One way or another

Bishop Matthew Clark’s Catholic Ministries Appeal 'fell short' about $350,000 this year. However, the targeted amount of $5.6 million will be raised.

The deficit will be made up by the parishes that failed to gather their stated goal amounts. All Saints’ deficit was about $15,000 short of the DOR’s ‘goal’ for our parish, which will now be collected through either our savings or regular parish donations.

Wouldn’t it be better if the DOR characterized the appeal for what it really is – a tax? It can’t truly be called an ‘appeal’ when it will come out of parishioners’ pockets one way or another. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the usage of the word appeal as ‘an organized request for donations’ or ‘an earnest plea’.

While the DOR may begin each CMA with an earnest plea, an organized plea, it finishes through compulsory compliance. In other words, a tax has been assessed. Let us call it what it is.

Now, it is no secret that the DOR has been suffering a dearth of vocations for some time. Out of 176 dioceses in the USA, the DOR places 175 on the list for vocations. Having suffered this decline for some time, it would seem efficacious to turn attention to this most important of Catholic issues and expend time, effort and money to turn this situation around.

Yet the DOR’s annual budget of $9.975 million spent just under $435,000 to support “Priest personnel, Sabbaticals, & St. Bernard’s School of Theology & Ministry.”

That is 4.3% of the budget.

To then be told via the parish bulletin that there are no ‘additional priests available’ to our parish of 2,500 families, and that funeral masses may be unavailable for our community, gives the impression that vocations is not a priority. Truly a tragedy for our people and parishes. The priesthood is not only a sacred need, it is a basic need for parishes.