BY-LAWS FOR OUR LADY OF LEBANON SODALITY

Preamble

Whereas the Church of God, as set by its divine Founder, is a Community of Faith and Love constituted of member who, by Baptism, are called to Salvation through a common and concerted effort;

Whereas Vatican Council II has stressed the role of laity in the church, assigning to each one specific ministries;

Whereas the place of the woman in society and in the church is gaining every day more meaning and more importance;

and whereas Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Miami, Florida has sees the light and keeps growing, thanks to the active involvement of its women members;

ARTICLE I – NAME

• Section l. An organization of women for the Parish is hereby founded.
• Section 2. The Name of this Organization shall be: Our Lady of Lebanon Sodality.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

Section 1. The purpose of this Sodality shall be:

• To strengthen the ties of love and cooperation between all the women of the parish .
• To promote leadership for service to the Parish and to the Community.
• To foster the spiritual life in the Parish and between the members.
• To help in fund-raising activities.

ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP

• Section 1. Membership in this Sodality shall be open to all ladies actively involved, named all those ladies 21 years and over, who participate faithfully in the spiritual life of the parish and support adequately its programs. A token dues shall be determined by the Executive Board and charged to the members. Non-active parishioners should not be accepted as members.
• Section 2. All members of this organization are urged to receive frequently the Sacraments and nourish a deep devotion to the Mother of God, Our Lady of Lebanon, the Patroness of the group. To this end, the members shall share in the recitation of the Ramsho (Vespers) of the Blessed Mother, prior to every scheduled meeting.
• Section 3. Those who miss three consecutive meetings without a valid reason shall be excluded from the membership. A corteous reminder letter shall be send by the Executive Board, after the secondo absence. Other cases of ismissal shall be determined by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS AND ELECTION PROCEDURE

• Section 1. Officers of the Organization shall be: President, Vice President, Spiritual Co-ordinator, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer.
• Section 2. The Spiritual Directo, the Officers and the immediate Past President shall Constitute the Executive Board. They will appoint all the Committees that they deem necessary for the operation of the Sodality.
• Section 3. No member shall hold the same office for more than 2 consecutive years.
• Section 4. Term of office shall be for two years.
• Section 5. At the March meeting, prior to the April election meeting, the Executive Board shall appoint a committee of 3 members to act as a nominating Committee. They will present a slate of officers for the membership’s consideration. Nominations will also be accepted from the Floor, at the election meeting.
• Section 6. Election shall be by secret ballot and the candidate receiving a plurality vote shall be declared duly elected.
• Section 7. Elections shall take place bi-annually, during the month of April and Installation of officers will take place in May.

ARTICLE V- DUTIES OF OFFICERS

• Section l. The President shall preside at all general assembly meetings and at meetings of the Executive Board. She shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
• Section 2. The Vice President shall preside, in the absence of the President. Should the office of President become vacant, she will assume that office for the remainder of that term. She shall assist the President in planning the agenda and assist all committee chairpersons.
• Section 3. The Spiritual Coordinator shall work closely with the Spiritual Director. She shall prepare the recitation of the Ramsho, ;ead in prayers, coordinate the liturgical seasons with the spiritual activities of the organization.
• Section 4. Recording Secretary shall keep a full and accurate record of the work and meetings of the Organization. She shall also be responsible for keeping a complete file, in good order, pertaining to all reports and records of the Organization’s activities. She will record accurate minutes of each meeting.
• Section 5. Corresponding Secretary shall keep membership records, send out meeting notices and shall conduct the correspondence of the organization.
• Section 6. Treasurer shall handle all monies received for dues and from ways and means projects. All checks shall be co-signed by the President or Treasurer and the Pastor. Recording Secretary with the Treasurer shall compile an annual report of the events and the financial status of the organization. Copies of such reports shall be deposited in the parish files and in the files of the Maronite Chancery.
• Section 7. in the event that the office of recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Spiritual Coordinator or Treasurer should become vacant, this vacancy will be filled by an appointment of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

• Section l. The organization meetings will take place at 8:00 P.M., on the third Wednesday of each month. Special meetings could be scheduled by the President.
• Section 2. Three officers and 7 members shall constitute a quorum and is required for a regular business meeting..

ARTICLE VII – FINANCES

• Section 1. All monies accumulated by this organization is for the financial support of the church. No amount exceeding $500.00 shall be kept in the treasury, except for extraordinary reasons, for example, when the group is saving money for an expressed project. No money shall be disbursed until it has been authorized by motion and affirmative vote of the membership. Exception: Contributions may be disbursed by recommendation of the Executive Board (i.e. flowers, gift, masses, etc) without membership vote.
• Section 2. Profits realized from ways and means projects must be given to the Treasurer for deposit within 7 days after the event. It must be accompanied by a detailed financial report of income, expenditures and profit. Money may not be disbursed directly to the church or to any project. It must be deposited into the Sodality account and disbursed by check from the Treasury.

ARTICLE VIII- HUMAN AND SPIRITUAL INVOLVEMENT

• Section 1. This women’s organization, constituting the “Beating Heart” of the Parish, shall involve itself whenever and wherever Christian love urges us to be; visiting the elderly and sick, comforting the afflicted, helping the needy, showing compassion and interest in all worthy causes, particularly the ones affecting the spiritual standards of our community. A particular attention shall be focused on Lebanon and the Middle East, where the Apostolic Christianity, from which we inherited our Faith and our human values, shall be constantly cherished in our prayers and by our concrete help.