Parish Staff

Feel free to contact any of the following staff members with your questions, comments or concerns.

St. Augustine – St. Edward Trustees

Canon law specifies that the pastor is entrusted with both the spiritual and temporal affairs of a parish; the bishop entrusts to him the pastoral care of that community. In doing so, he needs to operate in the secular world, as well. Thus, civil law requires that as a business or “corporation” each parish must have a Board of Directors, Trustees.

In a parish corporation, five members comprise the board of directors. By virtue of their office, the bishop, vicar general and pastor are automatic members of the corporation. The bishop is the president of the corporation, and the pastor is the vice president. In addition, two lay members of the parish — called trustees — are appointed by the bishop to serve as treasurer and secretary. The trustees are the members and officers of the civil corporation registered with the state. Their role fulfills civil statute requirements: responsibility toward legal concerns, fiduciary issues, and asset entrustment.

Trustees need to interact with the Finance and Pastoral Councils of a parish since neither of these entities has legal or administrative decision authority as the Trustees do; theirs is advisory.  Trustees typically serve for two years or until their successors are appointed.