The Parish Financial Council is made up of a committee of people from the parish that help the Parish Priest in the administration of the goods of the parish and oversee its finances. The-members meet regularly and are governed by universal law and the Kerry Diocesan Administration Finance Regulations of ‘Best Practice Guidelines’.
Parish Financial Council Members
Offertory Collection
The weekly Offertory Collection is taken up during Mass. It is the cash you put on the Offertory Plate and the regular, weekly, white envelopes. It is used for the day-to-day expenses and the capital expenditure of the parish which includes: the Diocesan Levies / Staff Wages / Insurance & Security / Light & Heat / Routine and Capital Expenditure / Telephone / Printing / Postage / Stationary / Altar Requisites / Missalettes. The total amount raised in 2014 was €150,698.00.
The priest’s income is separate and is not paid from this collection and it is dealt with under its own heading.
Priest’s Income
The priest’s income (salary) comes from two sources, firstly, the Special Collections held in the Spring and Autumn, and the November and Christmas Offerings and, secondly, the offerings given for Baptisms, Funerals & Weddings. The priest is considered as self-employed by the Revenue Commissioners and he pays his own income tax directly each year. The salary was €36,791.00 and €8,500.00 was given to the Diocesan Fraternity Fund which supports the priests of poorer parishes within the Diocese. Also over €3,000.00 was given to the Diocesan Multiple Stipend Fund from Mass Offerings, which goes to the Bishop’s charity. The Parish pays half of the priest’s VHI and half of the Presbytery heating oil. Your generosity and support of your priest(s) is very much appreciated.
Parish Envelope System
The Parish Envelope System was introduced in March 2011. The ‘envelope system’ is the norm in all the parishes of the Diocese nowadays. The box includes all the envelopes used for the different offerings at various times of the year. The weekly and special envelopes can be placed on the Offertory Plate or in the Offertory Basket, or dropped into the Parish Office. Some parishioners chose to pay once a year by cheque or pay by direct debit. There are many benefits to using the ‘parish envelope system’ as we record in a confidential manner (known only to the Parish Secretary) the offering that you give to your parish and priest throughout the year. Should your total offerings in a calendar year for everything be in excess of €250.00, and you are a tax payer the parish can claim a tax rebate currently 31%. A total of €17,696.00 was raised in 2014. Sincere thanks to you all who returned your forms. The envelope box also includes the ‘Priest’s Offering’, which supports your priest or assisting clergy throughout the year. These envelopes have replaced what was traditionally known as the ‘Station Dues’ for Spring and Autumn & Christmas & November offerings.
Some notes on our Financial Statements
Over the past 12 months we continued various repairs and maintenance works to our parish buildings Last Summer, we took on the renovation of the church floor. This was the biggest single project that as a Parish we have undertaken in the past 20 years. The contractor was CISCO Woodframe Homes, Lixnaw and the architect was Richard McElligott. It was a much bigger job than we had anticipated. Much of the old floor had no foundation, was uneven and all the underground piping of the heating had to be replaced. While we were at it we touched up much of the painting and redesigned the sanctuary to facilitate a ramp. We also refurbished the Adoration Room. The total cost was just in excess of €200,000. Recently we have installed a camera system to live stream our church services. It is available live stream on www.mcnmedia.tv, all over the world on the internet. Currently we are installing a defibrillator for health and safety reasons. Also, there are still a few ‘drop downs’ from the roof and part of the church yard drainage system has to be repaired. Some of the stained glass windows are buckled and leaking so they also need to be addressed. All of these above are being done in so far as we can afford them. We are conscious of the recessionary times in which we live but we are also conscious that it pays to keep maintaining everything regularly.
The Diocesan Levies go towards the administration costs of the Diocese and are used solely for this purpose. The Parish Finance Council expresses sincere thanks to you for your financial support. Your generosity is much appreciated and makes it possible to run the parish and undertake these structural activities when necessary.
