Parish Council Meeting Summary

At our Parish Council Meeting on November 19, 2020 we discussed the following:

Brad Inskip, the parish custodian, has resigned as of November 18. Our HVAC contractor has ordered filters for the ventilation systems in each church that are able to remove the coronavirus in the air. They are due to be installed soon. Nine Masses have been scheduled for Christmas Eve and Day; parishioners will be required to register to secure a ticket. Tom Milton, chair of the parish’s Finance Council, presented a report on the parish’s finances. The parish’s main sources of income are weekly collections, rental payments and interest on parish reserves. Our main expenses are lay and clerical salaries and benefits. Rental income this year is expected to be down 16% due to the vacancy of the St. Matthew School building and weekly collections are down 6% from pre-pandemic levels - although weekly online giving and mailed in donations have helped lower this deficit. All told, the budget deficit for the current fiscal year is projected to be approximately $80,000. Maria Crisafi, Religious Education Director, joined the meeting to update the council on the religious education program. This fall, 55 students received First Confession and First Communion and 45 students received Confirmation. The program, which is all online this year, has 240 students currently enrolled, which is a decrease from last year. The council stressed the importance of families registering for the religious education program, even if parents intend to homeschool, for continuity’s sake and to receive the weekly lessons sent by email. Fees were not raised this year in consideration of the economic climate. Since last November, the parish has had a net gain of approximately 50 families and the parish census has officially topped 900 registered families. The parish council is next scheduled to meet on December 10th via Zoom.