1. Membership
a. The Association, founded in 1993, is composed of priests, deacons, professed religious, and candidates for the religious vocation who are actively involved in the Eastern Catholic Churches of Southern California.
b. Priests serving with bi-ritual faculties, professed religious, and diocesan liaisons representing Roman Catholic bishops of Southern California are also active in the association.
2. The Association shall normally meet five times per year.
3. Officers
a. The election of officers is to occur at the first meeting of every even-numbered calendar year. Members are eligible for selection after a period of one year in the Association.
b. There shall be three elected officials, namely, a chairman, a secretary, and a treasurer.
c. Each officer shall be elected to a term of office of two years.
d. No member shall serve in the same office for more than two successive terms.
e. The nominations and elections shall be conducted by the incumbent treasurer at the time of the nominations.
4. Membership dues shall be $25 per year, due at the first meeting of the calendar year.
5. The Bylaws of the Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association of Southern California may be changed by a simple majority vote of the members attending the meeting during which a vote is taken.
6. Mission Statement
We, the members of the Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association of Southern California, come together for fellowship and moral support. We also seek to share ideas and greater fraternity among our own parishes. In so doing, we hope to create better understanding and appreciation of Eastern Catholic Churches by the clergy and faithful of the Roman (Latin) Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches, and other ecclesial communities.
7. Vision Statement
Among the chief aims of the Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association are these:
a. To serve better the faithful of the Eastern Catholic communities in Southern California;
b. To promote clearer understanding and appreciation of the Eastern Catholic Churches;
c. To assist the local Roman Churches with pastoral questions concerning Eastern Catholics;
d. To promote closer working relations in ministry to the faithful among the Eastern Churches locally, and with the Roman Churches locally; and
e. To pool and to share resources among the various Eastern Catholic communities.
Our ministries are parochial, monastic, and educational. Owing to the circumstances of our people, often widely dispersed geographically and sometimes long separated from their traditional Churches, much of the Association’s apostolic endeavor might well be termed “missionary.”
8. Contact
The Association may be contacted through its address on the world wide web: www.ecpasocal.org.
It may also be contacted at the address of the Chairman (see previous page).
Financial statements are addressed to the parish or home of the Treasurer.