the FDLC Newsletter of all actions taken to fulfill the statement.

To communicate, if necessary, resolutions of immediate concern to those affected by them.

Article III. 6.2     Responsibilities of the FDLC Chair

Article III. 6.2.1                        Report

To report on the disposition of position statements from the preceding meeting as part of his or her annual report at each national meeting;

Article III. 6.3     Responsibilities of the FDLC Executive Director

Article III. 6.3.1                        Publicize

To publicize through a press release the position statements (with preambles) and Executive Committee resolutions (with preambles) that have been endorsed by the meeting;

Article III. 6.3.2                        Newsletter

To print in the FDLC Newsletter the official text of each position statements (with preambles) and Executive Committee resolutions (with preambles), together with their degrees of endorsement, which passed at the meeting.

Article III. 6.3.3                        BCL

To provide the BCL with a copy of the official text of each position statements (with preambles) and Executive Committee resolutions (with preambles), together with their degrees of endorsement, which passed at the meeting.