The trickle down effects of the school closings are beginning to be more painfully felt by their associated parishes. The Good Shepherd bulletin this past weekend contained the following in a column relating to the passing of a deficit budget:Plate collections decreased significantly over the past year. There may be several reasons, including leadership changes over the past year, Good Shepherd School closing, and the effects of the economy on our parishioners.
As plate collections decreased, expenses have risen. Diocesan bills, salaries, benefits, heating & air-conditioning, to name a few, have all increased. Expenses previously shared with Monroe County Catholic Schools are now entirely ours.
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1 comment:
We knew this would happen. We all said it right along and were lied to by the pastoral administrator on the subject (amoung other topics). It was evident in the design of this school closing that it would weaken the parish thereby creating a need to consolidate the tri-parish Rush-Henrietta congregations and allow the diocese yet another asset to sell off. Whether that asset is Good Shepherd or Guardian Angels is yet to be seen. The decision to close this school was strategic and financial in nature. To be clear, not 'financial' in that the school was a financial drain, it was one bake sale away from being sovent, but that there are some low hanging fruit ripe for the diocese to pick and do with as they please with no consideration for the children and families directly impacted nor the parishes at large. The leadership, i.e. bishop and his direct reports, are responsible for this mess. It's time for some accountability or they will continue to see their coffers reduced as formerly faithful parishioners walk away from not only Good Shepherd Church but others throughout his domain.
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