Last Updated: 11/27/2018
Purpose
To provide guidance regarding the role, duties, and responsibilities of Trustees of Parishes within the Archdiocese Territory.Policy
I. APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES1) While the Archbishop, Vicar General and the Pastor hold their membership on the Parish Corporate Board ex officio, the Trustees are appointed to membership by the Archbishop, Vicar General, and the Pastor. Each of the Trustees also serves as either corporate secretary or corporate treasurer.
2) To proceed with the appointment of a Trustee, the Pastor is to submit the name of a qualified lay person, along with that person’s resume and the results of a background check, to the Archbishop and Vicar General with a request for their votes for appointment. The appointment request must also indicate whether the proposed Trustee will serve as secretary or treasurer.
3) Before making a recommendation to the Archbishop and Vicar General, the Pastor must consult with the Parish Pastoral Council, the Parish Finance Council, or the Parish Upon approval of the submitted names, an appointment document will be executed by the Archbishop, Vicar General, and Pastor. The Pastor appointment document is to be preserved with the corporate Records of the Parish.
4) The term of each lay member is two years. After the expiration of a term, lay members continue in their office until their successors have been duly appointed and have commenced their duties.
5) Trustees and their Family Members may not be employees of the Parish. Trustees must be members of the Parish and should reside within the Archdiocese Territory.
6) A Pastor may not submit a request to appoint new Trustees or re-appoint existing Trustees if the Pastor expects to be reassigned from the Parish within six months.
II. ROLE OF TRUSTEES1) Trustees are fiduciaries of the Parish corporation responsible for voting on corporate resolutions regarding all Parish business.
2) Trustees must be in compliance with the Essential 3 safe environment requirements of the Archdiocese within thirty days after receiving notification of their appointment.
3) Trustees have the obligation to carry out their roles with appropriate confidentiality regarding sensitive Parish matters that come to their attention.
4) As a fiduciary, a Trustee owes the Parish corporation certain legal duties:
a) Duty of Care; which is a responsibility that requires Trustees to make decisions in good faith and in a reasonably prudent manner.
b) Duty of Loyalty; which is a Trustee’s responsibility to act at all times in the best interests of the Parish.
c) Fiduciary Duty; which means a duty of utmost good faith, trust, confidence, and candor owed by a fiduciary…to the beneficiary…; a duty to act with the highest degree of honesty and loyalty toward another person and in the best interests of the other person (Black’s Law Dictionary).
5) The Pastor should consult with the Trustees on all important Parish matters and the Trustees should be prepared to work with the Pastor in making decisions in these matters.
6) Duties of the Corporate Secretary
a) Record the minutes of all meetings, which shall be kept in the Parish corporation minute book;
b) Send minutes of (Board) meetings to the Pastor and other Trustee within ten days of the meeting;
c) Conduct, receive, and file all Parish corporate correspondence as directed by the Board.
7) Duties of the Corporate Treasurer
a) Along with the Pastor, the Treasurer is to:
i. Provide for orderly receiving, accounting and dispersing of all funds belonging to the Parish corporation;
ii. Oversee the deposit of all monies belonging to the Parish corporation in a financial institution designated by the Board;
iii. Keep files of account balance sheets, old checks, duplicate carbon copies, and other treasury-related files;
iv. Maintain current status with the IRS, filing necessary forms;
v. Prepare and present an annual financial report to the Board.
b) Ensure that one other Board member is a registered co-signer on the Parish corporation financial accounts.
III. PARISH CORPORATE BOARD MEETINGS1) It is required that the Pastor and two Trustees convene a meeting at least four times per year to discuss relevant Board topics and the status of Parish
2) The Pastor should provide an agenda to the Trustees in advance of each meeting. The agenda should provide for the approval of the minutes from the prior meeting and for discussion of “new business,” “old business,” Parish finances and other topics to be considered by the Board.
