As many of you know, last year we made a shift in how we report our weekly offertory in the bulletin. Instead of simply listing what came in each week, we now include a weekly “over/under” based on our budget to help give context, not just what was given, but how it compares to what we need to operate the parish.
Last year, the weekly offering amount reported in the bulletin was $935,160.20, or $17,983.85 per week. That figure was forecasted for several reasons, one of which was the newly consolidated parish operating as one for the first time. While that number gave us a consistent benchmark, the reality was that our overall budget was not balanced - we were projecting expenses to be about $31,000 more than our income. In hindsight, it would have been better to report a weekly collection goal that was higher than $935,160.20.
This year, we’re approaching things differently. Instead of using the income we forecasted to receive, we budgeted for the income that we need to receive in order to operate the parish. We’ve set the 2025-26 parish budget to end the year in the black, meaning our hope is for income to exceed expenses. This raises our budgeted offertory income to $1,068,471.57, or $20,547.53 per week. This reflects the actual cost of running the parish: liturgies, staff salaries, building maintenance, ministries, utilities, and everything in between, along with a modest increase to account for normal inflation (roughly 3% annually), which affects nearly every area of our operations.
While this is a notable increase in our weekly goal, in 2024-25, our income exceeded what was forecasted. On average, we collected $19,117.20 each week, which puts us within striking distance of our new goal. This has been another positive step in the process of returning the parish to a strong and healthy financial position. There will be a more in-depth financial report published in the fall, giving a clearer review of the past fiscal year. As always, if you have any questions involving the parish finances, please contact the business manager.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our parish. Your support keeps the lights on, the doors open, and the mission of the Church alive in our community. We promise to continue stewarding your gifts responsibly and to communicate as clearly and transparently as we can.
We ask that you prayerfully consider giving to our parish in order to both maintain and build our programs and facilities to best serve the souls in our parish. To simplify donating, we now offer online giving, here.
May the Lord continue to bless you as you prayerfully consider.
