CIRCULAR TO PARISHIONERS WEEK 45 - APR 09, 2005
We mourn the passing of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II
“As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II shepherded our Church and the world
through times of turmoil and trepidation. We pray for his soul and for wisdom to guide the decisions of those
who will be influencing the future of the Catholic Church.” (VOTF)
______________________________________________________________
Most Reverend John A. Boissonneau,
After so many months, the dissension, division and disturbance still prevail at
St Martin of Tours, to the sorrow and dismay of an erstwhile thriving and
vibrant parish community.
I am an 86 yrs old widow. I have been a parishioner of St Martin of Tours
since its inception. Over the years strong bonds of affection have been
formed within the parish families and the church itself which stands on land
once farmed by my late husband’s family. There existed strong ties of unity in
our worship and fellowship. Personally I felt privileged to quote:
“I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy house, the place wherein Thy glory
dwelleth.”
On occasion, there have been three generations of my family worshipping at
Mass together in this church to which we belong, high in our love and affection
to the parish community and the faith we loyally practice. My husband on his
last journey on earth was carried from St Martin of Tours. It is my devout hope
that when the time comes, I, too, will have the same experience.
As long as the existing circumstances as at present prevail at St. Martin of
Tours, with only a minimum of exercise of your ecclesiastic powers to
intervene to restore harmony and peace, I have regrettably and sadly informed
my family to hold my obsequies elsewhere, knowing that God in his infinite
mercy cares for us all.
M. J. McDonell
(Josie McDonell)
______________________________________________________________
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, we continue to publish information from official Archdiocesan guidelines.
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):
4) The priest must be quick to give the laity a hearing;
5) He should acknowledge their experience and competence and entrust to laypersons functions in
service of the Church;
6) Where opportunity offers, he should invite the laypersons to act on their own.
______________________________________________________________
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
Judy Byrnes 905 275-1536 Patricia Russell 905 279-9205
Email: bishop.boissonneau@rogers.com Fax: 416 207-4984.
ambrozic@archtoronto.org Fax: 416 934-3452.
______________________________________________________________
A PARISHIONER'S REVIEW OF THE PARISH FINANCIAL STATEMENT
(In the absence of adequate disclosure of Parish finances, parishioners have taken a closer look at previous
statements in order to deduce the current state. These conclusions are opinions only, derived from the actual
limited information published. We are entitled to know how much money we have, and how it is managed.)
I have looked at the presentation of the financial statement for 2004, and my review has led me to interpret
and summarize the statement as follows:
- Receipts within Parish $436,829
Expenditures by Parish $509,671
Current year shortfall $ (72,842)
Withdrawal from Chancery $ 81,487
Total $ 8,645
This shows that the parish withdrew $81,487 in funds from our deposit at the Chancery to more
than offset the shortfall this year. The amount of $518,316 shown as parish receipts is an artificial one
since it consists of moving $81,487 (which the parish already owned) from one pocket to another.
Although the state of the Deposit at the Chancery is not shown it can be estimated by looking at
the past five years’ statements. The last full statement shows a balance of $987,536 at the end of
1999. That amount includes a deposit of $80,000 that year, and interest of $23,756 on the amounts on
deposit.
balance of $532,074. To this balance, interest payments for 5 years at the end of 2004 should be added. If
interest on the declining balances remained at $23,000 per year then the maximum possible balance at the end
of 2004 would be $647,074.
This is a decline of about $355,000 which is accounted in the greatest part by the cost of the office
renovations, which were shown as $282,549 in the 2002 statement.
In 2003, $87,964 was withdrawn from the Chancery. The annual fiscal report for that year shows $96,203
for "Construction/Addition & Alterations/Furniture & Fixtures". Last year it appears that the $81,487
withdrawal was used primarily to cover the income shortfall.
A last note. Review of the statements show the greatest expenditure increase since 1999 has been the
increase of "OTHER SALARIES". They increased from $17,822 in 1999 to $52,702 in 2000, $69,904 in
2001, $70,521 in 2002, $76,804 in 2003 and to $73,657 in 2004. (Name provided, withheld from
publication)
______________________________________________________________
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. Stay focused on God’s will, and live the Gospel.
We care too, about those in need. Here are some charitable organizations worthy of our 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, ON M8X 1L3
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
______________________________________________________________
Parishioner’s quote of the week:
“Those who refuse to acknowledge wrongdoing, or resist it, become complicit in it -
not neutral”.
______________________________________________________________
