N.Y. Religious Corporations Law § 295: Government: powers and duties of trustees

§ 295. Government: powers and duties of trustees. 1. Every church,

parish, congregation, society, or committee incorporated or

re-incorporated, pursuant to this article, shall recognize and be and

remain subject to the jurisdiction and authority of the duly appointed

and canonical hierarch, bishop or other administrator, certified through

the secretariat of the Federated Orthodox Greek Catholic Primary

Jurisdictions in America, as appropriate for its members, or his

successor in office whose authority is likewise certified; shall accept,

secure or receive the sacramental, pastoral, or ministerial services of

such clergy only as are so certified to be of lawful and canonical

status or authority in the Orthodox Greek Catholic (Eastern Orthodox)

Church; and shall retain or secure as pastors only such clergy as have,

in addition, the permission of the hierarch, bishop or administrator

certified to be appropriate; and shall in all other respects conform to,

maintain, and follow the faith, doctrine, ritual, communion, discipline,

canon law, traditions and usages of the Orthodox Greek Catholic (Eastern

Orthodox) Church.

2. Any action of the trustees or parish committees regarding the

calling, appointment, removal or compensation of parish clergy shall be

subject to approval, in writing, by the appropriate bishop or

administrator exercising jurisdiction.

3. The trustees of every such incorporated or re-incorporated church,

society or committee shall have the custody and control of all the

temporalities and property, real and personal, belonging to the

corporation, and of all the revenues therefrom; and shall administer the

same strictly in accordance with the by-laws of the corporation and the

rules, regulations and usages of the orthodox jurisdiction or

ecclesiastical governing body to which such church, society or committee

is subject.

4. The number of first trustees shall be a multiple of three;

one-third of such first trustees to hold office for three years;

one-third thereof to hold office for two years; and one-third thereof to

hold office for one year from the first election following the

incorporation; and thereafter at each annual election there shall be

elected for a term of three years one-third of the number of trustees.