Lay Trustee

At the Church of St. Mary, we will be appointing a replacement for one of our two Lay Trustees that has served the maximum term.  Our current Trustees are:  Lora Santilli and Jay O’Connor.  Lora has now served the maximum term of six one-year terms.  Together with the Bishop (President), the Vicar General (Vice President), and the Pastor (Secretary/Treasurer), the two Lay Trustees form the officers of the parish corporation.

We are asking parishioners to give thought to a replacement for Lora and send their name to Ben Patten by either calling at 518-449-2232, Ext. 13 or email at ben@stmaryny.org.

The Trustees should function in the same manner as would any Trustee of a not-for-profit charitable or educational organization. They should be knowledgeable of the parish mission and familiar with parish programs. Since their major responsibility is a fiduciary one, they need to be part of the decision-making process and review and sign financial reports sent to the Diocese. It is not mandated but strongly encouraged that the Trustees serve as ex officio members of the pastoral council and finance committee.

An individual must meet the following qualifications to be considered for Trustee:

• Twenty-one years of age
• A practicing Catholic

In addition, the following criteria should be weighed when considering an individual for Trustee:

• Active involvement in the parish
• Business acumen
• Availability to attend meetings
• Freedom from any conflict of interest either by occupation or by relationship to the Pastor/Parish Life Director/Administrator. Each Trustee will be required to certify annually to the parish corporation that no conflict of interest exists (Appendix B).
• Ability to function on a confidential basis when needed.
• Ability to interact collaboratively with the Pastor/Parish Life Director/Administrator, pastoral council, and any other significant persons or groups in the parish.
• Sensitivity to spiritual and pastoral issues