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December 06, 2007 Dear
Parishioners and Friends of Our Holy
Spirit Community,
Let me
take the opportunity to share
information with you on the financial
standing of our Holy Spirit church and
school. I am providing for your
reference a copy for the financial
report for both our church and school
for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2007. In a continuing effort to
bring greater transparency and openness
in our practices, our parish has again
contracted with Wojeski and Company, a
local certified public accounting firm,
to compile the financial report that you
will find on the reverse side of this
letter.
Let me summarize for you some details of
our Church and school finances. The
church of the Holy Spirit ended the
2006/07 fiscal year with a surplus of
$62,577 compared with a surplus of
$9,106 in 2005/06. The increase
can be attributed to your $28,000 in
increase in offertory collections and
your $37,000 increase in your donations
and bequests. Thank you for your
generous stewardship! This surplus will
be committed to church savings. Our
balance sheet shows that we have a
sufficient reserve to meet current
liabilities and, pending the outcome of
the Called to BE Church process in 2008,
we may begin a parish discussion on our
needs and future planning. Our parish
enjoys good financial health, all thanks
to your stewardship.
Holy Spirit ended the 2006/07 fiscal
year with a surplus of $50,011 compared
with a surplus of $36,446 for the last
fiscal year. School enrollment
stands at 327 students, unchanged from
last year. Our school's balance sheet
shows that we have a reserve sufficient
to meet current liabilities. The
school's enrollment and finances are
very sound.
Holy Spirit is first and foremost, a
spiritual community, not a business.
It's about our total parish community,
our needs and our future. This can't be
reduced to a financial report. Together,
we are called to follow the path of
Jesus. Your participation in the life of
our parish speaks to your desire to
follow in his ways, and express your
gratitude to God through the sharing of
the gifts God had given you. Your
stewardship has permitted us to expand
parish programs and activities in ways
that respond to the spiritual and
pastoral needs of our parish and the
larger community.
For example, Youth programming has seen
a major increase in participation and
involvement in the life of the parish
since Kathleen Curtin became our Youth
Minister in the summer of 2005.
Maria Collins, our new
Coordinator - Children's Faith
Formation, and Rosemary Horan, our new
coordinator - Seniors ministry, are
reaching out to parishioners to seek new
and better ways to serve the
formational, pastoral and spiritual
needs of our parishioners. Deacons
Bill Dringus is guiding the second year
of our intergenerational faith formation
Living in Faith Together (LIFT).
Kathy Rosenbaum has coordinated our
parish Young Adult and Young Family
Evangelization program, with
events to reach out our families, new
and old, to join us at Holy Spirit.
There is more to be done in all of these
areas as Holy Spirit strives to meet
your needs and encourage growth in
discipleship. Indeed, we have many
reasons to be grateful to God.
As Called to BE Church continues in
2008, our parish will be working with
our neighboring parishes to present our
recommendations to Bishop Hubbard on
future shape and form of the Roman
Catholic Church in southern Rensselaer
County. You can keep the Church alive
and vibrant in faith and action both now
and in the future. Can I count on
your Help?. Will you participate in our
ministries and share your ideas?
Yours in
Christ,
Rev.
Joseph O'Brien
revjosephobrien@nycap.rr.com
477-7925
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