Dear Parishioners, +JMJ
This past week, we had our first finance council of the new academic year. Following are highlights.
- We looked at the usual financial reports: the balance sheet, the profit-and-loss statement.We also heard from a council member who performed the most recent internal audit for the last couple of months.
- The Bishop’s ACA campaign to date is $35,202 dollars, surpassing our $32,000 goal. Many thanks to everybody who gave!
- New computers, server and network upgrades at the Parish office and school are pretty much completed. This cost about $4,500.
- The school alumni annual appeal letter raised $10,996 so far. That is only about half of what was raised by the same letter at this time last year.
- The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Toledo (where we have our vocations endowment) this past summer became The Catholic Investment Trust. The new Trust allows parishes to invest money just for ongoing parish operations. Given that we have some $250,000 in savings, which is making minimal interest, with this new investment possibility, it makes sense to invest a big chunk of that savings into the Trust as a general investment account. The money will make significantly more interest there than in the current savings account. The new Catholic Investment Trust (like the Catholic Foundation) boasts very competitive return rates; and all of the money is invested in a way that follows Catholic social principles. There is no investment into entities or activities which are contrary to the Catholic Faith.
- The beer and wine tasting event raised about $9000 dollars, although all of the expenses are not yet tallied. (Most of them are.)
- The first special collection for hurricane relief raised $1,084. This money has been sent to Catholic Charities.
- The Spanish hymnals and accompaniment books for the Spanish Mass cost a little over $1,000. We had $1,000, however, from a donation a couple years ago that was earmarked for Hispanic outreach.
- The prayer garden at Paulding was vandalized the night of Sunday, September 15. Somebody ripped out and crushed one of the lights. We made a police report, but no word yet on who did this.
- We are beginning to talk about some type of prayer garden or grotto at our Payne campus. This idea came up a couple of years ago, after we razed the rectory. Now our school’s accreditation plan includes some type of outdoor prayer/grotto space. The students would participate in the creation of the space. We are just starting to move forward with discussion, to see if this project can become a reality. A significant amount of money has already been donated through recent memorials.
- Volunteer Projects at Payne: Dan and Ann Olwin spruced up the bathroom (painting, etc.). Leo Beagle created a new vanity front, which makes the bathroom look much better. Roseann Glass stained and polyurethaned the sacristy door frame, as well as the vesting cabinet top. The main steps were cleaned by Mark Glass and Tim Baumle.
- Antwerp Projects: We are waiting on Lee Construction to seal all of the brick on the outside of the belltower ($1,500). Once it seems we have stopped the moisture, we will have to remove the interior plaster that has gone bad again, and replace it with new plaster or drywall. We are still working to replace and/or move the organ speakers up in the loft to a more suitable place, now that we have seating right in front of the speakers. We still want put the music numbers board at a bit of a slant, so that people in front on the other side of the church can see it easily.We have to remove four trees at the West end of the church ($2,000). At the Antwerp Center, we replaced carpeting in the front entry and large room ($4,943). We still have to install windows in some of the classroom doors. In the Antwerp rectory basement we still have to vent the dryer somehow through an exterior wall.
- Paulding Projects: We signed a contract with Lee Construction to replace the roof over the northeast sacristy ($10,160).
- Payne Projects: The bat problem continues. The bats found a way to get in through the ridge vent. The exterminator continues to look for a chance to address the situation (When there is a lift in the area). We want to fill in with dirt or stone the small gully between parking lot and yard that has existed since the time of the new parking lot was installed. Risk for sprained ankles. We contacted Solid Ground Landscaping to handle this. Preparations have been been made (wiring, etc.) towards installation of new belltower equipment.
- Paulding Rectory Projects: The guest bathroom tub-and-shower has some cracks in it. We’re going to replace it with a corner shower. The tiles of the bathroom floor have separated, and they collect mold and other dirt in the cracks that is very hard to clean. We will replace the tiles on the floor. We’ll also update the vanity. Eventually (In a couple/three years?) We should address the basement moisture problem, because the brick walls continue to disintegrate (d/t effervescence). An outside parishioner is creating new doors for the front office library shelves in the rectory. Volunteers are going to make sure all of the electrical outlets in the rectory are up to code, and check out other wiring that might be questionable. The gutters on the rectory garage are shot, so that in a heavy rain, the garage gets flooded.When we were getting a quote for the gutters, we were informed that the roof is in terrible shape as well. So, we are getting quotes for all of it.
- School Projects: We are getting quotes on a two-way intercom system, so that teachers can communicate from the classroom back to the office, rather than having to send a student with a message.
- Future Projects: Here are the newest estimates from Verdin for bells at Antwerp ($13,580… although Dennis O’Donnell might be able to do some significant part of this work) and Paulding ($8845; although the cost could be higher if we need to bring in a lift).
