Serra Clubs

Club Committees

Club Committee Structure

Each Serra Club has a Committee structure to plan and do the work of the Club. The most basic structure for a Club consists of six Standing Committees – Executive, Finance, Vocations, Membership, Programme and Communications. In addition, the President and the Board of Trustees may organise ad-hoc committees as needed.

The four Vice-Presidents serve as Chairs of their respective Standing Committees. Both the Executive and Finance Committees are made up of the Officers of the Club with the President serving as Chair of the Executive Committee and the Treasurer as Chair of the Finance Committee. Each Committee Chair may create Sub-Committees that are assigned specific tasks within the Committee area. Club Members are appointed to Committees by the President with the assistance of the Committee Chairs and other Club Officers.

A description of each Committee, its structure and composition is given below:

Club Vocations Committee

The primary responsibility of the Club Vocations Committee is to establish a comprehensive vocation programme through the joint efforts of the Bishop, Vocation Directors, Priests, Religious, Serrans and other lay persons.

The size of the Committee is determined by the nature of the job to be done. It should be small enough to facilitate good progress but both large and diverse enough to make the programmes work.

In larger Clubs, this Committee should consist of three to nine Members appointed on a rotating basis. Where it is deemed advantageous or appropriate, Sub-Committees may be appointed.

Members on the Committee should:

  • have special interests in Church Vocations
  • have the time and energy to work on Vocation projects
  • represent a variety of experiences and points of view
  • be of a variety of ages
  • have previous experience as a Club Officer, if possible

The Committee should:

  • meet monthly or as required in order to fulfil its responsibilities
  • send notices of the meeting in advance to the Committee Members along with the proposed agenda
  • keep and circulate adequate records

The Committee also works closely with the Internal Programme Committee to help Serrans to gain a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, Church vocations.

Club Membership Committee

The goals of the Membership Committee are

  • to invite new members
  • to orient and induct new members
  • to retain current members
  • to form new Clubs with the District Governor

The primary responsibility of the Club Membership Committee is to establish a comprehensive membership programme and to obtain good, active members. Because of Serra’s need and demand for regular attendance (Members are expected to attend all meetings but must attend at least 55% of meetings), some particular Committee duties are:

  • to encourage all Members to attend every Meeting, including special events;
  • with the Club Secretary, to maintain a current Club register and to keep a complete, permanent record of all membership attendance;
  • to call any Member who misses two consecutive Meetings to let the Member know he or she is missed;
  • to submit quarterly attendance reports (30th September, 31st December, 31st March and 30th June) to the Club Board of Trustees.

The Committee should comprise two to three Members for each active Sub-Committee appointed on a rotating basis.

Members of the Committee should:

  • have the time and energy to work with potential new Members, Priests, and Bishops
  • understand clearly what Serra is and be willing and able to explain Serra to others
  • be of a variety of ages
  • be interested in promoting Serra among diverse ethnic and age groups

Typical sub-committees of the Membership Committee are:

  • Search: Seek new Members and recommend them to the Board.
  • Orientation: Acquaint new Members with the history, objectives and requirements of Serra, and see that all Members are periodically re-oriented. The orientation Sub-Committee should include Serrans who understand the role of the Church in the modern world and the special part Serra must play. It is suggested that this Committee should comprise three Serrans and the Club Chaplain.
  • Induction: Plan a formal Induction Ceremony, usually at Mass, and ensure that new Members become active and are made to feel at home in the Club.
  • Reception: Create a friendly and hospitable atmosphere within the Serra Club. Sub-Committee Members are expected to:
    • greet new and old Members and provide necessary introductions.
    • introduce each new Member to older Members and assist in membership incorporation.
    • distribute, collect and store identification badges for each Meeting and social event.
    • extend Club hospitality to guests and arrange for their introduction, seating and comfort and the provision of name tags.
    • supervise physical arrangements for each Meeting including seating, tables, food services, lectern, bell and Father Serra statue and attend to storage of physical equipment.
    • procure, distribute and collect Serra guest attendance cards for mailing.
  • Attendance: Encourage new Members to attend all Meetings and assist the Club Secretary in maintaining a permanent record of attendance.
  • Health: Promptly inform Club Members of a serious illness or of the death of a Serran or family member.
  • Extension: Assist the District Governor in the formation of new Clubs.
  • Nomination: Nominate Club Members for Officer positions. The Sub-Committee should try to mix old with new wherever possible, allowing the new Members to get a feel for the Club operations from the inside and selecting Officers from those people who have done their Committee jobs well.

