Up to the House of the Lord

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 This page looks different this week.  That is because I have placed the 2nd Quarter Financial Report of the parish on the lower half of the page.  My column this week is a review and comments on the report.  Note the report is an abbreviated version with only the major categories.  If you would like a copy of the full report just contact the office during the week.

 

Revenue or income is less than projected in our budget.  Collections, our regular and largest source of income, have decreased.  I suspect this is due, in part, to lower mass attendance, but it may also reflect inconsistent giving by parishioners.  The same is true of donations to the 21st Century Fund that finances capital improvements. Our budget also projected (hoped for) $20,000 from gifts or wills but to date we have not received any.

 

Fortunately, while income is below budget, expenses also are below budget.  In all the major categories of salaries & benefits, administrative costs, liturgy and education, operations and maintenance, we have stayed at or below budget.  (In education I believe we should actually be spending more.)  The staff has worked hard to hold spending and find ways to cut expenses.

 

It has paid off as we are operating at almost $6,000 of income over expenses.  However expenses could run higher in coming months and we never know when a pipe may break.

 

My requests are two.  One, hopefully many of you will be able to step up your giving by a small percentage (more on this later).  But my first hope is that simply more people will contribute on a regular basis.  We cannot expect 40% of the parish to carry the whole load.  Second, we need to build up the 21st Century Saving Fund.  There are several major capital improvements needed  --- gym fire alarm system, handicap access from gym, total kitchen renovation (a biggie!) and parking expansion.  These projects will need to be covered by the Fund or a special fundraising campaign.

 

Finally, I wish to express the very grateful thanks of the parish to the Women’s Day Committee and the women of the parish for their recent donation of $5,000.  These funds were raised in the activities of the Women’s Month (October) and other events. (Another $5,000 will be added to the funds raised by the Men’s groups.)  Their service and generosity to the parish is greatly appreciated.

 

Fr. Bob

 

Peace,

February 6, 2011

 

This page looks different this week.  That is because I have placed the 2nd Quarter Financial Report of the parish on the lower half of the page.  My column this week is a review and comments on the report.  Note the report is an abbreviated version with only the major categories.  If you would like a copy of the full report just contact the office during the week.

 

Revenue or income is less than projected in our budget.  Collections, our regular and largest source of income, have decreased.  I suspect this is due, in part, to lower mass attendance, but it may also reflect inconsistent giving by parishioners.  The same is true of donations to the 21st Century Fund that finances capital improvements. Our budget also projected (hoped for) $20,000 from gifts or wills but to date we have not received any.

 

Fortunately, while income is below budget, expenses also are below budget.  In all the major categories of salaries & benefits, administrative costs, liturgy and education, operations and maintenance, we have stayed at or below budget.  (In education I believe we should actually be spending more.)  The staff has worked hard to hold spending and find ways to cut expenses.

 

It has paid off as we are  operating at almost $6,000 of income over expenses.  However expenses could run higher in coming months and we never know when a pipe may break.

 

My requests are two.  One, hopefully many of you will be able to step up your giving by a small percentage (more on this later).  But my first hope is that simply more people will contribute on a regular basis.  We cannot expect 40% of the parish to carry the whole load.  Second, we need to build up the 21st Century Saving Fund.  There are several major capital improvements needed  --- gym fire alarm system, handicap access from gym, total kitchen renovation (a biggie!) and parking expansion.  These projects will need to be covered by the Fund or a special fundraising campaign.

 

Finally, I wish to express the very grateful thanks of the parish to the Women’s Day Committee and the women of the parish for their recent donation of $5,000.  These funds were raised in the activities of the Women’s Month (October) and other events. (Another $5,000 will be added to the funds raised by the Men’s groups.)  In addition to Ladies Auxiliary Knights of Peter Claver St. Ephegenia Court presented the parish with a check for $1000.00 from their fund raising activities. The service and generosity of these groups to the parish is greatly appreciated.  Thank You

 

Fr. Bob

 

Peace,

 

Living And Proclaiming the Good News:

 

A Pastoral Plan for the Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee

 

