Archdiocese "School Tax" Putting the Bite on Catholic Faithful, Straining Parishes
By Diane C. Lore
Roman Catholics on Staten Island are being asked to dig deeper into their wallets to increase their financial support of their local parish churches, as well as to help support the Catholic school system. Pastors say the borough's Catholic churches are struggling to pay a hefty regional "schools tax" assessed to each parish by the New York Archdiocese, at the same time many parishes are struggling to make ends meet and pay off debts to the Archdiocese. For some parishes it could mean cutting back services to parishioners, such as reducing the number of Sunday masses, or parish youth and sports programs, in order to pay the school tax, balance their books, and pay off debts to the Archdiocese. Some Island pastors say they have no recourse but to ask mass-goers to increase their giving. Some parishes are even accepting online donations. The move comes just ahead of the Archdiocese's plans next month to "reorganize" parishes under its "Making All Things New" initiative in which church closings and parish mergers have been mentioned as a possibility for the Island. SCHOOL PLAN FALLOUT The "parish assessment" -- as the archdiocese refers to the school tax -- is the end result of a painful three-year process of Catholic school closures and consolidation of remaining schools into a "regional" system. For Staten Island, the process resulted in the closure of seven schools and the consolidation of another. "It's difficult for many of my parishioners who are struggling to make ends meet," said the Rev. Austin Titus. As part of its "Pathways to Excellence" plan for schools, every parish -- even parishes without a school -- must contribute to the cost of all the Catholic schools in the region -- in addition to tuition that school parents pay to individual schools. Now the fallout from that policy is posing a Catch-22 situation for pastors, who once could depend upon mandatory financial support from parish school parents to make ends meet. But under the new regional system, they no longer can rely on parents for support. That's because now, in some cases, parents are not parishioners, with many students coming from outside the neighborhood. Yet, pastors are still responsible for the upkeep of the school building and grounds. Some parishes have even had to borrow funds from the Archdiocese -- with interest -- to maintain the school building and grounds. SOUTH BEACH PARISH AN EXAMPLE The situation at Holy Rosary parish in South Beach is illustrative of the dilemma facing pastors and parishioners.
The Rev. Michael Martine, who is completing his first year as pastor of Holy Rosary R.C. Church, South Beach, delivered the annual parish financial report to the faithful during Sunday masses Sept. 28. He reported parish revenue is down by $87,000; much of that revenue came from parish school parents through the years. He said he no longer can ask school parents to contribute to the parish, yet the parish must pay out a $67,000 "school tax" to the Archdiocese to support the schools. Father Martine said the parish is also in debt to the Archdiocese, because he had to borrow money to make capital improvements to parish buildings and property. The parish also has a mortgage debt on its community center across the street from the school and church. The center hosts parish and community activities, and is also home to the Arrochar Friendship Club, which is independent of the parish. "I must ask that you be even more generous in your giving," he pleaded with parishioners from the pulpit. Many Holy Rosary families are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Sandy, which hit the South Beach community particularly hard. SHARED GIVING: 'I DO FEEL FOR THEM' Across the Island, at Holy Family R.C. Church in Westerleigh, the Rev. Austin Titus, pastor, said the parish began an "increased giving campaign" a year ago, as it struggled to incorporate the "schools tax" into its budget. Holy Family is one of the few Island parishes that doesn't have a school.
"The idea is that every Catholic, in every parish, is called to support Catholic education, and every penny makes an impact," he said. Still, Father Titus said he can sympathize with parishioners already struggling to make ends meet at home. "It's difficult for many of my parishioners who are struggling. ... Some of them can't even afford to give their children a Catholic education, but we're asking them to help pay for Catholic schools," he said. "I do feel for them." On the South Shore, parishioners of Holy Child R.C. Church are in a similar bind. The parish, which also doesn't have an elementary school, has launched an "increased giving campaign" to help meet expenses. The Rev. Alan Travers, pastor, made the announcement in the weekly bulletin Sept. 28, encouraging parishioners to sign up for "electronic giving" by logging on to the website www.parishpay.com to create a free account. In an earlier letter to parishioners, Father Travers explained how the parish must pay a hefty school tax, although it has no school, as well as cover costs for capital improvements to the parish grounds, including work done to the parish parking lot. CAN-DO ATTITUDE Despite the fiscal gloom, it's possible for small donations and modest increases in giving to turn a parish in debt around. In Dongan Hills, the Archdiocese cites St. Ann's R.C. Church, which just celebrated its centennial, as a model and inspiration for parishes after the church retired more than $600,000 in debt in less than three years. The parish went into debt borrowing funds from the archdiocese to complete capital improvements to the church and school, on top of the mortgage it owed on the church. The parish also pays a $54,000 school tax. Parishioners -- who were also affected by Hurricane Sandy -- "had to dip deep into their pockets," said the Rev. Joy Mampilly, formally assistant pastor at Holy Rosary, who has been pastor of St. Ann's since 2010. Looking ahead, parish trustees at St. Ann's undertook a three-year campaign using debt-donation envelopes and asking parishioners to contribute what they could afford in the Sunday collection, Father Mampilly said. "An amazing job was done by the parishioners, the people in the community, not by me. People were very generous, it came from the goodness of their hearts," Father Mampilly said. "Small contributions added up at the end." lore@siadvance.com
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