My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“The one constant in life is change!” Indeed, we have experienced the impact of change at St. Paul the Apostle Parish. The most significant change was the transition from a parish staffed by a religious Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SS.CC.) to a Diocesan Pastoral Staff. And you have warmly welcomed Fr. Michael, Fr. Joseph, MS and me into this parish and in your hearts. For that, we are forever grateful.

Today, we want to continue what the SS.CC. had done in the past: to provide you a “State of the Parish” report; the financial portion as is required by the diocese. It is also an action of the leadership’s accountability and transparency. We know that it always seems to be about money, but we, as a parish, are so much more! We are a community of believers and generous parishioners who give of our treasure, and share much of our time and talents.

• Our recent Harvest Festival couldn’t have happened and been successful without the tireless support of over 600 people working thousands of hours by staffing booths, walking the grounds as security, providing entertainment or serving in administration.
• We couldn’t celebrate our eight Masses each weekend without the commitment of nearly 1,000 people who serve as Ministers of the Eucharist, Music, Hospitality, Lectors, Sacristans, Audio/Visual and Environment.
• Our Faith Formation Program succeeds because of the 185 people who provide education to 2,300 students and guiding 300 of our teens into Confirmation. This past Easter our RCIA team brought 20 new Catholics into our community. Our parish has grown further as our Baptism Team assisted with the baptism of 300 infants.
• A dedicated staff of 30 – financial, clerical and maintenance, in support of over 40 ministries and all members of our parish, managed our administrative needs very well.

The finances of the parish are managed to strict standards and verified by Annual Diocese Audit, and we continue to be financially healthy. Our 2014-2015 fiscal year total income was almost $4,000,000. That’s a lot of money, but we are a very large parish, so where did the money go?

• We support the daily operations of the diocese through an assessment of $430,000. Our ordinary maintenance and supplies cost over $800,000. Our extraordinary maintenance, plumbing and A/C repair, costs around $50,000. Our staff compensation, benefits and other related expenses total almost $1,000,000. It cost nearly $500,000 to support our Ministries, Evangelization and the Harvest Festival.
• We have other expenses, which are worth mentioning: property insurance costs $90,000; electric bill averages $10,000/month; numerous miscellaneous items add up to almost $500,000. I could list many more, but perhaps you get the idea.

I know this is a lot of information; but it is summarized in today’s bulletin. Some of you might have a deeper interest for more detailed financial figures; so I invite you to make an appointment to come to the Parish Office for more detailed information.

You may be wondering about the physical status and financial report of the Ministry Center (MC). Since we are in a bidding process regarding the site plan and other construction plans of the MC, a complete financial report is not possible at this time. Please be patient with us; reports will be “coming sooner or later!” Nevertheless, please continue to be generous in supporting the MC.

This has been a year of change, yet it is also a year of many blessings! We are blessed as a Catholic Community. And through the grace of God, we can journey ahead with hope! As we walk the talk, I am certain that our loving God will fill us with His gifts, which will inspire us to become responsible and accountable stewards, and eventually we are able to fill our people’s lives with hope. And my wish for all of us – holy people of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, is the prayer of Jesus to his Father: