"Just for the 'RECORD'"

Friday November 11, 2005

Text Updated: Sun. Nov. 13, 2005

I was deeply saddened by the report published on the front page of the DAILY RECORD and in the OBSERVER TRIBUNE, I believe it would be appropriate for me to publish the following statement.

School Expansion

The decision to construct an addition to St. Joseph School was made after a careful examination of feasible options for an upgrade that ranged from very radical to very conservative alternatives. The radical consideration was the relocation of the school to a larger piece of property with the possibility of converting it to a regional school remaining under the administrative authority of St. Joseph Parish. In essence, it would have been considered a parish-regional school. In this scenario, the school would assume to appear more attractive to a greater number of students from southwestern Morris County in which there has been a periodic call for another Catholic school to serve the needs of an ever growing Catholic population in Chester, Flanders and Long Valley.

However, this option would surely have entailed the expenditure of no less than ten million dollars – an amount far in excess of the ability of one parish to undertake. Moreover, the availability and the cost of property as well the need for intense diocesan involvement made this option unworkable given the more immediate needs of the school.

The more conservative option was to raze the old convent (existing Christopher House) and replace it with a multi-use facility that would serve both the school and religious ed communities as well as provide additional multi-use space for other parish activities. This option was viewed to be cheaper and less disruptive and would provide a gain in space without disrupting existing school and parish activities during construction.

This option was eliminated due to the fact that St. Joseph is in the historic district. Moreover, the separation of one section of the school from another could result in safety or security liabilities and the net gain in space would be so minimal that it was not considered cost effective. The plan was scrapped.

The third option was to extend the existing building into the rear parking area that also served as a school playground. After examining every angle – literally – and after consultation with the parish building and sites committee, the finance council, the education council a local architect who specialized in school design, a proposal was submitted to parishioners for feedback. Two receptions were conducted in the chapel to which parishioners as well as New Street and Prospect Street residents were invited to view the plan and the drawings. No negative feedback on the proposal was forthcoming from either parishioners or neighbors.

Financial considerations:

It was prudently estimated in the spring of 2001, that St. Joseph Parish would have accumulated 1.5 million dollars at groundbreaking. The mortgage of 4 million dollars undertaken in 1989 for the construction of the church for the parish house and the modest addition and renovation of the school and parish center was completed paid in full by 1999 – within ten years! Moreover, the parishioners of St Joseph had also pledged 1.8 million to the Diocesan Prepare the Way Campaign and had also contributed generously to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and in fact doubled he goal established by the diocese. St. Joseph received a rebate from both the Prepare the Way Campaign as well as the Annual appeal that was calculated in the amount that St. Joseph would have on hand at the time of the groundbreaking for the school addition.

In view of ‘Prepare the Way’ and the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, it was decided that the parish could carry the new construction with an appeal for continued generosity without having to initiate a capital campaign. This decision was not arrived at without careful thought and reflection based on the wisdom of financial advisors whose expertise had been well established. Hindsight may be clearer than foresight but as with a good doctor, good instincts are often more sound and dempendable than marketing trends. With careful monitoring, it was concluded that a capital campaign could be evaluated and if necessary, initiated at a later date.

Essentially, the parish would need $18,500 per week (at that time)—a modest increase indeed, to meet all its commitments including the construction mortgage_.

Weekly giving during that period averaged $17,500. In lieu of a major capital campaign, a ‘soft campaign’ was instituted vis-à-vis a construction fund to which parishioners were invited to contribute on a monthly basis. In essence, parishioners were invited to choose their own option for increasing their parish support to cover the construction: 1) An increase in weekly giving through the Offertory Collection, 2) A monthly special donation to the Construction Fund. The second option had the advantage of not being subject to diocesan tax (annual assessment). In any event, the combination of the offertory collection and the donations to the construction fund were projected to bring the weekly average to $18,500 + and it was successful for several months.

Later in 2001 and early in 2002, two factors had a significant impact on Catholic giving: 1) The abuse scandal and 2) a ‘flattened economy. In the light of reports of the cover-ups by the Diocese, the former had a greater impact on parishioner contributions to the Diocese and some parishioners did not fulfill their pledges to the diocesan campagn. Moreover, contributions to the bishop’s appeal barely reached goal. However, contributions to the parish also decreased but not to the same degree as contributions to the Diocese. Contributions to other charities such as the Fr. English Center, Appalachia, etc., were not negatively impacted.

During the annual report, parishioners were asked to increase their donations either to the construction fund and/or to the offertory collection. This resulted in a slight increase and the combination of offertory and construction income appeared sufficient to for the parish to meet its commitments though to be sure, it did not put us on ‘easy street.’ We concluded at that time that the flattened economy was the most significant factor and to a lesser degree, the sexual abuse issue that impacted on parishioner contributions.

