Summary of Decisions Taken by the Archdiocesan Synod and Board of Trustees

Summary of the Decisions taken by the Archdiocesan Synod and Board of Trustees as a result of their meetings in Houston, TX – October 16-17, 2009

On October 16th and 17th, 2009, the regular Fall meetings of the Archdiocesan Synod and Board of Trustees were convened in Houston, Texas.

At their meeting on October 16th, the Bishops of the Archdiocesan Synod approved the following:

1. The appointment of a committee to review the current in-force Manual of Hierarchical Duties and Responsibilities and to recommend changes that will increase the effectiveness of the Manual as a tool for clearly delineating the responsibilities of the Bishops and the Metropolitan. The goal will be to present the final draft of the Manual to the Archdiocesan Synod for approval at their regular meeting in the Fall of 2010. The members of the committee are as follows:

His Grace, Bishop Joseph, Chairman

His Grace Bishop Basil

His Grace Bishop Thomas

Deacon Emile Sayegh, Chancellor

Fr. George Kevorkian

Mr. Daniel Abraham

2. The appointment of a committee to study the differences between the Archdiocesan Constitution which was approved by the General Assembly in Pittsburgh, PA on 7/16/2004 and the Archdiocesan Constitution that was approved by the Holy Synod of Antioch on 10/14/2004 and to reconcile those differences, such that a single approved version of the Archdiocesan Constitution will be in effect. The goal will be to present the reconciled Constitution for approval to the General Assembly at the 2011 Convention in Chicago. The members of the committee are as follows:

His Grace, Bishop Joseph, Chairman

Deacon Emile Sayegh, Chancellor

Fr. George Kevorkian

Mr. Daniel Abraham
At their meeting on October 16th and 17th, the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees approved the following:

1. The appointment of a committee from across the entire Archdiocese to conduct an internal audit of the finances of the Archdiocese and to produce a comprehensive report for the Board of Trustees on the findings of that audit. This action came as a result of a roll-call vote in which the Board members expressed their preference for either an internal or external audit. The roll-call vote was preceded by a significant and open discussion on the merits of both approaches. The final vote was 18 for an internal audit, 11 for an external audit, and 5 abstentions. The members of the committee are as follows:

His Grace, Bishop Antoun, Hierarchical Overseer

Mr. Salim Abboud, Chairman, Diocese of NY & Washington D.C.

Mr. Peter Dacales, Assistant Comptroller

Mr. Dan Braun, Diocese of Los Angeles

Mr. Kory Warr, Diocese of Wichita

Mr. Douglas Skaff, Diocese of Charleston/Oakland

Mr. George Darany, Diocese of Toledo

Mr. Tony Khoury, Diocese of Miami

Mr. Gregory Laham, Diocese of Worcester

2. The approval of an amended budget for Fiscal Year 2011 (which runs from 2/1/2010 through 1/31/2011). The original budget that was presented to the General Assembly at the 2009 Convention in Palm Desert reflected a significant deficit. The amended budget has been adjusted so as to balance expenditures with income.

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