Priests rely on lay expertise when it comes to finances

Promoting lay leadership is a large part of the "Called to be Church" process, but there's at least one area where laity have been taking the lead in the Albany Diocese for quite a while: parish finances.

* "I don't talk to the people about money; my finance committee people do," said Rev. Peter Russo, pastor of St. Joseph's parish in Scotia.

* "The chair and vice-chair of the finance council get up and do presentations. The only thing I say is, 'Don't talk too long,'" remarked Rev. Anthony Kall, OFM Conv., pastoral administrator at Holy Family parish in Albany.

* "I've tried not to directly ask for more money. People are strapped in all areas," added Rev. Salvatore Rodino, pastor of St. Jude's parish in Wynantskill.

Awkward timing

All three priests have experienced the discomfort of having to bring up money issues with parishioners at liturgies. Not only is it awkward for a spiritual leader to have to discuss the topic, they agreed, but many priests aren't as well trained as some parishioners in managing an institutional budget.

"That's the area I hate most, with a passion," Father Kall groaned. "This is my third pastorate, and I just turn it over" to laity on the finance council.

Father Russo told The Evangelist that, having been a pastor for about 18 years at various parishes, he's found that parishioners respond better to hearing about finances "when it comes from one of them."

Besides, he said wryly, "I can remember the one-semester course we had [at the seminary] in parish financing. They showed us how to balance a checkbook; that was the extent."

Lay expertise

Using the resource of laity with money expertise only makes sense, the priests said.

Father Kall pointed out that the chair and co-chair of Holy Family's finance council, Fausto Franco and Jim Golembieski, "are both younger guys with master's degrees." They can sum up parish income, expenses, savings and the "bottom line" for parishioners in a report that only covers a single sheet of paper.

Father Russo sees himself as "only one member of the finance committee" at St. Joseph's.

"Numbers just boggle me. I get a headache," he joked. "Let me deal with the spiritual stuff, and let them [handle finances] -- especially as we work on getting people to take ownership" of the Church.

Light touch

According to Father Rodino, the idea of taking ownership is key. If he must address finances with parishioners, he tries to "keep on the light side," joking about it rather than being too serious.

In a recent bulletin announcement, for example, he pointed out that anyone able to add one dollar a week to their church envelope might be surprised at how much that could help parish finances. One parishioner called that "a gentle way to put the need out there without hitting people over the head with it."

"You can't go asking for money all the time," the pastor stated. Catholics need to be encouraged to "buy into the Church," to see that "this is their parish, their community, their spiritual home -- an extension of their family."

Then, he said, the people "will see us as important and valuable enough to make a commitment to us."

Methods

At St. Jude's, parishioners have been trying a lot of fundraisers to keep the parish afloat and get people involved.

Father Rodino wants to make St. Jude's a place parishioners want to make donations to -- and from which they see a return for their efforts. He gave the example of building maintenance and improvement, something tangible that creates a sense of pride in the parish.

"When people see positives, they give without asking," he stated.

Information

Openness is also key. At St. Joseph's, the finance committee assembles an annual four-page document with a cover letter, an explanation of what's going on in areas aside from finances, and a summary of the parish's financial standing.

Then finance committee members give a "state of the parish" address at liturgies.

All the parishes said their books are available for any parishioner to examine, and that people with questions can talk with finance committee members.

"We believe in full disclosure," Father Kall stated, adding that it's important to "keep people informed not just in terms of dollars and cents, but stewardship."

Finger on pulse

The priests also emphasized that, while they may turn over parish finances to capable laity, they're always aware of the decisions being made.

"I have to know what's going on, and I'm ultimately responsible according to canon law," Father Russo explained. "But I have no expertise in this field. If it were up to me, I'd have it all in a checkbook, earning point-six percent!"

Father Kall said that, while he meets with Holy Family's finance council heads regularly, he does not attend finance council meetings.

"I think that's the way to go," he said. "We're trying to emphasize lay leadership."

(Father Rodino believes the Church must work on educating Catholics about the amount of money needed to run a parish. He said that some parishioners might hear a parish has $25,000 in savings and think that's plenty, "but one new roof or boiler, and that's gone.")

BISHOP'S APPEAL

Diocesan Catholics rank high in annual giving

"This is nothing new to us," remarked James Kopp, head of the diocesan Stewardship Office. "People within the Diocese of Albany understand that we steward their funds with integrity."

He was referring to the fact that an annual survey by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), undertaken on behalf of the International Catholic Stewardship Council, has ranked the Albany Diocese seventh among comparable U.S. dioceses in giving to the annual Bishop's Appeal.

Having collected $7 million in its most recent appeal, the Albany Diocese outranked the Archdioceses of Baltimore and San Francisco, along with 37 other similarly-sized dioceses, plus several in Puerto Rico.

Nationally, of the 138 dioceses that responded to the CARA survey, the Albany Diocese was in 24th place regarding Bishop's Appeal giving.

"This shows that those who choose to support the Bishop's Appeal understand [its] importance," Mr. Kopp stated.

Although he said the Albany Diocese does not "strive to be number one" in giving, he noted that "we take pleasure in the fact that we are a leader in this regard." (KB)

(11/15/07) [[In-content Ad]]