FORMING A CUF CHAPTER

(1) Contact others in your community who desire "to support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church" and who want to work with CUF to implement this program. At least four members are required to begin a chapter. Any member may act as Chairman initially until the election of officers.

(2) Call an organizational meeting. At this meeting, those who are present vote first to organize themselves as a local chapter of CUF. They then adopt the chapter bylaws, which are to be found at the end of this manual. Then the members elect the following officers:
Chairman • Vice-chairman • Secretary • Treasurer
If convenient, one person may occupy more than one office. Upon his election the Chairman takes over the conduct of the meeting.

It is most helpful for a chapter to have a spiritual advisor. This could be a bishop, priest, deacon, or religious. However, having a priest fill this role provides the chapter with someone who can give spiritual direction, hear Confessions, and offer Masses for the chapter. While it is not necessary to have a spiritual advisor, it is highly encouraged. You may want to discuss this with those helping to organize the chapter. Selecting the right person can greatly enhance the spiritual growth of chapter members.

(3) Decide which activity(ies) should most engage your local efforts. It is always very helpful to have specific programs tailored to the varied challenges to faith experienced in your locality and approached in terms of a practical assessment of your capabilities in meeting them.

(4) After identifying critical areas and evaluating your talents, draw up a general statement of your objectives and send it to CUF headquarters along with your application.

(5) Establish a permanent mailing address. You can use the address of a member of your committee or rent a post office box at a nominal charge.

(6) Try to offer your prospective members something to do immediately following the first meeting. This "something to do" will follow easily from your overall program and the reasons which prompted your coming into being.

(7) At your first meeting, select a chapter name. Also at your first meeting, arrange a monthly Mass at your parish for the purpose of begging God's special blessing upon our Holy Father and praying that his intentions may be fulfilled
CUF must require that all members of a local CUF chapter be members of our international organization. This means that contributions are to be paid to CUF directly or through the local chapter.
CUF asks a fixed, minimum amount for the annual membership contribution. However, average annual contributions must be considerably larger than the fixed amount in order to meet basic operating, legal, accounting, and other costs. Therefore, we implore those who can afford it to give much more generously.

(8) Send your completed chapter application to CUF headquarters. This will include the proposed chapter name as well as the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all chapter founding members. If in the judgment of CUF headquarters a group applying meets the requirements, a chapter charter will be granted to it in writing. It remains a chapter in good standing so long as the charter is not revoked. Once chartered, the first act of a chapter should be the Consecration to the Sacred Heart and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is found in the back of this booklet.