More about Culture, Beacons of Light Third Year Goal

Last week I introduced the Beacons of Light Third Year Goal, Culture.  I’d like to say a bit more this week, beginning with the archdiocesan working definition of church culture.

The Definition of Church Culture
In the following definition the word “Ecclesial” is essentially a fancy word for “church.”

Ecclesial culture refers to the set of customs, beliefs, practices, behaviors, and traditions associated with a particular religious community and how they express and live out their faith. This includes the shared values and norms that guide its parishioners' behavior and interactions within the church. Most often, this ecclesial culture is not taught, but caught from the lived example of the community’s clergy, staff, and volunteer leadership.

Two temptations to defining a church culture is to think that everything is an essential part of our culture and that everything is of the same importance.  With such an approach, the Father of Lies sneakily moves a church never change or be converted to a better image and presence of Jesus! The church community will never advance or better itself.  In fact, such a church community will likely decline in its ability to be and proclaim the presence of Jesus, and it will not be attractive and inspiring for others because it is too focused on self or the ego of the church.

Probably not a Cultural Value
For example, are Mass times a part of a parish’s culture?  While it is true that a particular Mass time will have a special vibe and perhaps a similar group of folk present, in most cases the time of a Mass does not directly relate specifics of church culture.
  
Conscious Reflection and Identification
Over the next year, all our parishes and their leaders will be considering what is essentially unique about their culture.   Also, we will be able to identify dimensions of our church cultures that are common through our five parishes.   The end goal will be to consciously reflect and define who we have been and are as churches, and then to identify the cultural values that we want to espouse in our new parish.

 Thanks to Esther Price Candies
 As the school year began Crescent Parishes offered a sweet treat to the staff of the day-schools connected to our Parishes.   Clearly, our parish school, Nativity is most connected to us.  However, we also have both XJA and Linden Grove schools who lease buildings from us.
Wonderfully, our local Esther Price Store on Montgomery Road in Silverton provided us with a sweet deal to sweeten the beginning of the school year for staff!  Store Manager, Karen, donated half the bags and gave us a generous discount on the other half.  Stop by Esther Price and thank them by getting some sweet treats yourself!
Thanks to all schoolteachers and staff.  Even more than chocolate, you make life sweet!

 Three Year Procedural Audit 
 Every three years the archdiocese sends an auditor to parishes to do a procedural audit.  This is not a traditional extended financial audit.  Rather it looks at internal controls and procedures to make sure we are being wise about accounting, handling cash and checks, and abiding by required policy and bests practices of the archdiocese.

It is important to be reminded that two of our parishes, Holy Trinity and St. John, have suffered loss of significant funds because of a lack of proper finance controls.

The report showed several improvements that we can make to safeguard our parishes’ financial resources.  One such improvement noted at all but one of our parishes is related to parish organizations whose accounts are not consolidated into the general ledger of the parish.   These include parish and school organizations such as lady’s sodality, men’s club, sports boosters and PTA.

Rather than having many accounts, the archdiocese is requiring that all separate accounts be merged into the parish account and tracked by parish financial software.  To some this will feel like lack of trust and/or a money grab from the parish.  That is not the case.  While the money is in the general account it can be tracked flawlessly by software which each organization can access.  Disbursements can occur quickly through paper or electronic checks and other electronic means.   

 The Goal, July 1, 2025
Matt Jackson and his team as well as finance committees will be working with separate account organization holders over the next year to help all understand and be secure that this required policy is a better approach.  The goal of consolidating accounts is next fiscal year, July 1, 2025.

Sincerely and with Love in Christ,
Fr. Pat