You know I like to
have something for you to read when you leave Mass each week, and I try to mix
it up a bit. Sometimes it’s a
reflection, or something I have noticed, a quote or passage from an ancient
author or a pope I think you might appreciate, or even something I saw on my
day off. Sometimes I try to do the work
you might expect in a homily – on those weekends when I can’t give you a
homily. And sometimes it’s just a funny
story.
But this week, I want
to direct your attention to something else, not what I write here. And you won’t find it in the bulletin,
either. Please make it a point to pick
up a copy of our parish Annual Report, a printout of all sorts of data that let
you know what is going on in the workings of the parish.
You’ll find the
report printed on yellow paper, and stacked on the tables near the doors of the
church. It was just too much to print on
a bulletin insert this year! The basic format
is prescribed by the Archdiocese, and it may take you some exploration to
discern what it has to offer you. We try
to help by adding some snazzy graphics and additional charts.
The cover letter is
from our parish Finance Council, who are intimately familiar with all the
details presented there, and more. They
are a huge help to me in managing the material aspects of this great parish. Their time, expertise, and attention are a
great service and indispensable to our parish.
Mostly the news is
good. The parish is completely and
totally debt free, having first cleared the mortgage on the “connector” project
for the school, and then paid off the
line of credit we used to replace the heating and air conditioning there. We even settled up with the Archdiocese after
they meticulously reconciled the last decade’s payroll and found benefits and
pensions that had been overlooked or underfunded. We pay our bills and our employees and can
cover, if only barely, basic repairs and improvements.
The rough news is
that membership and participation at Mass is down. The flip side of that is that offertory
participation by you who choose to belong, who faithfully participate, is
strengthening. After our Take the Next Step campaign last June,
many of you responded by increasing your commitment to the parish. We are still trying to find a way to present
in a report the quantity and quality of that response and that commitment,
which is tricky to do, not least because folks continue to respond even now. For now let me just tell you I am amazed and
grateful.
Your commitment to
our parish, which is our identity in Christ; and to the worship that we give
Him, of which giving is a key element; is an inspiration and encouragement to
me. The numbers and graphs are a window
onto the scene that is our very own local antechamber of Heaven. They tell an important part of the story of
which every one of us is a part.
Please do take one of
these reports and reflect on it. Nothing
about this parish is magic, but everything about it is graced by God. With that grace, we are more than the sum of
our parts. The hand of God is visible
even in the (fiscal) bottom line.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Monsignor Smith
