August 31: Financial Update
Dear Fellow Parishioners of our Lady of Divine Providence Family of Parishes,
Happy Labor Day weekend! We have come to the end of summer, and I am looking forward to fall colors, autumn cheer, and cooler temperatures. This month, we celebrated the feasts of the Assumption, St. Bartholomew, St. Bernard, and St. Clare, (in alphabetical order). May their heavenly patronage sustain us!
Our readings from the Scriptures, this week and the past few weeks, raise our thoughts and minds to heavenly realities. We must work hard to enter Heaven and to begin to realize the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. As Jesus reminds us, the road to paradise is straight and narrow, and few have the strength for it. But the way to perdition is easy and wide, and many folks follow that path, even with good intentions. We are called to do hard things! Taking the easy route gets us into trouble.
Our current financial situation demands immediate attention. This past week, I have been very engaged in addressing flooding and damage at the Assumption Campus. This affects everyone in the Family of Parishes, not just Assumption parish, because this situation has increased the urgency of conversations about the financial future of all our church campuses. Originally, I was hoping to discuss and discern the viability of the churches over a process of several years. That process will have to be condensed with Assumption, just as it had to be condensed with Mother of Christ, and that may lead to a domino effect for our other churches. This underlines the necessity of having sufficient financial reserves in the bank for each parish. Put simply, Assumption parish does not have the money to make the repairs that are needed and will need to raise several hundred thousand dollars. If it does not, that means that it may soon become a financial liability for the whole family of parishes. This is true of any parish that is not keeping up on maintenance. We will be realistically assessing the deferred maintenance and risks at each of our campuses.
Simultaneously, we are assessing the amount of damage done at St. Bart’s by recent rains and leaks. The drains below the roof need to be replaced. Unfortunately, that’s far from the only urgent project at Bart’s. I am guessing that to keep St. Bart’s open (this is a rough estimate) we will need to raise several million dollars over the next couple of years. I am not sure if that is feasible, but I am beginning to raise awareness now, and we will begin discussing and planning the specific practicalities right away. We cannot afford to be caught off guard again, like we were by the roof issue at Mother of Christ, and the flooding at Assumption. We certainly have work to do.
It seems to me that there may be a lack of awareness on the part of many parishioners about the real condition of their parishes, financial and spiritual. I am committed to overcoming this lack of attention and communication.
In September, all the finance councils will be meeting individually with me to ascertain the exact financial state of the parish. We will be publishing regular and frequent updates. The finance councils will be developing strategies for each parish.
Keep your eyes on Heaven! May our Lady of Divine Providence guide and protect us.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Henry
