GOVERNANCE

PARISH  CORPORATION

Each Parish is a Non-Profit Religious Corporation under New York State  Law governed by Trustees. There are five (5) Parish Trustees.
Three are Ex-Officio members and officers and two are Lay Trustees.

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS:

Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, President

Rev. Msgr Joseph P. LaMorte, Vice President

Rev. Willem Klaver, Secretary

LAY TRUSTEES:

Mr. Paul Tchamambe
Ms. Tanya Lewis

TRUSTEES

The Parish Lay Trustees must be at least 25 years of age, a practicing Catholic, and a registered parishioner. Their responsibilities are to assist the pastor in his oversight of parish management. Faithful exercise of the trustees' fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the parish includes providing active, independent, and informed reviews of all major decisions about the funds and property of the parish. The trustees review the Annual Financial Report, preferably during their annual November meeting. They are informed of all legal issues related to the parish. The lay trustees, recommended by the  Pastor, are elected for a one-year term and may be re-elected for up to three consecutive terms. Generally, the trustees do not have regular meetings but are convened by the pastor as circumstances require.  The Lay Trustee is both a parishioner and a citizen.  As a Parishioner, they are a member of the Church which Canon Law governs.  As a Citizen, they act under the laws of the State, fulfilling the requirements for Religious Corporations. They are required to get permission from the Bishop for all expenditures over $30,000. A Trustee may be invited by the Pastor to be a member of the Parish Council or the Finance Council but they may not hold offices on those councils.

The Trustees are: Mr. Paul Tchamambe (2022-2025) and Ms. Tanya Lewis (2021-2024)

FINANCE COUNCIL/COMMITTEE

The Parish finance council is a mandated body having an advisory and consultative role with the pastor  The Council may provide expertise in developing an annual budget and then analyzing actual financial activities against the budget. It may also be of assistance in evaluating the system of internal controls and recommending improvements in safeguarding assets such as Sunday collections and expenditures of parish finances. The Finance Committee meets quarterly. 

Members serving are Tyson Boudreaux, Deborah Harris, Tanya Lewis (Trustee), Beverly Riddick,
and Paul Tchamambe(Trustee)

PARISH COUNCIL

Parish Councils have been proving themselves to be very helpful to the parish and to the pastor, and they give wisdom and credibility to necessary decisions. In short, they are consultative; the final decision is left to the pastor. The Book of Proverbs (11:14) states: “for lack of guidance, a people fall; security lies in many counselors.” 

Members serve the whole parish and not just one part of it. Members have to be clear about their responsibility of time and effort, and about the respective roles of the council and pastor. The Council should always be and act as a Christian community; they serve for the “good of the parish'' which holds the litmus test for all our motivations and reactions, for what we say and do. The Council's decisions are to be consistent with faith and morals, civil and church law, and archdiocesan policies. 

There are two categories of members, all of whom can vote: ex officio members (e.g., the pastor, parochial vicars, deacons, principal, and director of religious education, trustees, and the chairperson of the finance council) and those who are appointed, elected, or selected. Membership should reflect the make-up of the parish and include people of various ethnic and racial groups within the parish as well as those with a special experience. Terms are usually for three years, renewable once. Agendas are set by the Executive Committee ( Pastor, President, and Secretary) about two weeks prior. Minutes are typed and made available to the parishioners. The meeting should take no longer than ninety minutes.