St. Michael’s Parish
P.O. Box 610
Bell Island NL A0A 4H0
May 1, 2008

Our Parish Update

 

Last fall we mailed out a picture of who we are as a community of people committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We outlined our mission and the many ways each of us can be involved in building St. Michael’s Community as a number one Parish.

Last month we gave the financial report of St. Michael’s Parish for the Year 2007.

We are now One Third the way through 2008. It might be interesting to see where we are.

WHERE ARE WE?
We are blessed with so many generous people who serve our Parish. So many people are serious and faithful about their scheduled commitments to serving on the parish ministries.
We deeply appreciate the planning of the Parish and Finance Committee. We are never without people to take their place at the Liturgy. The Proclamation of God’s Word, the Celebration in Song and the Worship at the Eucharist is second to none.
The parishioners who cater at functions are going beyond the call of duty to raise extra funds, without which we cannot grow as a Parish. We give thanks daily for dedicated service from those who are deeply involved

You may have noticed that the number of parishioners attending the weekend Masses is considerably less than it should be.

Families who have lost loved-ones recently will notice that the number on our Bereavement Team is down to a faithful few.
We have only a few leaders for the Liturgy for Children each Sunday.

While some of our Youth are extremely involved, seventy-five percent of our young families do not seem to feel the need to gather as a family each Saturday or Sunday. While the obligation “to assist at Mass on all Sundays” is still the law, Vatican II Council hoped for a Church that would worship, not out of obligation but out of gratitude to God for all the ways we are blessed every day of the week.

When you are absent, we not only feel that empty space, we miss your personal time and talent. We need the time and talent of every baptized parishioner in order to become the kind of Church, God has called us to be. Everybody has something they can contribute. God gives us 168 hours every week; surely we can take one hour to gather and to say thanks.

Let’s be honest as we ask ourselves the following question:

“WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MAKE MY PARISH MORE ALIVE AND MORE PRESENT TO OTHERS?”

No one else has your personal gifts and talents. Can you use them to help our parish grow as a community of faith and a sign of hope to the world around us?

Before September we will need to elect three people to serve on our Parish Council and Finance Committee. We need to bring our bereavement Team up to eight members.

We have ample spaces for new readers and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. We are now using the same Ushers and Collectors every Sunday.

Father Jim and Sister Phyllis do their best to keep in touch with the sick and shut-ins; but every week we get the feeling that the house-bound and hospitalized would also like a visit from a good active parishioner.

If you really want to see a human Bee-hive or human Ant-hill, just visit the parish hall almost any day of the week. If we are going to keep depending on the good work of Fund-raisers to balance the parish budget, we need more willing and able workers to cater.

INCOME FROM ALL SOURCES: $ 36,593.62
TOTAL EXPENSES FOR 2008 41,106.75
That left us a negative balance of: ($ 4,513.13)

If this trend continues, we will have approximately
$15,000 less than we need to pay our expenses in 2008.

We are concerned about this because our Sunday Collections come in at around $1,000 each Sunday rather than the $2,000 we need to keep the books balanced.

The Parish, just like your own home is experiencing the rising costs of food, oil and gas. Like you, we are struggling to make ends meet.

KNOWING ALL THIS; WHAT CAN WE DO ?
At our last Finance Meeting, discussion about the rising costs of heat, light and food led to the following measures to decrease costs and increase revenue:

- Celebrate Daily Mass in the Weekday Chapel.

- Raise the Hall Rental (for private functions)
from $150.00 up to $175.00.

- Dinners at the Hall from $10.00 up to $12.00

- Funeral Receptions (100 people) raised from $150.00 up to $175.00:

- New Prices are for all New Bookings.

CHURCH ROOF:

The flat roof over the Main Entrance and Sacristy Vesting Area has to be replaced.
Several Leaks resulting from melting snow and driving rain were experienced since last summer. Estimates for this project are now being advertised and invited. We will give you a further report when these figures become available. Your extra assistance will be needed to help with the cost of this renovation.

CEMETERY MAINTENANCE:
This is an ongoing project which includes fencing, clean-up and opening up two new rows for burials during 2008-2009. Our roadways need additional shale rock to keep pace with the soft and muddy drive-ways.
If you are away from home and your family plot needs work, please notify a member of the Cemetery Committee. Suitable work and financing arrangements can be made.
Every Baptized Person is entitled to a Christian Burial in a cemetery that is kept in excellent condition. No graves are permitted to be opened and no Ashes are permitted to be buried without a government burial permit which is presented to a registered Undertaker and the Parish Cemetery Chairman.

GENERAL PARISH MAINTENANCE:

In order to keep the Parish buildings and grounds in good condition, there is need for the regular summer maintenance, which includes clean-up, repairs, painting and the renewal of worn-out equipment.

As your Parish Council and Finance Committee, we felt you should be made aware of the present situation.

While we still have some money in our Parish Savings to look after dire emergency, if we use up that savings, we will no longer be financially stable as a parish. If we continue to allow our Sunday Collections to diminish and allow our Fund-Raising efforts to slip, within five to six years we will no longer be able to meet our regular expenses as a viable parish.

For the past six years we have worked very hard to get out of debt and set aside some Investment Money. We were successful in this venture, because everyone joined in to make this happen.

The future of our parish depends on all of us working together by sharing the gifts that God has given us in such abundance.

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