Statutes of UVJ

Una Voce Japan  (pdf  docx)

Statutes

PART A: AIMS AND COMPOSITION OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 1: Aims of the Association.

1. The association is named Una Voce Japan. The association aims at safeguarding the rich liturgical heritage of the Catholic Church and promoting its use in the sacramental life of the Church in Japan. This does in full obedience to the Magisterium of the Church and to the local ordinaries.
2. The association determines Saint Joseph (Feast, March 19) and the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan (Feast, February 5) as Patron saints.

Article 2: Aims of the Una Voce movement.

1: To work as a lay Catholic movement for an organic restoration of the Liturgy in conformity with its nature and with the Latin tradition.
2: To ensure that the traditional Roman Catholic Mass as codified in the Missale Romanum edited by Pope John XXIII in 1962 is maintained both in practice and in law as one of the forms of Eucharistic celebration, which are recognized and honoured, in universal liturgical life.
3: To obtain freedom of use for all Roman liturgical books (Missale, ceremony books, breviary, Liber Usualis, etc.) enshrining previous liturgical disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition.
4: To safeguard and promote the use of Latin, Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony in the Roman Catholic Church.
5: To encourage the establishment of Confraria in which the liturgical books used in 1962 are employed.
6: To serve the Church by helping the members of the movement and through their apostolate all the Christifideles better to understand and more fully participate in the Catholic liturgy as a sacred action.

Article 3: Duration of the Association.

1. Una Voce Japan was founded on 8th March 2011, and duration is unlimited.

Article 4: Seat of the Association.

1. The office of Una Voce Japan is located at the Chairman’s house in Japan.

Article 5: Members of the Association.

1: Admission – Una Voce Japan is consisted of lay persons who belong to the Catholic churches inside Japan. The registration/join to Una Voce Japan is as follows:
a) The application for membership is to be addressed to the Chairman of the association who will place it before the members of the Committee of Directors for their vote of approval.
b) The individual or group of people concerned adhere to regulation (ecclesiastical law and this statutes).
2: Withdrawal from the Association – Membership of the association lapses:
a) upon resignation addressed to the Chairman of the association;
b) upon official expulsion by the Chairman;
c) by majority decision of the members of the Committee of Directors;
3: Procedures – Once the Committee of the association have reached a decision concerning a request for admission or expulsion it is communicated to the individual / group in question by the Chairman who is under no obligation to explain such a decision.

PART B: GOVERNANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 6: The Committee/ Board of Directors.

1: The executive of the association comprises a Committee/ Board of Directors the number of which must be at least four but may not exceed seven. The position of all Committee Members is honorary.
2: Candidates for election as Committee Members/ Directors are put forward by the members of the association. The means of selecting Committee Members is as follows:
a) Each candidate must receive the initial nomination of members.
b) Each member can vote for as many candidates as there are places on the Committee to be filled (4 ~ 7).
c) The committee Members (4~7) are elected in order with a lot of acquisition numbers of votes.
3: Committee Members/Directors are elected for a time period during the Regular General Assembly for a period of two years. Their mandates are renewable.
4: Once the Committee/ Board of Directors have been elected, member who maximum win it are elected as a Chairman by the mutual election of the elected Committee Members (one person vote). The duration of the mandate of the Chairman is equal to that of a Committee Member/ Director [i.e. two years] unless revoked by majority vote of the Committee/ Board at a special meeting called for the purpose.
5: The members of the Committee/ Board may choose amongst themselves by simple majority of votes a Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The election method applies to the method of electing the chairman. In the event of the office of the Chairman falling vacant for whatever reason the Vice-Chairman shall assume the functions of the Chairman for the remainder of his/her predecessor’s mandate.
6: The members of the Committee/Board may co-opt a Chaplain to the Committee/ Board for guidance in spiritual matters, but who would have no voting or administrative powers.

Article 7: Joint decisions.

