June 15, 2014
My fellow parishioners,
It has been about two years since St. Clement Parish moved to St. Anne Church, and nearly a year since I became your new pastor. First, I want to thank you for being so welcoming and helpful to me in my first year with you. I have been impressed by the hard work, creativity, and dedication of the volunteers who devoted their time, talents, and prayers to help an already vibrant parish community adopt a new spiritual home on Old St. Patrick Street. May God reward you for your kindness !
It is good for us to remember that a parish exists primarily for the salvation of souls, wherever it is situated. With this in mind, it is encouraging to see many new parishioners registering at our parish. One reason that draws people is that our church is truly beautiful, one of the three leading heritage churches in the city, endowed with a simple elegance well suited to the beauty and mystery of the Traditional Latin Mass. We are fortunate to be in a fairly quiet setting with accessible parking; to have a church entrance situated on street level for convenient access to parishioners of all ages and physical capacities; to have Park Morin nearby which has a playground and skating rink for families; and to have a church equipped with ample seating to allow us to grow. Our rectory has greater space for our own clergy while providing functional accommodations for visiting priests. We all owe a debt of gratitude to our Divine Lord for His Providence, to Archbishop Prendergast and Monsignor Beach for proposing this move to us, and to Father Philip Creurer, FSSP for co-ordinating it and negotiating benefits that will help us immensely in the long term.
One of the benefits is that Archbishop Prendergast permitted our parish to keep all the proceeds from the sale of the Mann Ave. property, from which we were able to discharge combined debts of $260,363 owed to the Archdiocese and the FSSP. We were also able to allocate $100,000 of the proceeds to finance restoration work at St. Anne’s in 2012 and 2013, and $200,000 toward the restoration work to be undertaken this year.
While our move has brought us to a majestic setting, it has also increased our financial obligations. From our financial statements (available at the bottom of this letter) you will see that our current operational requirements (i.e. ordinary expenses) run about $5,300 per week. This means that we must obtain at least that amount in our weekly collections from the regular white envelopes. Any slight increase you could make to the white envelope will help us to meet this goal, and also qualify us for an exemption from the Archdiocesan tax. Many of you may be in a position to increase your level of contribution. But whatever your contribution currently is, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making the sacrifice of even “the widow’s mite” (Mark 12:41-44).
On the capital side, you will see that the restoration work to be undertaken in 2014 requires that we take in at least $2,300 per week in our yellow restoration envelopes. So while we have been close to our white envelope target for operational needs, we have fallen short on the yellow restoration envelope side.
To help you determine what may constitute an appropriate and fair amount to give each week, we have presented in the status report an analysis of the weekly collections for 2013, including some general guidelines on the duties Catholics have to financially support the material needs of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] #2043). Sometimes referred to as “tithing,” a person fulfills this obligation according to his abilities. In relation to this obligation, you will see that a few extremely generous parishioners account for a significant percentage of our revenues. I encourage you to scrutinize these data, consider your own current level of contribution in relation to your income, and determine whether you could afford to contribute more towards the material needs of our parish.
An important part of our restoration work will be the beautification of the sanctuary. A committee has been working diligently to develop a comprehensive plan and expects to be able to report to us as soon as some details are finalized. In due course, we will engage in discussions to identify ways and means of funding this important work.
Now while we have used some of the proceeds from the sale of Mann Ave., we have allocated about $1.4 million for the construction or purchase of a hall. We are also examining the feasibility of setting up some of this money in an endowment fund. These funds currently earn almost 3.25 % in a safe investment, with the interest earned going toward restoration costs. As many of you already know, some thought has been given to purchasing the John Howard Society (JHS) building next door should it become available. We know that the JHS has been searching for a more suitable building for its expanding programs. In the meantime they have been good neighbours and would be receptive to an offer from us should they come to a decision in the near future.
A lot has been accomplished these last two years. As we continue to progress both spiritually and temporally to build a bright future for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren in the parish, I urge you all to give your support wherever you can, whether it be by means of rosaries, donations, or volunteering. And for those of you who can, I would also ask you to consider remembering the parish in your last will and testament. Your sacrifices, whatever they may be, are truly appreciated.
Thanks again. May God reward you, and remember: “Be cheerful and keep the faith!”
In Corde Mariae,
Father Erik Deprey, FSSP
Pastor