tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post8948193653454272654..comments2024-03-25T06:39:42.081-04:00Comments on Bonfire of the Vanities: Letting go of money (Sunday homily)Fr Martin Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-29286087543308081352009-10-07T16:52:40.904-04:002009-10-07T16:52:40.904-04:00Anonymous:
Thanks for your comments, although the...Anonymous:<br /><br />Thanks for your comments, although the insult wasn't necessary.<br /><br />1. What I can tell you from my limited experience, and what other pastors and what folks who have been involved as parishioners over many years tell me, is that an awful lot of parishioners will, nonetheless, hold the pastor accountable first and last.<br /><br />But it's not an either-or. The finance committees have the task of reviewing financial statements, asking questions, offering expertise. In my case, I have two finance committees, one for each parish. Whatever data they want, the parish business managers give them. We talk periodically about good business practices, and how well our operations measure up. We talk about budgets and expenses. But the thing is, most expenses are more or less fixed. We don't have as many options as some might think.<br /><br />My point was that the pastor still has to be well acquainted with all this, and be able to give an account of it all to parishioners.<br /><br />2. I disagree about making salaries public, and that is not just my own opinion as a "control freak" in your words. There are legal issues involved, as well as morale issues.<br /><br />I buy a lot of groceries at Krogers, and I own stock in some companies; but neither entitles me to know what these companies' employees get paid.<br /><br />3. Setting the agenda...well, what I had in mind was, for example, what sort of religious education or youth programs a parish might have. It would normally be the pastor who oversees this, hopefully having staff or volunteers to help as DRE, principal, teachers, catechists, and the like. <br /><br />I'm not aware of pastoral councils in Catholic parishes being in charge of making such hiring decisions, or deciding curriculum, etc. <br /><br />But because these involve expense, they are part of the budget, so they do involve the finance committee. My point was, the pastor cannot simply leave it to the finance committee--he needs to stay involved.<br /><br />So, I may indeed be a "control freak," but I stand by my observations to Greta--which were, if you recall, speculative, and offered in response to the concern she herself raised.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-22529957546241160402009-10-04T18:12:08.833-04:002009-10-04T18:12:08.833-04:00Being concerned with finances and the budget is fi...Being concerned with finances and the budget is fine until a pastor becomes so obsessed by it that he cancels hospital visits, neglecting visits to the home-bound and nurshing homes, or other pastoral duties. Then it becomes a problem.<br />As far as your concerns:<br />1. Accountability - that may be true but I think that the overwhelming number of finance committees are competent enough and should be trusted by the pastor. After all, it's their parish.<br />2. My opinion is that all those salaries should be public knowledge anyway. If the parishoners are paying for them they have a right to know.<br />3. Setting the agenda. That job belongs rightfully to the parishoners, represented by the parish council. They should set the agenda.<br />Those three reasons are pretty flimsy and your conclusion seems to be a grave disservice to those folks on your finance committee, unless they are totally imcompetent.<br />You sound like a control freak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-5077236163169986112009-10-01T09:10:08.652-04:002009-10-01T09:10:08.652-04:00Greta:
Well, you could be a member of my finance ...Greta:<br /><br />Well, you could be a member of my finance committee, that priest could be me!<br /><br />Here's the challenge: for me--and I'm guessing perhaps for that pastor--it may be these other issues:<br /><br />1) the pastor is accountable and will be held accountable, no matter what.<br /><br />2) the budget includes what people are paid, and other confidential data, and the pastor may be trying to protect that.<br /><br />3) control of the budget = setting the agenda for the parish, to the extent this or that priority costs any significant amount. <br /><br />Of course, not knowing more, these are only guesses--but they are issues that have come up here. As much as I would like to, I don't think I can completely turn over the finances to the finance committees here, for these reasons.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-8744549254403990262009-10-01T00:54:00.077-04:002009-10-01T00:54:00.077-04:00Many today are going through tough times and by fo...Many today are going through tough times and by force are making changes in their lives to downsize. A friend recently going through this made the same point to me of his new life without things he use to think brought him joy. His new job is making about half, but in it he is doing things he truly loves and that contribute something positive to others. I have never seen him happier.<br /><br /><br />I have served on the finance committee of a parish for years. I want to try and take things off the platter of our priests in every way possible. However, I also see a lot of pushback from th priest who seems to be clinging to control of the finanaces and in doing so, he also seems to be losing a very visible spirituality he once possessed. Do you have some advice father on how to get this priest to let go more to allow us who live in the daily world of finance to help him more. There are some very amazing people on this committee dedicated to the parish and never wanting in any way to bring any negative issues in what we do to the parish or the Church.Gretahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277481992746685122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-13201745100872162812009-09-29T11:14:38.886-04:002009-09-29T11:14:38.886-04:00We all want to make lots of money, to get married ...We all want to make lots of money, to get married and have children, to enjoy ourselves and live a comfortable life. This is human nature. What is so unique about our priests is - they forgo all earthly treasures, their career and marriage and even themselves to serve God and to serve us. I just couldn't think of any other nobler vocation than that. May God Bless You, Father.Lavinia Taihttp://passionofchrist-lechemindecroix.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com