December 2015
Dear Parishioners,
At the close of an exciting 2015, I wanted to update you on some important numbers for our parish. I wanted to begin with the good news about the sacramental life of the parish. Judging from the numbers celebrating the sacraments here, our tiny parish is doing quite well. This year in our parish there were 17 baptisms, more than any year since 1977, when there were 16, and outpacing the number of funerals (11). This year twelve marriages were celebrated at Sacred Heart: five traditional Latin weddings; six Ordinary Form weddings; and one Maronite wedding; there are fifteen weddings scheduled for 2016! This year nine children made their First Holy Communion, more than any year since 1969 (13), when the parish school closed, and we actually celebrated First Holy Communion as a parish! The year also included a baptism and reception into full Communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. In 2016, our parish will see the Archbishop make his first visit to the parish to confirm children and young adults and our parish will see a son ordained to the priesthood, the first since my own ordination in 2002. These are reasons to celebrate. God’s grace is at work among us. The Holy Father has declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy, and I encourage you to consider how you might take advantage of the many graces offered through the Jubilee and how you might put your faith into action through carrying out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
In 2015, we also participated in the Archdiocesan Capital Campaign One Faith, One Hope, One Love. In that campaign, our parish far exceeded its goal (175%) and nearly $320,000 was pledged by our parishioners. Over time, as pledges are received, money will begin flowing back to Sacred Heart to help pay for our parish project, which was to replace the stoves in the parish kitchen, used for the Italian dinners, which are our great fundraisers and part of our and Cincinnati’s heritage. The work on the kitchen will begin early in the new year. Bids have been solicited and a final decision will be reached soon. Let me again express my gratitude and that of the Archbishop for your generosity and commitment to your faith and our parish. I am especially grateful to our Campaign Executive Committee for its leadership.
Almost everyone on that Executive Committee was a member of the parish finance council, which will necessarily be more active in 2016. During 2015, our parish underwent a routine audit, which asked that the finance council be more active. To that end, I appointed Jim McGonegle, Ron Siderits, and Raymond Eiser to the finance council to augment it as there will be many capital projects during the coming year. Already in 2015, we have had a number of capital expenses, including replacing the three air conditioning units in the rectory and office; replacing one of the units in church; repainting and restoring the stained-glass windows; and re-lighting the steeple. This followed the restoration of the organ in 2014. In 2016, in addition to the replacement of the stoves in the parish center, expenses will include the cleanup of the pigeon droppings in the bell-tower and the installation of a more sophisticated security system for the church and auditorium. Additionally, a contractor has been contacted to help determine what strategy must be undertaken to stabilize the floor of the church. As you may have noticed, tiles are beginning to come loose and the floor is uneven due to the flood of 1937. Pray that the floor does not need to be replaced, which could be an extraordinary expense. Investigations are beginning.
We have many expenses but we also have many generous people. It has been some time since the parish published a financial report. I want to give you a report for 2013-14 and 2014-15. You will notice that our situation has improved. This is due to your generosity in offerings. I also asked the archbishop to release to the parish funds that were previously restricted for children from the parish to attend Archdiocesan-run Catholic elementary schools. Our income increased significantly, while our expenses dropped. With the loss of two priests’ salaries and benefits and with the parish only paying ¼ of a diocesan priest’s salary for my services, there were great savings. Organ restoration and making significant repairs to the rectory were among the biggest expenses. On the following page, you will see the report. If you have any questions about it, do not hesitate to contact me.
SACRED HEART CHURCH FINANCIAL REPORT
FISCAL YEARS 2013-14 & 2014-15