Bishop Larry Silva has appointed Vincent Vernay as the Facilities Services Manager for the diocese, beginning on Oct. 27.

He will oversee maintenance and construction projects in the diocese and assist parishes and schools in their upkeep and building projects.

Vernay is taking over the duties of Luke Yasaka who retired as the diocesan Construction Services Director on Sept. 12.

Vernay had been the special projects coordinator for Hilton Hotels in Hawaii. He left that position on Oct. 22.

He told the Hawaii Catholic Herald on Oct. 23 that, in his new position, he hopes to steer parishes and schools toward more self sufficiency in the maintenance of their facilities.

“The challenge is to have the parishes establish planning and building committees and assess their facilities, develop their five-year plan and attach a budget to that plan and then incorporate the Catholic school system into that process,” he said.

Parishes have to “recognize that they have to do the continuous maintenance,” Vernay said.

His role, he said, would be “to reach out and help the parishes, not dictate to them.”

Vernay said he would like to explore the use of “green” technologies — solar and photovoltaic systems — in parishes.

He said he wants to “put a team of consultants together at the diocesan level and go out to the parishes and see if there are opportunities for energy saving programs.”

Born in New Jersey, Vernay is a former U.S. Marine who served twice in Vietnam.

He retired as a lieutenant colonel in Hawaii in 1978 after 22 years in the service.

In Hawaii he began a second career as a hotel project manager, working first for the Hyatt on Maui and then with Hilton on Oahu, with additional assignments on Maui and the Big Island.

According to Vernay, his job involved oversight of the hotels’ “operational equipment.”

He also assisted in the implementation of a master plan for the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the mid-1980s.

Vernay has been a member of the Diocesan Planning and Building Commission since Jan. 1, 2006.

This past June 27, Bishop Silva named him chairman of the Coordinating Task Force for the Repair and Maintenance of Church and School Facilities of the Diocesan Roadmap for Pastoral Programs and Facility Needs: 2008-2013.

Vernay is a widower with five grown children, and a parishioner at St Anthony Parish in Kailua.