Creative Math 101 - Instructor: Our Parish Council Treasurer

In the September issue of the Messenger our parish council treasurer embarks on still another analysis of the financial condition of our community. Aside from the usual "ahead of last year in stewardship but we're broke" verbiage, this analysis includes the "total cost" to the community of having a third priest assigned. Why after 25 plus years of having three priests serve our community has this suddenly become an issue only our treasurer and this proistameno can answer. Come to think of it, until the announced retirement of Fr. George in October of last year, it was never considered to not have less than three clergy.

Our treasurer lists two figures as "total cost" to the community: $98,525 for zero years experience and $142,555 for 15 years experience. Most disingenuous (excluding the fact that his figures are incorrect) is the including of the 15% Archdiocese commitment in these figures. The Archdiocese commitment is based on the community's TOTAL expenses not just those that suit the treasurer and this proistameno. This method of scare tactic accounting, encouraged by this proistameno, is beneath the intelligence of the members of this community.

Let's do this: Let's have our treasurer list the "total cost" to this community of having this proistameno still here. He can use the same math he used to cypher the above numbers. Talk about scare tactic accounting - that would scare all of us beyond words. Just a thought. Actually, a better thought would be to have the current regime just be honest with us and not blindly spit out the information told to them by this proistameno.