• Saint Celestine Parish Financial Report for the Fiscal Year of July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
• Monthly Finance Council Meeting Highlights
• 2011 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL
• $TOP Program - Form - NEXT STOP PROGRAM on July 9, 10, 23 and 24
• Financial Pledge Form in Adobe Reader (pdf - 41 KB) - You can download and fill out this Pledge Form and return it to the Pastoral Center.

Statement of Purpose of the Finance Council

"The Finance Council provides assistance and review to and for the pastor in his stewardship of parish resources. In effect, the Finance Council is a key element in maintaining the financial health of St. Celestine Parish under the direction of the pastor"

Members of the Finance Council

Michael Miller - Chair Carl Wisniewski - Secretary Joanne Bieschke
Ed Stare	Nancy Mueller - Business Manager	Rev. Jeffrey Grob - Pastor

From Pastor's Letter - Morsels and Tidbits dated September 26, 2010

Saint Celestine Parish Financial Report for the Fiscal Year of July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
in Adobe Reader (pdf - 505 KB)

PARISH FINANCES - Last weekend, I shared the following words at all the Masses:

In the gospel we just heard, Jesus told his disciples a parable about a rich man who had a dishonest steward, guilty of squandering the man’s property.

I must admit that it is a little more than nerve-wracking to stand before you this weekend and speak about our parish finances, considering the steward had to render an account of his stewardship before being terminated.

However, I promised you shortly after becoming your pastor that each year I would come before you to offer a “state of the parish” address. I firmly believe that financial transparency is essential to the successful operation of any parish. With that in mind, here we go:

Last year, at the end of the 2008-2009 fiscal year, I began this talk by quoting Charles Dickens’ famous line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” And certainly for many of our parishioners, it was the worst of times, financially speaking. Unfortunately, this past fiscal year (2009-2010) has not seen a whole lot of improvement. Most people continue to struggle to make ends meet.

That is why I am particularly grateful to be able to inform you that we had a deficit of only $13,782.00. Now that may sound like a lot of money to you – and I realize that any deficit is never a good thing. However, let me remind you that in the previous fiscal year (2008-2009), we ended with a deficit of $129,162.00 – a difference of more than $115,000.00.

This is significant – actually, it is quite amazing given the current economic situation.

Why the smaller deficit? One of the main reasons is your generous support of this parish – plain and simple. And you deserve to be congratulated. As I have told you so often before – this is your parish – the priests assigned to this parish and our weekend assistants come and go – but you are the stable component that comprises this faith community, and obviously you have taken your responsibility very seriously. As your pastor, I thank you!!

Over the last fiscal year:

• Our Sunday collections increased by nearly 3%.
• Our Easter collection increased by 10%
• You generously responded to the “Balance the Budget” direct mailing campaign.
• Your faithful support of our two special monthly collections remained strong.

And I could go on.

Another reason contributing to a smaller deficit is a concerted effort throughout the entire parish plant (both school and church) to use cost-saving measures wherever and whenever possible. For instance, the electricity costs for this church building alone were reduced by 42% mainly through the installation of costefficient light bulbs. And there are many other examples.

Of course, while we do our best to save on one end – the cost of most everything continues to increase on the other, like our property and casualty insurance, snow removal (last winter was a rough one), building repairs, equipment repairs, building services – and so forth. It is not unlike your own households. The expenses never go away and seldom lessen in cost.

But this weekend – I do not want to focus on the negative. We have made tremendous strides throughout the last fiscal year to be prudent stewards of the gifts we have received. I simply encourage you to continue to support this parish community as best you can – something that you do not only financially but also by the way you consistently give of your time and talent. We are blessed with many selfless volunteers who give of themselves for the sake of the entire St. Celestine community – both church and school.

I am most thankful for the hard work of our Finance Council and all that you do to support them. I am deeply grateful to each and every one of you for loving this parish so much to make the continual sacrifices that you do.

As in the past, the fiscal report for last year will be published in next weekend’s bulletin. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Nancy Mueller, our business manager. We welcome your questions and/or input.

I pray each day that God will richly bless your generous hearts!

SOME ADDITIONAL INFO – The following is a breakdown of the Capital Expenses/Improvements for the 2009-2010 fiscal year:

CHURCH AND PASTORAL CENTER

SCHOOL AND CREED CENTER

RESIDENCES

Praying for you,
Fr. Jeffrey

Highlights of the May
Finance Council Meeting

• The budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 has been completed and submitted to the Archdiocese for final approval.
   
• Parishioners have already been responding generously to the “balance the budget” appeal currently underway.
   
• Floor tiles will be replaced in three classrooms of the school over the summer months.
   
• A final decision has not yet been reached on how to proceed with the repair of the church roof.
   
• Now that summer is nearly upon us, the Finance Council reminds all parishioners to remember your Sunday donations to the parish, even when you are on vacation.

Highlights of the April
Finance Council Meeting

• The Finance Council will continue to work with the Archdiocesan Department of Stewardship and Development in developing an appropriate planned giving program for the parish.
   
