The 2022-23 summary financial statement is included in today’s bulletin.
Here are some highlights:
- We ended the year with a deficit of $32,650. This was primarily because of two reasons:
- We received $19,006 in Poor Box contributions and we gave $35,559. All distributions were reported in this column and were given to Catholic organizations (Catholic Charities, Saint John’s Hospice, etc.) or needy individuals. We gave more than we took in because we had not made significant Poor Box distributions in the past few years. This year we gave away Poor Box donations that had accumulated over the past few years. From now on, we will distribute our Poor Box donations in the fiscal year when we receive them.
- We had an unusual number of necessary repairs. There were plumbing repairs, leaky church roof fixes which are always followed by ceiling repairs. We needed a new pump for the water system in the friary and we had electrical problems. Our buildings are in good shape, but they are old and they require maintenance. In fiscal year 2021-22 we spent $31,212 on this sort of maintenance and in fiscal year 2022-23 we spent $82,618, a whopping $51,406 increase! This is not because we chose to do more maintenance, but because so many critical repairs were needed to keep our buildings in good shape.
- In the current fiscal year (2023-24) we paid $50,000 to the Archdiocese on our debt. This payment is from the past fiscal year’s revenues, but was paid in the current fiscal year. This payment is not included in the income and expenses report, but is noted for your information.
- Our ordinary income is up! Thanks for your generosity. Sunday collections are up by about $23,000. Weekday collections and other donations are also higher. Wedding donations are up about $30,000. In fiscal year 2021-22, there was one large donation of $40,000. There was no comparable donation this year.
- We need more income! We cannot continue to provide the services we offer without more money. We have multiple daily and Sunday Masses, excellent Sunday Mass music, an open church all day—and all of this costs money for the staffing of our church. Please increase your support for Saint John Church.
- I have mentioned this before and you will hear more in the future: Saint John’s has a major capital problem that we need money to solve. The patio behind the church is deteriorating. The electrical and air conditioning systems are near the end of their service and they are housed under the deteriorating patio. We are working hard to understand our need and to figure out what it will cost to address. Then we will ask our parishioners and friends to help us to solve these problems.
I believe in Saint John Church. We are a blessing to Center City and to the Catholic community of Philadelphia. But these days no parish is guaranteed to remain open. Parishioners and friends have to provide the resources to maintain a parish. The days are past when the Archdiocese will step in to sustain an insolvent parish.
Many people love Saint John’s and I am confident that we will work together to keep Saint John’s vibrant.