1. Each Committee Member/ Director of the association is entitled to vote either at an official meeting or in written consultations and elections.
2. Each Committee member/ Director has one vote for each resolution.
3. With the exception of extraordinary issues defined in article 7:4, a simple majority decides all issues. In case of a tie the Chairman shall have the deciding vote.
4. The following Extraordinary issues are decided by a two-thirds majority of the Committee/ Board:
a) Admission to, or expulsion from, membership of the association;
b) Any undertaking or public statement of the association which exceeds the strict limits of the statutory limits in Article 2;
c) Any amendments to these Statutes.

Article 8: Administrative functions of Committee Members/Directors.

1. The Chairman shall call a meeting of the Committee/ Board whenever the interests of the association require it. Minutes will be maintained of each meeting or vote.
2. With the support of the Committee/ Board, the Chairman is responsible for the direction of the association (Execution of content decided by the meeting of the Committee/ Board or General Assembly). He has all powers of administration for responsibility. For all extraordinary decisions as mentioned in Article 7,4 the Chairman is required to have the opinion of the Committee/ Board.
3. If nominated, the Vice-Chairman, besides his role as member of the Committee/ Board, will stand in for the Chairman as and when required.
4. If nominated, the Treasurer controls the funds of the association under the direction and responsibility of the Chairman.
5. If nominated, the Secretary of the Committee/ Board aids the Chairman and possibly the Vice-Chairman in all material tasks concerning the administration of the association.

Article 9: The Statutory General Assembly.

1. A Regular General Assembly of all the members of Una Voce Japan is as follows:
a) The meeting starts by the prayer, and ends by the prayer.
b) It shall be held every year in the first six months of the year.
2. At every Regular General Assembly the Chairman shall present a report on the activities of the association since the preceding Regular General Assembly. This report shall include information on the association’s financial status. In addition the Regular General Assembly shall discuss and or decide any other points appearing on the agenda sent out with the convocation.
3. Every two years the Regular General Assembly carries out the election/re-election of the members of the Committee/Board
4. In addition to the Regular General Assembly the Chairman shall call an Extraordinary General Assembly whenever this is requested in writing by at least one third of the members of the association. Such a request must be accompanied by an agenda detailing matters to be submitted for discussion by the meeting.
5. The Chairman may further call an Extraordinary General Assembly whenever the interests of the association so require.
6. The General Assembly is presided over by the Chairman of the association or, if unavailable for any reason, by the Vice-Chairman.
7. The General Assembly shall elect the members in charge of the vote calculation and the minute keeper. All decisions reached by the assembly shall be recorded in Minutes jointly signed by the Committee members everyone within two months of the assembly.
8. The General Assembly can be substituted by means of it, that is discussion contents are distributed beforehand and are voted using the Internet and mailing.

PART C: INCOME OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 10: Nature of income.

1. The resources of the association are:
a) Annual membership fee decided by the statutory General Assembly;
b) Contributions, which it may receive;
c) Interest and income from the assets and stocks it may own.

Article 11: Financial administration.

1. The Treasurer who accounts to the Chairman of the Board and the General Assembly once a year controls the resources of the association, in accordance with the provisions defined separately.
2: It necessary the Committee/ Board can have the accounts checked by any expert it may nominate. During the first six months of each year the Chairman will communicate to the members the accounts for the previous year.

PART D: MISCELLANOUS

Article 12: Rights and Duties of the members of the association.

1. To keep the association informed of their activities, any member must put at its disposal for its archives, and for communication to other members of the association, a sufficient number of copies of any circular or publication they may edit.
2. To pay the annual membership fee when due.
3. To give support to any initiative, action or undertaking – taken or recommended by the association in relation to its aims.

PART E: DISSOLUTION

Article 13: Arrangements for dissolution.

1. The association can be dissolved only if not less than three quarters of the registered members approve a motion to this end either at a General Assembly or by Internet or postal vote. In this case the net assets of the association will be distributed to the registered members of the association on a pro rate basis proportionate to the membership fees paid or payable by them for the last complete calendar year.

(Revision history)
8th March 2011, enactment
15th April 2012, re-approval
15th July 2012, revision
27th April 2013, revision
21st July 2013, revision
1st June 2014, revision