Posted on September 20, 2015 View all news
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Included with this bulletin is our annual financial statement with this years upcoming budget. I am happy to report that the state of the parish is good and solvent. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Over the past year, Old St. Mary’s has seen much growth. Since January, we have had 8 baptisms, 10 First Communions, and 2 parish Marriages. We also celebrated the Ordination of Fr. Adrian, a son of the parish, this past spring. We have over 75 children enrolled in our Catechism Classes, at least 4 enrolled in our inquiry classes, and many more come to our random catechesis opportunities we hold throughout the year. Our Young Adult Group attracts 25+ to each of our gatherings. Mass attendance has also been steadily increasing, with an average of over 400 per weekend for most of the summer, which is more than normal weekends throughout the year. Finally, since January, we have had 35 new family registrations, bringing us to 250 total families registered.
In all, the Lord has blessed us tremendously over this past year. However, we must not allow ourselves to also grow lax, as we continue to do the Lord’s work. We have been entrusted with this great Church, which belongs to none of us but God. We are all rather stewards, who must ensure that we hand this parish on to the next generation in a better condition than we found it; so that future generations may also have the opportunity to know, love, and serve God in this place.
While finances are stable and our budget is balanced, we operate on a slim budget, just as so many of us. In your generosity, if you can find it possible to increase even just 5%, we will continue to work in ensuring we are the good stewards that God needs us to be.
Beyond meeting our basic financial obligation, there are several capital improvements that we will need to make in the near future, part of ensuring the future patrimony of Mary’s Church in Cincinnati. We will need to replace the roof in the near future, as well as conduct work on our bell tower. There are also several other items that are in need of work, such as the pews, so that we properly care for what God has entrusted us with. These will all come at a significant financial burden to the parish. In the near future, we will conduct our own campaign to preserve our heritage and look to the future. I ask you to consider and pray over this now. I will be addressing this issue soon.
In the meantime, and most importantly, please continue to pray each day for Old St. Mary’s. The Lord and the Archbishop have placed much trust and responsibility upon us, together we will ensure this remains a place of prayer, heritage and culture for generations to come. Have a Blessed Week ahead!
