Under civil law, each parish corporation is run by a board of five directors, also known as "trustees", two of whom are lay people chosen from the active parishioners of the parish. These lay trustees always hold the offices of Treasurer and Secretary in the parish corporation, and are thus sometimes referred to as the "Treasurer Trustee" and "Secretary Trustee."
A parish trustee is an active and responsible member of a parish community who assumes responsibility as an advisor and counselor on behalf of the parish. A trustee is a member of the corporate board and serves as a trustworthy advisor to both the pastor and consultative bodies of the parish. The role of trustee is definitely NOT "honorific", but should be filled by serious, competent lay parishioners who clearly understand and accept their role in managing and safeguarding the temporal goods of the parish, and who also understand and embrace an authentically Catholic understanding of the Church and her structure. They should be familiar with pertinent civil and Church law, especially those areas dealing with the administration of temporal goods.
Following the annual election, parishes should submit to the diocesan Office of Vicar General a letter requesting their confirmation and approval by the Bishop. The request should include a biographical sketch of the proposed trustee(s). (A template for such a letter can be found here).