NOVEMBER 4, 2007

A regularly scheduled Town Hall Meeting was held following the All Saint's Mass this past Thursday. Here are some of the issues discussed:

1. The yearly financial report that appeared in the bulletin was reviewed, with questions and explanations. Short version: in terms of operating budget, we are balanced with a balanced budget projected for the current financial year we are in, i.e., we are currently living within our means.

2. PSP is paid for this year, and the overage is continuing to accrue to our parish operating, without diocesan tax liability. This overage is a significant piece of our balanced budget. We will continue to take up the collection monthly on a year around basis, but beginning January 1 will credit the income to next year's assessment.

3. As a update on our savings, we have taken the profit from all of our fund-raisers (about $75,000) and placed them in the Catholic Institute. This brings our savings to $305,000 with another $125,000 in the capital improvement fund.

4. Our debt is still just short of $1 million, and will continue to grow with quarterly interest assessments of about $10,000. We have not increased the principle, nor do we intend to take out any more loans.

5. The cemeteries' financial report shows deficit spending. This is because we are investing money in the physical plant (repaving roads, fixing roofs, etc.) It will continue to show deficits as we replace machinery such as tractors and the truck. Do not be concerned - it is operating on a balanced budget, the perpetual care fund is growing according to plan, and no money from the parish is being used to subsidize the cemetery operations. At some future date, when we have caught up with all the necessary capital expenditures, we may turn a profit on the cemeteries, but they are holding their own right now.

6. The school's financial report is included for what it is worth, in accord with mandated accounting procedures. However, even though by canon and civil law the Pastor of St. John of God Parish is the nominal head, the Catholic School's Office and the school administration have excluded me from knowledge of, input to and oversight of the operating budget and proposed budgets. I therefore disavow any responsibility for and cannot attest to what is contained in the school report. The parish is not currently contributing to the operating of the school, although it does take responsibility for certain capital expenditures and at times loans money to the school when there is a cash flow problem.

7. The pastoral and sacramental life of the Parish continues to grow and expand. Because of cleaning up the computer registration and only listing as active parishioners those who use envelops, we are counting 1825 families, comprised of 2750 members. With an average of 1172 people attending our week-end Masses, that gives us a percentage of attendance at 43%. (As a curious note, the number of people who attend here on a week-end is almost exactly the total number of registered parishioners at my other parish of St. Catherine. They averaged 611 people at Mass through October for a 52% attendance rate. The overall average in the diocese is about 33%.)

8. We are going to have a spiritual renewal program, a Parish Mission, just before Christmas in Advent. We will have a guest preacher, Fr. Fred Pompano, who will preach the weekend Masses and offer 3 evenings of renewal, which will include our Advent Penance Service.

9. The confirmation preparation program is going well and as a result, we are going to experiment a bit with music at the Sunday School Mass. Mike Gallagher will be providing music (guitar and folk music) once a month at that Mass, beginning next Sunday.

10. December 12 is my second anniversary as Pastor here. Bishop David Zubik will mark that occasion by celebrating the 8:15 AM School Mass at the Chapel and visiting our school.

11. Because December 8, the Holy Day of the Immaculate Conception, is a Saturday, we will not have an evening Mass for the Holy Day and therefore will not have a Town Hall Meeting then. The next regularly scheduled one will be Ash Wednesday.