A. “Divine worship and Prayer”

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God.  Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Vision Statement: As Catholics, all of us are called to holiness.  We live out that call through lives of prayer-through personal prayer and especially though the sacraments of the Church.  In the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, we carry out this mission by ensuring that the sacraments are meaningfully celebrated and reasonably accessible to the largest possible number of the faithful.  To accomplish this, we must be omitted to the spiritual formation of all of our people-and especially to the formation of those who will serve us as lay ecclesial ministers, as deacons, and as priests (both now and in the future).  In our parishes and as a diocese, we must foster prayer experiences that draw upon the richness and diversity of our tradition.  We must reach out to those of every language and ethnicity, inviting them to bring their unique gifts to the service of the Church, drawing upon the heritage of the many religious communities who have served-and extended prayer experiences through our parishes, our Catholic institutions, and especially through our diocesan retreat center.  In all of those efforts, our goal must be to help the faithful to connect their public and private prayer to the joys and struggles of their daily lives.

 

Objective A1

 The Diocese will encourage vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life from among the faithful of West Tennessee and will assess our needs for clergy in the future.

 

Objective A2

 Recognizing that each family is a “domestic church,” the Diocese will work to promote and strengthen family life in general, and the vocation of marriage in particular, through education, support groups, and pastoral counseling reasonably available in the predominant languages spoken in the diocese. 

 

Objective A3

 The Diocese will develop a comprehensive pastoral plan for sacramental, educational, and charitable ministry to our brothers and sisters whose first language is Spanish.

 

Objective A4

 The Diocese will encourage and support parishes in their efforts to celebrate the Church’s liturgy in a way that is faithful to the Church’s Magisterium, is meaningful to parishioners and involves them in liturgical ministries.

 

Objective A5

 The Diocese will encourage and provide opportunities forthe faithful-of every age, background and ethnicity-to experience the Lord prayerfully in retreat settings faithful to the Church’s tradition.

 

 (first in a series)

 

Living And Proclaiming the Good News:

A Pastoral Plan for the Catholic Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee

 

B. “Teaching and preaching the Word of God”

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” Matthew 28: 19-20

 

Vision Statement: Evangelization is at the heart of our mission as the Catholic people of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee.  We carry out the mission by teaching and preaching the Word of God though lifelong religious education in parish religious education programs for children, youth and adults; in Catholic schools (private, parochial, and diocesan); in programs of sacramental preparation and ministry training; and through the many other works of evangelization.  Our goal must be to touch every family with the Incarnate Word of God, enabling them to live out their throughout their lives.  Special emphasis must be placed upon our work of evangelizing the youth and young adults of our diocese, engaging them through modern means of communication with eternal truths of the faith.  Our strategic initiative calls upon us to be good stewards of the resources with which we have been blessed by strengthening those educational efforts that are viable, supporting those whose viability is challenged, and searching for alternate means of accomplishing our mission of religious education when a particular program or school is deemed to be  no longer viable.  In particular, our Catholic schools in general-and each school in particular-must demonstrate a true witness to the message of the gospel in accordance with (and in fidelity to) the Catholic tradition, must adhere to the highest academic standards, and must demonstrate financial responsibility and long-term financial viability.

 

Objective B1: All of those involved in the operation of Catholic school in the Diocese (diocesan school, parish schools, private schools and Jubilee school) will come together to develop a plan of collaboration which works to unity the Catholic schools system, foster the ties to the parishes in which they are located and ensure the Catholic identity of each school.

 

Objective B2: The Catholic Schools Office and each school in the Diocese (parish, diocesan and Jubilee) will develop a realistic strategic plan for improvement in the areas of Catholic identity, academic performance, faculty and management retention, succession planning , enrollment, and financial management and viability.

 

Objective B3: To foster the formation of lay ecclesial ministers and to encourage broader access, the diocesan adult education efforts will be consolidated and/or coordinated with on another and with those of the parishes.

 

Objective B4: The Diocese will work to strengthen and support both youth ministry and the children’s religious education programs of parishes and missions to ensure that the truths of the faith are being effectively taught to future generations Catholics.

 

Objective B5: The Diocese will reach out to those Catholics who do not practice their faith, inviting them back, reconciling those who have been hurt, and working to resolve any issues or misunderstandings that may exist.

 

Objective B6: The Diocese will work to build a culture of engagement among younger parishioners, inviting them through formal programs, informal gatherings, modern means of communication, and meaningful service opportunities to encounter the Risen Lord in the Catholic tradition.

 

(second in a series)