Finance Council
Parish Finance council serves as an advisory body to the pastor in the administration and stewardship of parish finances, budget, parish facilities and long range financial development.
Monthly review budget
as of April 02, 2023
Cumulative Financial Objective - 14 weeks $ 7,500 $105,000.00
Weekly contributions year to date $ 47,815.20
Etransfer $ 485.00
Pre-authorized giving year to date $ 35,591.97 $83,892.17
Over (under) objective ($ 21,1078.83)
Message From our Pastor
“Brothers and sisters: do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? …. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3.16-17) Dear Parishioners: At the very beginning I would like to acknowledge the 70th anniversary of the founding of our parish, Our Lady of Lourdes, in 1952 and say thank you to all who have been making this temple holy through their words and actions. Let us be ready to support each other in our faith journey and to gather together here for another 70 years being faithful to the faith of our parents. This annual spiritual and financial report informs and ensures us about our responsibility for our church. I am very grateful to the members of our Finance Council especially our former member Lisa Collins, for their dedication and commitment to our parish. I would also like to say thank you to all our volunteers who create many ministries in our church: lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, cantors and choir members, altar servers, ushers, St. Vincent de Paul Society, CWL, Seniors’ Social Group, Prayer Shawl Group, Parish Social Group, Maintenance Committee, Small Faith Group, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Fantastic Faith Finders, Youth Team of Our Lady, Small Faith Group, Living Rosary and Divine Mercy Group. Please remember, that there is always a great need for new members and new groups in our parish. Let us be ready to share our time and our talents with one another in our church, being guided by the Holy Spirit. I am very blessed to be able to work with a very dedicated parish administrative assistant, organists, custodians, contractors and Sister Barbara. Above all, I want to thank you, the holy people of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, for your endless generosity, joyful goodness and tireless faith. You create the integrity of our temple and encourage one another to build our church on Christ, following the example of Our Blessed Mother – Mary Mother of God. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes – Queen of Peace, may God bless you, your families and friends. Sincerely, Fr. Rafal
Message From the Parish Finance Council
Your Parish Financial Council is pleased to report on the financial affairs of our Parish for the calendar year ending December 31, 2022. As representatives of the parish community, we are mandated, under guidelines from the Diocese of Hamilton, to provide accountability and governance to the financial affairs of the parish, and to provide a comprehensive and transparent year end summary of the parish’s income and expenditures. In addition to Father Rafal, the Finance Council is made up of four (4) lay volunteers who meet at various times throughout the year to review and approve financial statements, major expenditures and other business transactions that may impact the financial state of the parish. In 2022 total Receipts were $529,657.03. Total Expenditures including extraordinary expenses were $428,180.05 leaving a Surplus of $101,476.98. The total receipts included monies from the One Heart One Soul Campaign of $21,011.98 as well as two (2) grants of $10,000.00 each from the Government of Ontario. The first grant was used to replace the fence in the Rectory yard. The second grant will be used in 2023 to install a security system and replace (5) outdoor Bollard lights. This past year the lingering effects of COVID continued to impact attendance at mass but there was an improvement with 2022 average weekly attendance up 72% compared to 2021 but still approximately 52% of normal (pre-COVID) capacity, weekly collections including pre-authorized payments were down by 3.5% compared to 2021. Expenses were trimmed again this year to keep the parish in a secure financial position. The weekly target of $7,500 which has been in place for many years was down to $5,955.44 (3.5% less than 2021) as an average weekly amount not including Christmas, Easter and New Years Collections. Regarding the One Heart One Soul Campaign, we are happy to report the funds that were collected and continue to be collected through pledges for the One Heart One Soul Campaign have been spent in our parish. The main designation for funding in our campaign was the need for major upgrades and improvements to the parish buildings. Most of the items identified at the start of the campaign have been completed and paid for with the campaign pledges. In 2022 the replacement of the ramp to the hall was covered by the One Heart One Soul Campaign funds. We sincerely thank you, the parishioners, for the continued financial support of our parish community including your special support of the One Heart One Soul campaign. May God’s Blessing be with all of you. The monthly debit plan has been very helpful in smoothing out our parish donations. If you wish to use the pre-authorized payment plan please contact one of the finance committee members or the office to set it up. The format of the financial report has been changed this year to highlight the important elements. If you have any questions please contact the office or a member of the Financial Council. Sincerely, Parish Financial Council
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