CIRCULAR TO PARISHIONERS WEEK 44 - APR 02, 2005
POPE JOHN PAUL II - Requiescat in Pace
We join with all the faithful in mourning the death of Pope John Paul II. May
everlasting peace be his reward; and may we continue to dedicate ourselves to the
Gospel, following in the example of his fervour and integrity.
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The Financial Statement of St. Martin of Tours
The statement has now been published and some concerns raised by parishioners are
as follows:
1. The Statement is prepared on a Cash Basis - Receipts and Expenditures - but it
does not indicate the cash position of St. Martin of Tours. One would have hoped to
see:
Cash balance as at December 31, 2003 xxxx
Add: Receipts Jan - December 2004 518,316
Subtotal xxxxxx
Less: Expenditures for the year 2004 509, 671
Cash Balance as at December 31, 2004 xxxxxxx
And one would expect that this balance would have been reconciled to the Bank
Statement.
2. Receipts reflect bank interest of $2,235. Can one assume from this that there are
sufficient funds on hand? .
3. The parish received $81,487 from the Chancery. Does this mean that the parish
was not able to support itself and had to borrow from the Chancery, for its normal,
regular operations?
4. Bingo Fund Donations are $3,107.00. Can the Bingo Committee confirm that this
is the total for 2004?
5. The statement shows payments for: Clergy salaries-Visiting priests, Lay Employees,
Payroll deductions, Office supplies, Taxes-Insurance-Water-hydro-Heating, Repairs &
Maintenance and Other Church Expenses at a grand total of $256,068. Excluding
unusual items, the parish operating costs appear to have risen 48% in five years. This
seems extraordinarily high.
6. All major and minor expenditures seem to have been captured under appropriate
headings as listed above. That being the case, what does "Sundry Expenses" of
$22,679 refer to? Some clarification is merited.
7. The Financial Statement does not disclose, by way of a Note as it should, the
amount of funds that are being held in trust, by the Chancery. We understand that the
amount was previously stated as close to a million dollars or thereabouts. What is it
now? We believe that parishioners should be advised of this information.
8. Has this Financial Statement been audited? Are we expected to accept the work
of, perhaps, unqualified parish accountants? We are dealing with half a million dollars
in revenues and expenditures and one would expect that parishioners (and the
Chancery) are provided and displayed a measure of accountability, by having the
accounts verified by a Professional Accountant.
9. In his recent "Bishop's corner" announcement in our parish bulletin (4th Sunday in
Lent), the Bishop states that ”….Members of the Finance Council are chosen by the
pastor with a special care for the skills and knowledge that each can bring to this
responsibility." The weekly parish Bulletins indicate: “Finance Council, Ed Beaudry
905-279-5742”. We wonder how qualified the Finance Council members are. And,
who they are?
In light of the questions raised above, may we expect that the pastor will publish a
revised Financial Statement of full disclosure? The parishioners would really
appreciate this clarification.
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STILL MORE PARISHIONERS ARE BEING EXCLUDED
FROM FULL PARTICIPATION IN THE VOCATION OF THE LAITY
In the past few weeks Fr. Beltran removed more volunteer Ministers of the Eucharist
who bring communion to the sick and house-bound. “Only one person is needed for
this job” - is his stated rationale. Hospitalised and house-bound parishioners are NOT
better served by reducing the number of ministers, and neither is the Lord. St Martin
of Tours now has more “fired” volunteers than active volunteers.
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Parish Council
The “Bishop’s Corner” in the Parish bulletin is to educate us in preparation for the
establishment of a Parish Council. To assist in this education, over the coming weeks
we will publish information from official Archdiocesan guidelines.
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ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO GUIDELINES FOR PARISH COUNCILS
No better expression of the reason for a Parish Council can be found than these words
about the duty of the priest to his people (as per the Decree on the Ministry and Life
of Priests, 9):
1) Priests must so govern as not to be seeking their own good but that of Christ;
2) They must work hard, hand in hand with the laity, and conduct themselves among
their people according to the example of their Master, who came ‘not to be served by
others but to serve them, and to give His life for the redemption of many’.
3) The clergy must sincerely recognize and support the dignity of the laypeople,
and the special share which they have in the work of the Church.
More next week…
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Caring and Sharing
We care about our Parish. We encourage parishioners to visit our church to spend
time in private prayer, to pray that God will return us to a loving unified community.
Praying together, staying together. We care too, about those in need. Here are a few,
of many, charitable organizations worthy of your consideration:
1. Catholic Missions in Canada, 201-1155 Yonge St., Toronto, Ont. M4T 1W2
2. St. Vincent de Paul Society, 240 Church St., Toronto, Ont. M5B 1Z2
3. Birthright Mississauga, 307-2600 Edenhurst, Mississauga, Ont. L5A 3Z8
4. Dr. Simone's Canadian Food for Children, 40 King George Rd.,Toronto,Ont.
M8X1L3
5. Ian Anderson House, 430 Winston Churchill Blvd. Oakville, Ont. L6J 7X2
6. Solidarite-Sud (Haiti), c/o Maison Alonzo Wright, 2425A St-Louis St.,
Gatineau QC J8V 1E7
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For more information, contact: Aisling Egan 416 671-4710
Pat DeAngelis 416 809-1819 Duncan Walker 905 277-9825
Lucy Pires 905 273-6093 Dunstan Bazely 905 275-3946
JudyByrnes 905-275-1536 Patricia Russell 905-279-9205
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Email: bishop.boissonneau@rogers.com Fax: 416 207-4984.
ambrozic@archtoronto.org Fax: 416 934-3452.
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