Dear Parishioners,

In November of 2011, I spoke at all of the masses regarding the Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year of 2010/2011. During this presentation, I thanked you for your very generous support of our parish. I was also very pleased to inform you that because of your generosity, combined with very significant cuts in our budget, we were able to go from a $272,792.00 dollar operating deficit in 2009/2010 to a $66,989.00 dollar surplus in 2010/2011. This was an incredible accomplishment and has put our parish on stable financial ground. This simply would not have been possible without your generosity or without making significant cuts in our spending.

The downturn in the economy meant that we had to take an honest look at the amount of money that we were spending in relationship to the amount of money were bringing in for church collections and in tuition. After much deliberation and consensus, we made some very difficult decisions that have allowed us to be more confident in being able to meet our bills each month. While this was a very painful process, we are being responsible stewards of the resources you so generously give.

Unfortunately, with a parish of our size and complexity these changes took two years to fully come into effect, leaving us with a $455,589.00 dollar debt to the Archdiocese of Chicago. This is money that we owe to the Archdiocese in reimbursement for money that they paid out in healthcare premiums, pension funding, and other such expenses. We need to be able to put this debt to rest if we are to truly be on strong financial ground. A parish of our size and vibrancy should not be carrying a debt, but rather putting money aside for future capital improvements or emergencies.

The Archdiocese of Chicago has recognized your generosity and your sacrifices, and so they have enrolled us in their Debt Reduction Program. This yearlong program will deduct two dollars off of our loan for every one dollar donated to the Annual Catholic Appeal. This is a golden opportunity for our parish. I am confident that we can take a sizeable amount of money off our loan. However, this will only be possible through your generosity. You can make a true difference in the financial health of our parish by sharing your blessing from God in the Annual Catholic Appeal.

In summary, we have a $455,589.00 loan to the Archdiocese of Chicago that we have to satisfy. Two dollars will be deducted from the loan for every dollar you donate to the Annual Catholic Appeal. Your generosity to the Archdiocese of Chicago will directly benefit our parish. The Key to the success of our participation in the Debt Reduction Program is YOU.

We will be filling out Annual Catholic Appeal pledge cards at mass during the first two weekends of February. Thank you for your generous support of our parish.

God Bless,
Fr. Larry