The Committee should:

  • meet monthly or as required in order to fulfil its responsibilities;
  • send notices in advance of the Meeting to the Committee Members along with the proposed agenda.
  • keep and circulate adequate records.

The Committee also works closely with the other Club Committees to help find the most suitable Club responsibility for each Member.

Club Programme Committee

The primary responsibility of the Club Programme Committee is to carry out the third principle of Serra, namely, “to assist its members to recognise and respond in their own lives to God’s call to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit”.

Subjects for each programme are generally developed within the Committee which is chaired by the Vice-President for Programmes. By talking to other Club Members and by reading the Catholic press, Committee Members identify subjects relevant to the times. Subjects which interest each Club Member and make them enthusiastic about the continuing education program are subjects that would receive high priority during the Committee planning process.

The size of the Committee is determined by the amount of work to be done. The Committee should be small enough to facilitate good progress but both large and diverse enough to make the programmes work.

Where it is deemed advantageous or appropriate, Sub-Committees may be appointed.

Ideally, the Committee should consist of members who are:

  • involved in Diocesan and/or Parish affairs and know many potential speaker sources
  • veteran Serrans to provide history regarding identified programmes
  • new and young Serrans to provide new insight to the Committee

The Chaplain should be an advisory member of the Committee.

The Committee should:

  • have a defined agenda of subjects to be explored
  • meet on a regular basis in order to fulfil its responsibilities
  • delegate responsibilities for Action Items to individuals or small groups of Committee Members who work on them outside of Committee Meetings
  • develop a follow-up system to ensure that the work on assigned items is satisfactorily progressing to the completion date
  • be aware of District Events, Serra International requirements and outside-sponsored events
  • be aware of the financial impact of all programmes and communicate budgetary needs to the Club President, Treasurer and Board of Trustees for budgeting and ultimate approval
  • send notices of the meeting in advance to the Committee Members along with the proposed agenda
  • keep and circulate adequate records

The Committee also works closely with the Vocations Committee so that vocations activities and internal programmes fully support each other and fulfil the three objectives of Serra.

Club Communications Committee

The primary responsibility of the Club Communications Committee is to establish a comprehensive communications programme and to facilitate good communications on Club, District, and International levels.

The size of the Committee is determined by the number and types of jobs to be done. There are specific responsibilities, such as producing a Newsletter, that may require a separate Sub-Committee with its own Board or Chair.

In general, the Committee should consist of a sufficient number of Members to accomplish the stated objectives. It is suggested that all Committee Members be appointed on a rotating basis. Where it is deemed advantageous or appropriate, sub-committees may be established.

Members on the Committee should:

  • have special interests in public relations
  • have the time and energy to work on press releases, newsletters, or generating publicity
  • if possible, have previous experience in public relations, journalism or advertising.

The Committee should:

  • meet monthly or as required in order to fulfil its responsibilities
  • send notices of the Meeting in advance to the Committee Members along with the proposed agenda
  • keep and circulate adequate records

The Committee works closely with the other Club Committees to gather ideas and information that can be used in public relations efforts.

Ad-Hoc Committees

From time to time, a President may appoint a Temporary Committee to perform a certain function. Typical ad-hoc committees are:

  • a Conference/Convention Committee, responsible for:
    • promoting District Conferences, Leadership Conferences and National Conventions
    • obtaining materials on registration and accommodation
    • co-ordinating transportation (car pools, airline/train schedules)
  • a By-Laws and Constitution Committee, responsible for:
    • reviewing any proposed deletions, additions, or amendments to the local Club By-Laws or the By-Laws and Constitution of Serra International
    • reporting the Committee’s recommendations to the Club Board of Trustees