Weekly Letter from the Pastor

Dear Fellow Parishioners of St. Benedict:

We are deep into another Lenten Season and the promise and hope of Spring and the coming Easter is beginning to take hold. Such a late Easter means that we will have (hopefully) some wonderful weather by the time we get there.

There are many people who make this parish a warm, welcoming, and vibrant community of faith and service. I believe that we have an amazing professional staff in both the parish and the school. Yes, we have had some turn over the past couple of years, due in large measure to professional advancement and retirement, but we have found replacement staff members who are more than capably filling those positions. The stability that we experience over all is very positive.

Of course, it is also a cadre of volunteers that help make a parish run, and we are blessed to have so many great volunteers. I will reflect more on that in next week’s bulletin.

Where we are beginning to feel the pinch is on our shared commitment to the treasure of the parish. In that area we are experiencing – as are most not-for-profits – some stresses. We are launching therefore a program we are calling Our Vibrant Church. This is based upon these assumptions, which have been developed by our parish financial council:

1. Our Parish is vibrant and the number of parishioners that contribute regularly has been remarkably consistent over the past 10+ years at about 825 – 850. This includes contributors from both envelopes and WeShare.

2. However, our weekly collections are actually down compared to a few years ago. As a result, the total revenue for operating the parish is also down.

3. At the same time, normal inflation has resulted in operating costs increasing at an average rate of about 2.7% per year over the past 5 – 6 years.

4. As a result we expect to have a shortfall of about $140,000 - $150,000 this fiscal year ending June 2019.

5. The best and most sustainable way to address this is through an increase in our weekly contributions.

6. We are graciously requesting a $5.00 weekly increase from each regular contributor.

7. We have a very generous parish and this is an achievable goal. If we have everyone’s support we can maintain our thriving parish and all of our various programs.

8. We will update you regularly on our progress. For those of you that contribute through WeShare we will also provide instructions on how you can update your account.

It is never a good time to ask for money, but the realities set upon us. We have been able to manage costs fairly effectively, and we have made reductions and changed vendors, etc., to keep costs under control.

Please prayerfully and carefully consider your treasure to the parish, so that we can continue to build and grow Our Vibrant Church for the next generation.

In peace,
Fr. Garry