Greetings to Our Lady of Lourdes Families!
This post is going to be lengthy, but this first page will cover the basics of what stewardship pays for. The following pages will go into more detail for those who are interested. The Finance Council and the Pastoral Council are made up of parishioners, and they review financial results periodically.
87% of the income needed to operate the parish comes from your stewardship contributions.
In the current fiscal year, stewardship contributions and other income are utilized to operate the parish, with costs allocated as shown in this chart:
2021-22 Activities Covered
22 Baptisms into the faith
6 Professions of Faith (conversions)
30 First Communicants
25 Confirmed
13 Funeral Services
4 Communal Anointings
21 Individual Anointings (hospital, nursing home, etc)
840 + Confessions Taken
6 Masses per Week + First Saturday Masses
7 Hours of Eucharistic Adoration per Week
46 Youth in Faith Formation or RCIC
Other Activities:
Youth Group activities, Vacation Bible School, Pastoral Council, School Commission, Finance Council, Liturgy Commission (Spiritual Life & Worship), Buildings & Grounds, Adult Faith Formation, Adult Bible Studies Programs, Women’s Retreat, Sacramental Preparation Programs, New Parishioner Welcoming, Homeless Outreach Programs, Parish Garden, Blood Drives, Parish Lunches, Knights of Columbus, Scouting Programs, Parish Library, Parish Bulletins, Website and Other Communications, and many others.
Almost every activity, whether pastoral, liturgical or social, requires coordination, communication, and sometimes funding in order for the activity to happen. The parish staff are heavily engaged with these activities and the transactions that go with them. Because the staff is small for a parish of this size, they have broad responsibilities in order to cover the needs of the parish. Here are the current staff:
Parish 2022-23
Operating Budget and Previous Year Trends
Income:
Stewardship contributions have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. We are running about 8% below pre-pandemic contribution levels. Amounts in “other revenue” include funds drawn from reserves, PPP forgivable
loans used to maintain current levels of service.
Expenses: Increase in salaries based on cost-of-living increases, plus the addition of a ¼ time bookkeeper and a ½ time Pastoral Associate – Youth Ministry.
Capital Expenses and Funds
As with any large commercial plant or property, the parish deals with capital projects that are outside of the operating budget described above. Common expenses include re-roofing buildings, paving parking lots,
painting buildings, replacing windows, replacing HVAC systems, replacing sidewalks, replacing technology systems, and several other areas. These projects are funded from the excess net income from previous year operating budgets, or they are funded by donations specific to those projects (called
“restricted donations”), or they are funded through capital campaigns. The parish also maintains designated” funds, where money from previous year operating budgets is set aside for a particular purpose. The
“facility fund” is funds from previous years or donations that are set aside for capital expenses on parish facilities. There are other similar but smaller funds set aside for the altar environment and flowers, for youth
activities, and for social outreach projects.
Your Pledges and Contributions Make This and More Possible!
The parish has a sixty-six-year legacy, a multi-generational history of souls baptized into Christ, and lives lived in the Catholic Faith. Please make a pledge today, or kindly consider increasing your pledge so that we can expand these services and hand on a spiritually and financially healthy parish to the next generation of the faithful!