We are blessed to be served by a number of leadership councils at St. Columba who assist our priests and staff with the operations of the church.
The Parish Council is a group of involved parishioners whose purpose is to assist the pastor with a variety of matters that affect the parish. They provide a sounding board for the pastor as they have a good sense of the sentiment of the parishioners. The matters that come before the Parish Council could be business matters or parish ministry matters where the pastor seeks input. Council members also bring their ideas and concerns to the table for discussion.
The Parish Council’s members serve a three year term. Terms are rotated so that the Parish Council turns over 1/3 of their membership annually. Once a year, parishioners are asked to nominate individuals for consideration to become members of the council. Nominated parishioners are then selected by lot. In addition to adult members, the council also has two teen members (high school age), who are nominated and selected in the same manner as the adults. Teen members serve a one year term. The nominating process occurs in the spring months.
The members of the council elect the council leaders (president, secretary etc.).
The parish is required to have a finance council. The members of the Finance Council are appointed by the pastor and includes members with business and financial expertise. Parish Trustees are automatically members of the Finance Council.
The Finance Council assists with formulating and approving the parish’s annual budget, evaluates periodic financial reports and provides the pastor with insights and recommendations on a variety of financial matters. St. Columba’s Finance Council is very active and meets quarterly or as needed if more frequent meetings are needed. The council receives updates on the status of any task assignments made during regular meetings.
St. Columba Parish is a legal entity with the Archbishop (Cardinal Dolan), the Vicar General (Msgr. LaMorte), and the Pastor (Fr. Michael) serving as officers. Each parish appoints two lay trustees who are parishioners in good standing. St. Columba’s trustees serve for three years and are a part of the parish’s governance structure. Trustees serve in a fiduciary capacity providing management and financial oversight. Trustees are automatically members of the Finance Council. Approval of the parish’s annual financial report is one of the requirements of the parish trustees. Trustees are selected by the pastor and are subject to approval by the Archdiocese of New York.
St. Columba’s Trustees are Mary Walsh and Martin Soyka.
Our Safety and Security team consists of parishioners who are active and retired law enforcement personnel who volunteer to keep the parish safe during Mass and events. They meet regularly for training and are present at Masses and many events.