Included in this bulletin is a Financial Summary Sheet which every parish in the Diocese is required to make available to the parishioners each year. There is also a letter from myself which gives you an overview of our financial situation from this past fiscal year (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017). We were able to operate under budget while taking care of the many repairs and improvements that are required on our property and in our buildings. I acknowledge in the letter your continued faithfulness to our common financial responsibility for the upkeep of the parish and for the many services we provide to you and to others throughout the year. It always seems that because we have made so many repairs and improvements, a time will soon come when we can go through a year without the need to budget so much for future repairs. But as you know from the management of your homes and cars, that time never seems to come as there are always things that need our attention and financial commitment. The letter that accompanies the Financial Summary Sheet outlines some of the more major repairs that have been completed, are in progress, or scheduled for the future. Of course our biggest repair is to our church and school HVAC systems so next year at this time we will show a loss of about $200,000 which has been set aside for that major work. In examining the arches of the church which have cracked over the years due to moisture, it was necessary to look at the roof of the church where we discovered large areas of water which are causing damage to the arches and to the roof itself. We are currently waiting for estimates on what will likely be another large expense. It is unknown at this time if the roof can be repaired or if it will be necessary to replace it. Despite the discouraging news of these expensive repairs, I am grateful that we have the necessary funds to take care of these important needs and I’m hopeful that we will be able to recoup our savings. Please feel free to see me or any of the Finance Council members (whose names are published on the financial report in this bulletin) if you have any questions pertaining to our financial status.
Every month I see a bus parked in our Rectory Office parking lot ready to transport many people to some interest- ing place or event. These bus trips are published in our bulletin & are open to anyone. They go to casino’s, Amish country & so many other interesting & enjoyable places. I’m always hoping to join them myself but my schedule doesn’t always permit me to go. I just wanted to let you know that there is no age requirement so if you’re free to take a day trip, be sure to inquire through these bulletin announcements.