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	Diocesan Workers, Priests Forgo Raises By Tanya Connor The Catholic Free Press October 2, 2009 http://www.catholicfreepress.org/_Pages/_This%20Week/1002Diocesan.html The bishops, priests, central Catholic schools teachers and other employees in the diocese are not getting pay raises this year, and Catholic Charities is cutting back, due to the struggling economy. The priests and teachers offered not to take a raise and the offers were accepted, those involved said this week. Diocesan employees in central administration, including Chancery and The Catholic Free Press staff and employees in other diocesan ministries, are not getting raises either, said Carol A. Adams, manager of accounting for the diocesan Office of Fiscal Affairs. Catholic Charities has cut hours and positions and not refilled positions of employees who retired, according to Cathy Loeffler, executive director. This includes administrative, clerical and direct care areas, she said. “What we’re doing is living within our means,” she said. “We did it in a way that would have the least negative impact on our ability to provide quality care to the people we serve.” They haven’t seen the cuts impacting those they serve, but some employees are picking up additional responsibilities, she said. The priests’ salary committee decided on its own to recommend that all diocesan priests not take their annual raise of about $50 per month this fiscal year, which began in Sept. 1, said Msgr. Francis J. Scollen, chairman. The presbyteral council unanimously agreed with the recommendation and Bishop McManus approved it, he said. This decision not to give priests a raise also applies to Bishops McManus, Reilly and Rueger, according to Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, fiscal affairs office director. The Diocesan Educators Lay Teachers Association (DELTA) voted to forgo the 3 percent raise and approximately $1,500 step increase to which their contract entitled them, according to Jonathan Meagher, president. They did so after William J. Mulford asked them to consider it when he was interim superintendent last year, he said. Mr. Meagher said that instead of an average increase of $3,000 per teacher, they took a flat $500 increase for all teachers in the diocesan central schools: St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary, St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic Junior/Senior High and Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High, all in Worcester, and St. Bernard Central Catholic High School in Fitchburg. “We decided to do it because we felt it was in the best interest of the school system,” Mr. Meagher said, adding that schools’ financial difficulties include decreased enrollment due to parents losing jobs. Edward Reynolds, headmaster at Holy Name where Mr. Meagher teaches in the social studies department, has been profuse in his thanks to the teachers, he said. The priests’ salary committee made their recommendation for economic, philosophical and pastoral reasons, Msgr. Scollen said. Economically, the diocese and its parishes are in financial difficulty. Philosophically, “we feel we should be in solidarity” with others who work for the parishes or diocese, who are not getting raises this year. And “as pastoral leaders we should give witness to the people.” Msgr. Scollen said one of the committee members suggested priests forgo their raise, and three or four priests called him with the same suggestion. “It’s coming from everywhere; there’s a general sense we should do this this year,” he said.
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