COUNCIL

1. The Malankara Metropolitan shall constitute a Council to advise and assist him in the development and administration of the Pilgrim Centre.

2. The Council shall consist of:-

          a. The Malankara Metropolitan (President, Ex-officio)

          b. The Catholicos Designate (Assistant to the Malankara Metropolitan) (Senior Vice-President, Ex-officio)

          c. The Metropolitan of the Diocese in which the Pilgrim Centre is situated or any one Metropolitan
              of the Church appointed by the Malankara Metropolitan as the Working President.

          d. One Priest nominated by the Malankara Episcopal Synod (hereinafter referred to as the Synod)

          e. The Manager & Vicar of the Pilgrim Centre, a celibate priest appointed by the Malankara Metropolitan. (Ex-               officio)

          f. The Priest Trustee of the Church (Ex-officio)

          g. The Lay Trustee of the Church (Ex-officio)

          h. The Secretary of the Malankara Syrian Christian Association (Ex-officio)

          i. Three persons nominated by the Malankara Metropolitan from among a panel of five persons elected by               those included in the roster of parishioners whose spiritual needs are met at the St. Mary’s Church,               Thiruvithamcodu in a meeting convened and presided over by the Manager & Vicar.

          j. One priest and one layman nominated by the Malankara Syrian Christian Association Managing Committee               (hereinafter referred to as the Managing Committee)

          k. Two priests and six laymen nominated by the Malankara Metropolitan in consultation with the Working                President / Metropolitan of the Diocese in which the Pilgrim Centre is situated.

3. The term of office of a Council shall be five years. However, a Council constituted shall continue to hold office till its successor is constituted and assumes charge.

4. The Council shall meet at least once in every four months and as often as necessary.

5. The council shall have a Secretary elected by it from among its members and appointed as such by the Malankara Metropolitan. The secretary shall be elected at its first meeting of the Council since it is constituted, and the first meeting shall be convened by the President. Later meetings shall be convened by the Secretary whenever he is directed to do so by the President. The secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the minutes of the meetings and files of the Council.

6. The President, or in his absence the Senior Vice-President, or in his absence the Working President shall preside over the meetings of the Council.

7. Nine members including the President or the Senior Vice-President or the Working President, the Manager and the Secretary shall form a quorum.

8. The Council shall have power to constitute Committees or Sub-Committees for managing the developmental activities of the Pilgrim Centre and to delegate to such committees any of the powers of the Council subject to the approval of the Malankara Metropolitan.

Finance and Accounts

9. All moneys of the Pilgrim centre shall be deposited in nationalised banks in the name of “St. Thomas International Pilgrim Centre” and operated by the Malankara Metropolitan. The Malankara Metropolitan shall have power to authorize the Working President and the Manager & Vicar to jointly operate the accounts on his behalf and payments exceeding Rs.500/- shall be made by cheques. The Manager may keep with him a sum not exceeding Rs.5000/- for routine disbursements.

10. At the beginning of each financial year the Council shall prepare a budget for the year and submit it before the Synod for approval and expenses shall be met subject to the budget approved by the Synod. The budget approved by the Synod shall be placed before the Managing Committee for information.

11. The Manager shall be responsible for conducting the day to day affairs and for keeping proper accounts and registers of movable and immovable properties of the Pilgrim centre, and shall submit at each meeting of the Council a statement of income received and expenditure incurred, since the previous meeting.

12. The Managing Committee shall appoint a qualified auditor to audit the accounts of the Pilgrim Centre and the audited annual statement of income and expenditure and the balance sheet shall be submitted to the Synod for approval. The Council shall also submit to the Synod an annual report concerning the affairs of the Pilgrim Centre together with the statement of income and expenditure and balance sheet.

The audited statement of income and expenditure, the balance sheet and the annual report shall be placed before the Managing Committee for information.

RECEIPTS AND VOUCHERS

13.     (a) Receipts in the prescribed form shall be issued for all income with carbon copies.

          (b) Daily income shall be duly entered in day book and ledgers and the day book shall be closed each day and                 balances struck.

           (c) Every gift, donation or offering shall be separately receipted and accounted.

           (d) Vouchers shall be maintained for all voucher able items of expenditure.

           (e) The clearance of the offering boxes in various parts of the Pilgrim Centre and outside shall be made at                  intervals prescribed by the Council by not less than three people together from a panel that shall be                  named by the Council. Receipts shall be issued immediately to them on clearance and counting.

SPIRITUAL MINISTRATION

14. As the Centre grows, there shall be a group of monks or celibate priests, with the rule of life, resident at the Pilgrim Centre whose responsibility it will be to maintain the spiritual atmosphere in the Pilgrim Centre and to provide pastoral counseling and spiritual ministrations to the faithful who visit the Centre. The monks or the celibate priests shall be appointed by the Malankara Metropolitan.

15. The Manager of the Pilgrim Centre shall be the Vicar of St. Mary's Church and shall meet the spiritual needs of the parishioners attached to this church. A roster of the parishioners whose spiritual needs are met at this church and cemetery shall be maintained by the Vicar and no new members shall be admitted without the written approval of the Malankara Metropolitan. The parishioners as such shall have no right whatsoever over the administration of the Pilgrim Centre, its income, Church or other properties and affairs. Subject to these conditions, the parishioners shall form a parish of the Diocese in which it is situated and shall have representation like other parishes of the Diocese in the regular bodies of the Church such as the Diocesan Assembly and the Malankara Syrian Christian Association.

Miscellaneous

16. These are only interim rules subject to the provisions in the constitution of the Church and shall be superseded by a fully comprehensive set of rules, prepared and passed by the Managing Committee and Synod of the Church. The Synod may amend these rules, if found necessary.

IMPLEMENTATION

17. The above rules shall come into force by a declaration to that effect by the Malankara Metropolitan, after they are passed by the Synod.