Nevertheless, I must confess that it is possible that the expansion of the school may not have enjoyed as strong parishioner support as anticipated . Though it was promoted as a multi-use facility, there may have been the feeling among some non-school parishioners that the parish commitment to the school was disproportionate to the overall mission of the parish. I do not have empirical data to support this but I do believe it is a credible assumption.

Had I to do it over again, I think I would have insisted on a parish-wide survey (not a referendum) to address the following questions:

1. After examining the proposal and plans for the construction of the addition to the school and parish center, do you agree that it is a wise decision? If not, why not?

2. If you agree with the decision, will you assist in meeting the increased financial burden with a proportionate increase in parish support?

3. If you are willing to increase your support proportionately, what is your preference: a) Increase in offertory contributions b) pledge to construction fund c) capital campaign.

Of course the survey would have provided additional information about the role of the school and the importance of religious education in the overall parish mission as well as a review of other parish ministries and services. Parish religious education for non-parochial school children is not an adjunct to Catholic education. It is another essential form.

I regret that I did not push harder for this survey. However, it should be clear that the construction program is not the major contributor to the present fiscal crisis.

Though the downturn in parish income began in 2002, weekly collections plummeted in February of 2005. Obviously something else was taking place or not taking place at during this period.

Catholic Education and the Mission of the Church

I believe in quality Catholic education and consider it essential to the mission of the Church in general and to the parish in particular. St. Joseph School was and remains a ‘star school’ and rated among the best in the diocese but needed to be upgraded in order to maintain its performance. Moreover, St. Joseph has never been in competition with local public schools but has enjoyed a rich and stimulating partnership with them for years. Nevertheless, I would never have risked jeopardizing other parish services by the construction program even if it resulted in a temporary delay in construction.

The parish provides an annual subsidy to the school amounting to $170,000. There was no mention of a cutback to offset parish staff layoffs. Perhaps that was an oversight.

Catholic Giving

I think it may be appropriate to offer the following ‘working assumptions’ on which I have operated in the past with regard to parish budget and finance management:

1. National studies indicate that Catholics are less generous to their parishes than Protestants. Depending on the denomination, Protestant giving ranges from a low of 2% to a high of 10%. Catholic giving averages 1%.

2. Catholics give according to the following priorities:

a) House and home. Mortages in Morris County in general and in Mendham in particular are high. Moreover, an increasing number of parishioners have a second home to which they travel more frequently—even on weekends.

b) Education of their children. Private schools are becoming more and more costly and here are extra costs connected with public education, e.g., note the increasing fundraisers sponsored by public school HSA organizations.
c) Vacations are more frequent. Moreover, an increasing number of parishioners travel to their second homes on weekends but do not necessarily contribute to their primary parish when they are away.

d) Extra curricular activities, e.g., community sports, social and other activities.

e) Church support.

NOTE: These priorities are not applicable to all. There are notable exceptions at St. Joseph and everywhere!

NOTE 2: Natioinal estimates of weekly attendance at religious services by Catholics range from a low of 28% to a high of 33%. It was my estimate that St. Joseph was closer to the 30% range.

Whereas the parish used to be the locus of family life in the 40s and 50s, it can no longer compete with more sophisticated activities. Even dances, suppers and other non-fundraising events have long since disappeared in many Catholic parishes. St. Joseph is no exception.

Therefore, it can be concluded that ‘disposable income’ in affluent communities may not be as high as less affluent communities.

It has always been my assumption that were parish giving to reach and ‘average’ of 2% of income – less for people on fixed income, more for folks with greater means – there would be no need for capital campaigns and through prudent management, excess revenues would increase to offset major expenditures such as construction or major repairs.

Sacrificial Giving

Sacrificial giving is quite another matter. There is no doubt that Catholics give sacrificially to extraordinary needs such as hurricane or earthquake relief and to other ad hoc emergencies but do not ordinarily give sacrificially to ‘regular’ collections. This may be due to the fact that they are ‘hit up’ for so many ‘outside’ appeals—local, diocesan, community, and global.

Last year when threatened with the removal of a grand piano, St. Joseph was able to raise $30,000 for the purchase of the piano. This means that motivation is a significant factor in Catholic giving. However, sacrificial giving, e.g., tithing and full stewardship programs have had a limited success record.

Total Disclosure

The assumption that “when parishioners know what I know as a pastor, ‘we’ will usually make decisions that work best for all” is not only valid but essential parish planning. Total disclosure builds confidence in donors and contributors. Because we reported ALL revenues to the diocese as well as to parishioners, our diocesan assessments were high.

