Pastor’s Desk ~ September 29, 2024

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

The beginning of Fall season is a major transition time for parish administrative life. We submit the parish financial and administrative reports with the diocese on August 15 for the fiscal year 7/1/23-6/30/2024. We are already well into FY (Fiscal Year) 2024-25, including religious education programs from mid-August through mid-September and planning for Thanksgiving and Advent, which are now only nine weeks away.

The other project our parish staff and volunteer Finance Committee completes is a final review of the completed 2023-24 budget, and the finalization of the parish and elementary school budgets for 2024-25. This is not easy, as we are expected to submit a realistic total budget months before knowing what any of our major expenses categories will be. It may be helpful to think of these categories like the expense categories of your household: insurance, medical, utilities, maintenance and food.

a) Liability insurance rates. Insurance rates alone will rise 18% this year. Unfortunately, insurance is going up everywhere, largely because of insurance losses due to fires and weather-related losses both regional and nationwide. Our primary insurance carrier is Catholic Mutual based in Omaha, pooled with other insurance groups in the interest of getting the best rates. Every year, representatives of the insured meet in order to negotiate the most favorable rates.

b) Medical insurance is handled similarly. Like liability insurance, future rates are based on past and projected costs of providing medical services to our covered group.

c) The cost of utilities depends on rates and levels of use. We have tried to moderate our use, and this past year was relatively mild.

d) Maintenance.

e) Household expenses

f) Annual Ministry Appeal

Over the next couple of weeks, I will provide further information about the costs of all of these areas of parish life, and what we must do to stay on top of all of them.

Blessings,
Fr Bill Donahue