By
JOSEPH McALEER
Fairfield County Catholic,
February 10, 2007
Details of the Diocese of Bridgep The financial mismanagement crisis
at Saint Michael the Archangel Parish in Greenwich has raised many questions
among the faithful - and allowed many misconceptions to proliferate.
One of these questions concerns the routine financial contributions
by our parishes directly to the Diocese of Bridgeport. What is the nature
of these contributions, and why are they required?
Some people have
claimed, in letters to newspapers and in general conversation, that
most, if not all, of parish revenues are channeled to the diocese, tipping
the scales unfairly away from the parish. This claim is untrue. To clear
up any misunderstandings, and in an effort to educate our faithful and
generous parishioners throughout the diocese, Fairfield County Catholic
poses questions and provides answers.
First
of all, what exactly is a "Diocese" and how do our parishes operate
within its structure?
A diocese (from
the Latin diocesis, "jurisdiction," and the Greek dioikesis,
"administration") is the organizational structure of the Roman Catholic
Church at the local level. Established by the Holy See, a diocese is
comprised of Catholics within a specific geographical area, under the
authority of a bishop, who is their spiritual leader. The Diocese
of Bridgeport, established in 1953, embraces all of Fairfield County
(625 square miles), with a Catholic population of more than 460,000
(51 percent of the total population).
Diocesan territory
is divided into parishes. In our diocese, there are 87 parishes, each
a defined community of the faithful established by the bishop and entrusted
to the care of a pastor or administrator. Each Catholic parish, moreover,
under Connecticut law, is incorporated as a separate corporation, with
the bishop as president. Members of the parish corporation include the
vicars general, the pastor, and two lay members of the parish.
Parishes rely on
the diocese for programs, services, and spiritual direction. The diocese,
in turn, oversees the spiritual direction, programs, and administrative
services of the Church that directly benefit each parish and its local
community. For example, the diocese directs the operation and promotion
of Catholic schools, religious education programs, Catholic Charities,
marriage preparation, and the Safe Environment program, to name a few.
In terms of personnel,
the diocese oversees the priests and deacons, and assists religious
Sisters in your parish; encourages vocations to expand their ranks;
and monitors human resources for all clergy and more than 2,000 lay
employees throughout Fairfield County.
Do
parishes contribute to the funding of the diocese?
They do. Parish
contributions to the funding of programs and services of the diocese
come primarily from two sources. These are the Annual Bishop's Appeal,
conducted in all 87 parishes, and a monthly parish contribution called
"Cathedraticum." Each of these will be explained in turn.
What
is the Annual Bishop's Appeal?
The Annual Bishop's
Appeal is the primary fundraiser for the Diocese of Bridgeport. Eighty
percent of the diocese's operating budget for programs and services
comes from the Appeal.
The Appeal allows
the continued operation, and expansion, of more than two dozen diocesan
programs and ministries. These include Pastoral
Services (religious education, R.C.I.A., youth and young adult ministry,
Respect Life activities, and marriage preparation); Catholic
schools (there are 39 diocesan schools, educating more than 12,000
young people); vocations programs
for deacons and priests (and the Saint John Fisher Seminary in Stamford);
support of retired clergy; hospital chaplains; ethnic ministries to
African- American, Hispanic, and Haitian Catholics; the Safe
Environment program (more than 40,000 clergy, employees, and volunteers
trained to date); the Marriage Tribunal; Parish Finance Services (working
now to implement a program of enhanced parish financial controls and
monitorings); and Communications (Fairfield County Catholic and
the website, www.bridgeportdiocese.com).
The Appeal also
helps to fund Catholic
Charities (the largest private provider of social services in Fairfield
County, with 700,000 meals served to needy families last year); special
services at Saint Augustine Cathedral, the Mother Church of the diocese;
and the Cardinal
Shehan Center, a haven for inner-city kids in Bridgeport.
The Appeal is undertaken
in all 87 parishes, starting in March and concluding in June. This year's
Appeal, "Living Our Faith," will
be launched the weekend of March 3-4. Each parish is assigned a goal,
determined by a committee of 20 pastors.
Participation in
the Appeal is voluntary, and contributions are paid directly to the
diocese, not to the parish.
Last year, 23 percent
of Catholics in Fairfield County participated in the Appeal, and 85
of 87 parishes met or exceeded their goal, for an all-time record total
of more than $12.3 million.
Participation in
the Annual Bishop's Appeal is a vehicle for Catholics, as members of
a parish, to express their faith and promote the Gospel message of helping
others. "We are all called to participate in the mission of the Church,
as lovers of Christ, as members of His body, the Church, to sustain,
support, and participate in the wonderful work of the Church in Fairfield
County," Bishop William E. Lori says.
What
is "Cathedraticum"?
Twenty percent of
the diocesan operating budget is supported directly by each parish in
the diocese through a monthly contribution called Cathedraticum (from
the Latin cathedra, the bishop's seat or throne, a symbol of
his authority; and the Greek tio, "to pay" in the sense of paying
honor to a person). Cathedraticum is not unique to the Diocese of Bridgeport,
but part of the Universal Church. Its practice dates to the sixth century.
In the Diocese of
Bridgeport, the amount of Cathedraticum is based on a percentage of
a parish's offertory revenue - the amount collected at all weekend Masses.
This amount was set in 1998 by an advisory committee of pastors at 7.58
percent of the offertory income.
Cathedraticum revenue
funds activities and services that are not covered by revenue from the
Annual Bishop's Appeal. These include the activities of major diocesan
officials, including the Bishop, Chancellor, Vicars General, and the
Chief Financial Officer (Diocesan Finance Services); human resources
and support services; purchasing; and information technology. Also funded
are the physical operation of the Catholic Center buildings and the
current
Saint Catherine Academy building (the Academy will move to Holy
Cross Parish in Fairfield later this year), and the organization of
special diocesan Masses, such as those for Catholic legal professionals
(Red Mass); health care workers (White Mass); and police, fire, and
emergency services personnel (Blue Mass).
Through Cathedraticum,
each parish helps to support ministries and services which directly
benefit the Church at the local level, particularly in terms of corporate
documentation and contract reviews; financial management and stewardship;
and human resources.
So,
if the Diocese is funded primarily by only two sources from parishes,
the Annual Bishop's Appeal and Cathedraticum, then any other contribution
made directly by a parishioner to his or her parish, stays in that parish
for its use?
Correct. With the
exception of the 7.58 percent Cathedraticum on weekend offertory revenue,
all contributions to parishes remain in the parishes, for the parishes'
benefit. Gifts to the Annual Bishop's Appeal are made to the diocese
and sent directly there.
According to the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, some 90 percent of donations
to local parishes in the U.S. stay with the parishes to operate their
churches, pay salaries and benefits of priests and parish workers; fund
the parish office and parish programs; and pay other expenses, including
a contribution to support local Catholic schools.
Most parishes, moreover,
contribute locally to soup kitchens and food banks, or make contributions
to support sister parishes in need in the inner cities.
Every parishioner
who financially contributes to his or her parish for a specific purpose
is expected to receive an acknowledgement letter from the pastor, with
assurance that the donation will be used for its intended purpose -
to support the religious education program, buy flowers for the altar,
purchase a new organ - whatever it may be.
For
the record - Are parish contributions to the diocese, via the Annual
Bishop's Appeal or Cathedraticum, used by the diocese to fund legal
settlements?
Absolutely not.
The legal settlements of 2001 and 2003 were financed by insurance and
the sale of undeveloped surplus land.
(To learn more
about the "Six Key Elements" to enhance parish and diocesan financial
controls and monitoring, click
here.)