• The budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 will be finalized soon.
   
• 92% of parishioners who are enrolled in the Parish Pledge Program are fulfilling their commitment on a weekly basis.
   
• Bids have been received for further asbestos abatement in the school. Bids are still being sought for repairs of the church roof.

“…seek first the kingdom of God…”
Matthew 6:33

The theme of the 2011 Annual Catholic Appeal is “…seek first the kingdom of God…” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus taught that we are not to worry about the things of this world. Rather, we are to seek the kingdom of God and the Father will reward us. God provides all that we have and all that we are. Stewardship, in part, is the recognition of God’s gifts and the obligation to return a significant portion of our gifts to assist in his work. Our gifts to our parish, to our Archdiocese and the Church throughout the world are given in gratitude for what God has given us. A gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal helps to provide education, services, and ministry to thousands within and outside of our Archdiocese.

The Appeal supports parish ministries that provide religious education to children, youth and adults in economically disadvantaged communities. It is also one of the largest philanthropic sources of financial support for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese. The Appeal also funds services that are of great help to the ministries of every parish in the Archdiocese.

Also, when St. Celestine Parish reaches its goal of $38,970.00 in paid pledges, 100% of the additional funds received will be returned to the parish for use in the parish. Please make a significant pledge to the 2011 Annual Catholic Appeal.

$TOP Order Form in Adobe Reader (pdf - 178 KB)

Dear St. Celestine Parishioners,

As you know, the Finance Council reports our weekly Sunday collections, and you’ve probably noticed that these collections don’t always meet the weekly budgeted amount. This is not a surprise with today’s economy.

To offset this, the Finance Council has been taking steps to reduce expenses by:

• Installing more energy-efficient lighting in the church over the pews; additional lighting will be installed over the main aisle and altar when replacement bulbs are received.
• Reducing printing/mailing expenses for donation envelopes by nearly 50% after conducting a survey of parishioners who do not use them.
• Eliminating telephone lines by reconfiguring office spaces in the Pastoral Center.
• Other minor details to cut expenses where possible.

In addition, the council has looked into ways to generate income in addition to your Sunday donations. This has been accomplished by installing the paper recycling bins in the parking lot. The amount collected in May was 1.54 tons; in June, it was 4.12 tons. The first check for this should be received in the near future. Not only are our parishioners saving the earth, but we’re getting paid for it as well. It surely is a win-win situation! Keep up the great work!

Now it’s time to introduce yet another way to earn a different type of income for our parish. For 17 years, the St. Celestine School Parents’ Club has been sponsoring the $.T.O.P. ($HOP To Open Possibilities) Program. The possibility has been the opportunity for school parents to earn tuition credit by purchasing shopping certificates through $TOP while also earning some funds for the Parents’ Club. The program is now being offered to our parishioners at large as yet one other way to generate funds for our parish. Many neighboring parishes offer a similar program called Manna. We are fortunate to have a dedicated, hard-working, honest individual who will head this program. Many of our parishioners are familiar with her; she is Jackie Mescolotto and can be reached at 630-918-5168 if you have any questions.

Here is a brief explanation of how the $TOP Program works. You purchase gift certificates for a variety of vendors (Jewel, Dominick’s, Super Low, Caputos, JC Penney, Sears, Shell Oil, etc.) at face value from the $TOP Program. These certificates can be used just like cash for your everyday shopping, dining, and gift-giving needs. The $TOP Program purchases the certificates through a number of organizations at a discount. You are paying face value for the certificates; the discount the $TOP Program receives is kept by the church as fundraising income.

As was noted, the school has successfully run this program for 17 years. It is the parish’s goal to be as successful in an effort to make up for the decrease in Sunday offerings. The school’s success has been based on the biggest selling certificates: groceries, gasoline, pharmacies, department stores, and discount stores. Even in today’s economy, the necessity of grocery shopping and gasoline purchases don’t go away - those expenses remain. Paying for them with gift certificates purchased through $TOP will help the parish tremendously.

You can drop off your completed order form linked above with payment in the vestibules of church on the 2nd and 4th weekends of each month before mass in the drop boxes labeled as such. Order forms are also located in both vestibules of the church or at the Pastoral Center. Make checks payable to St. Celestine Church. Then pick up your order when mass is over at the 76th Court Vestibule (directly across from the chapel). Any certificates not available after mass will be available for pick up in the Pastoral Center after 3 pm on the following Wednesday of the respective weekend.

If 300 parish families purchased $100 in grocery certificates and $25 in gas certificates weekly, the parish would earn almost $1,400 weekly! This is a very “general” example; the potential is there for even more earnings based on the number of families attending mass and the variety of vendors available through this program. Use the certificates for everyday shopping in place of cash or to give as gifts.

Thank you for your support of this worthwhile program. We are always available to answer any questions you may have; feel free to call either of us. We look forward to developing this program for our parish.

Nancy Mueller, Business Manager
St. Celestine School $.T.O.P. Program Coordinator
708-453-2555

Jackie Mescolotto
630-918-5168