I am also aware that it has been the ‘pastoral’ practice of many parishes to maintain hidden accounts – not for the use of the pastor, though unfortunately, we have read recently cases in which a particular pastor has ‘dipped’ into parish accounts – but in order for the parish to save for a rainy day. I have reason to believe that even some of our bishop’s financial advisors have hidden money for this purpose. As a result, St. Joseph Church has been forced to pay higher ‘taxes’ than some other parishes. Unfortunately, audits do not always pick up these hidden accounts.

Lay Salaries

In recent times, it has not been uncommon for pastors to hire two part-time people to cover one fulltime ministry – two for LESS than the price of one! This has the advantage of lowering the benefits liability to the parish. In essence, part-time employees are not eligible for all the benefits that accrue to fulltime workers. Moreover, lay pension premiums are substantially lower than clergy pension premiums. I believe the premium for clergy is substantial. As a retired priest, I am grateful but I have always felt uncomfortable with the disparity.

In a parish such as St. Joseph, though we certainly could not provide salaries that are in any way competitive with or even commensurate with salaries in the commercial or corporate world, I believed that in a parish such as St. Joseph, we should have been able to provide modest salaries and benefits which although not equal to those of many parishioners whom they served, at least adequate to contribute to the support of their own families. Moreover, as you know, lay ministers tend to work longer and harder for their pay – no, not for pay but for the people of God—than many in the public sector.

Members of St Joseph lay staff were a community, indeed, a family. Their commitment to the Church in general and to St. Joseph Parish in particular has been equal to none. As the kids say, “they were special!”

Although there is no official diocesan scale for parish employee salaries, there is a scale for lay teachers in parish schools to which school budgets must adhere – 5% increase on every other year and a $500 lump sum on the alternate years. In an attempt to keep salaries on par we usually applied that scale to lay ministers whenever possible or at least on a par with priest salary increases. Though this was not always possible, lay ministers did not complain.

The Threat of Bankruptcy

The threat of bankruptcy may indeed provide a powerful motivation for giving. Though we were nowhere near bankruptcy at that time, perhaps I should have considered that possibility several years ago when parish income flattened in the face of the prevailing negative economy. However, the fear of bankruptcy does not usually offer the highest motivation for giving.

Of course, as I mentioned above, there have been other factors between the construction of the school and the existing threat of bankruptcy that have contributed to the downturn in parish support which I suppose fall within the range of soft data.

In any event, it is helpful to know that parishioners are aware of parish needs and are willing to renew their commitment to the mission of St. Joseph no matter what the motivation. This can only be the sign of a brighter future.

The PAT – Parish Advisory Team

Actually, the PAT was not established as an interim or transitional board to manage the change in parish leadership. It was intended to be a pastoral board to assist in the establishment of parish priorities and in parish planning. Right enough, although it gravitated toward more practical administrative concerns during Fr. Phil’s brief term, its value lay in providing a forum for gathering and processing vital data for parish planning from the parish at large. It was was in the early stages of its formation when it was retired.

This and That…

With regard to the impact of the disclosure of sexual abuse at St. Joseph, I made it clear on my retirement that my involvement with victims of sexual abuse as laudable as it may have been, did bring unwelcome publicity to St. Joseph Parish. Despite the support of parishioners, I felt it was unfair for the parish to be subject to the negative fallout of the abuse even though the publicity always praised parishioners for their affirmative response to and support of victims so clearly evidenced in the millstone tribute on the parish campus.

Nevertheless, I felt that it was indeed necessary for me to step down and step aside with the hope that the parish could move on without abandoning its support for victims of clergy abuse.

Invitations to special events, etc.

I found the quote about not being invited to the parish celebration of Confirmation and the school graduation ceremonies unnecessary for inclusion in the front-page article. I am not offended by the comment but for readers to conclude that the decrease in parish support could be attributed to my not being invited to a parish celebration is a bit embarrassing if not demeaning and humiliating. Marianna Thompson, our esteemed diocesan public relations officer is quite correct in stating that few “managers of new agencies invite their predecessors to events.” I assume she was referring to ‘managers in the corporate world or perhaps to diocesan agencies.’ I am not familiar with her nomenclature with regard to pastors as ‘managers of agencies.’ In any case, it is customary for new ‘pastors’ to invite previous ‘pastors’ to special events at least for the first or second year after their transfer and in the case of retirement, for several years. However, this is a courtesy, not an obligation.

That having been acknowledged, it may be helpful for folks to understand that in fact I was not appointed ‘Pastor Emeritus’ on my retirement. I had assumed wrongly that that tile was automatically conferred on all retiring pastors. However, I did check the Code of Canon Law, which stipulates that the conferral of the title must be given by way of a separate assignment. Bishop Serratelli has been informed of the fact that Bishop Rodimer did not in fact confer this title on my retirement. As far as I know, I am the only retiring pastor on whom that title was not conferred. In any event, technically, I have no right to be listed as such and have informed Fr. Joe that I lay no claim to the title. I was never overly impressed with titles anyway, which is the reason for my deleting ‘Msgr.’ years ago. “Pastor” is a more appropriate title for a priest who leads a parish.

It has been stated by some diocesan folks that St. Joseph Parish is a problem parish. I have challenged that attribution on several occasions. I would much rather be perceived as a ‘problem pastor’ than for the parish or for parishioners to be perceived as such. It is not helpful for newly assigned priests or lay ministers to begin their ministry under the cloud of suspicion created by that designation. In fact, St. Joseph Parish is a wonderful community for which I will always be grateful to have ministered as a priest and pastor. Nothing will ever change that.

Fr. Joe was assigned by Bishop Serratelli without consultation with the diocesan personnel board and withoutany direct information from parishioners of St. Joseph Parish. This put him and parishioners at a disadvantage. The rumor that the parish was in a financial mess was inaccurate and insulting to the finance council. Such rumors do not engender confidence or foster generosity among parishioners.

The former finance council was dissolved and I understand that a new council has been formed. Moreover, there is information circulating that the new membership includes the president of the bank which holds the mortage on the school. He is a very knowledgeable and reputable individual of the highest integrity. However, I’m wondering whether this could constitute a conflict of interest—no pun intended. If this information is incorrect, it may be wise for parishioners to be so informed.

I sometimes wonder if the diocese is not more concerned with parish assessments and the decrease in parish contributions to the diocese? On the other hand, I doubt that the bishop or his staff would act on such motivation, ‘worthy’ though it may be from a fiscal standpoint.

St. Joseph Parish is a parish rich in talent and yes, rich in treasure too! With the help of God, it will find its way not just to survive but also to flourish. Healing will take place over time and it will take an open and honest dialogue and collaboration among its members – leaders and faithful. It has been healed from past wounds and there is no reason to believe that it will not heal again.

It was time for me to move on and now it is time to parishioners to move on to a new vision of what a parish can be like when everyone works together for the good of all and, of course, the glory of God.

Addenda

In the light of the recent article in the OBSERVER TRIBUNE, I make the following comments:

1. Though I’m sure the author intended to clarify some confusion about the downward trend in giving at St. Joseph, the lack of precision in the article only served to muddle the facts and muddy the water.

2. It is astounding that given her lack of information about the situation that Marianna Thompson (quoted in both the DAILY RECORD and in the OBSERVER TRIBUNE) has had so much to say about what little she knows. Her response can only be interpreted as opinion and conjecture.

3. The exponential increase in recent offertory collections is interesting. It would be interesting to see the tally sheet to determine whether it represents an increase in per capita donations or if it is rather a ‘bump’ or one shot burst from a generous parishioner. It it represents an upward trend, then there would be no need to fire staff. If the latter, then of course it needs to be prudently monitored. A parish is not able to operate on periodic extraordinary crisis contributions.

4. “Just for the record,”Three members of the parish staff were laid off permanently: Judy Magaletta, CCD Secertary for 18+ years; Mary Lyons, Youth Minister; Angela Calogero, Coordinator of Parish Worship. This was / is not contingent on an increase in parish revenues. Judy Wypyzinksi, Part-time Assistant Secretary for the Parish Calendar and Virtus Program resigned. Barbara Durfee, Parish Secretary for 20 years did not retire. she resigned.

5. It occurred to me that we may need to invite Bill O’Reilly to assist in stopping the ‘spin.’ Catholics can handle the truth.

Conclusion/s/:

Our bishop and his staff have watched at this once vibrant but not perfect parish succumb to a Katrina-like spiritual storm without lifting a hand to help. More than this, what he has allowed to happen is shameful, indeed, unconscionable and sinful.

This is not about Father Lasch not being invited to a Confirmation or graduation ceremony—how silly! In fact, this Is not about Father Lasch at all. It is about disrespect for a parish that strove to be what the Holy Spirit has called it to be – a community of faith in the spirit of Vatican II, nothing more or less than a restoration to what they believed to be the mind of Christ.

But Catholics are resilient and it is never too late to begin again, to say, “I’m sorry!” Healing can happen when those who preach justice begin to live justice. We remain steadfast in faith but in truth there can be no healing and forgiveness without justice. There can be no justice without truth and there can be no truth without full accountability.”

The Church of the Acts of the Apostles was not always at peace but the apostles trusted that the Spirit would speak not only form the top but from the bottom. It is time for our Church to listen to the heart of its people. Only then will it understand the power of Jesus who became one with humanity that humanity might become one with God.

Sometimes it’s hard to remain a Catholic but let’s not give up on our wonderful tradition even if the institution and its leaders do not always measure up to our expectations.

Data based processes and decisions work better than power based processes and decisions. Did I say it right? It is always better to tell the truth without spin. Just the facts, please.

Father Lasch

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