Tight finances lead to reduced subsidies for Miami parishes, schools

By Dennis Sadowski
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) – In a budgetary move meant to maintain ministries and meet the needs of a growing Catholic population, the Archdiocese of Miami will reduce funding for financially strapped parishes and schools.

Archbishop John C. Favalora told department heads in April that growing needs brought on by an increase in the Catholic population and rising poverty in the three counties of the archdiocese are forcing officials to prioritize spending and reduce subsidies to cover parish debt and to cover shortfalls in the operation of parish schools.

"In today's economy and the circle of poverty affecting our community, I must be a good steward and can only do what our finances will allow," the archbishop said. "With the current financial status facing every corporation, institution, organization and family, we too must be financially responsible.

"Each year a greater number of parishes and programs are seeking our financial help and therefore we must prioritize," he added. "We can only work with what we have."

The announcement came even as Sunday collections increased from $58.1 million in fiscal year 2005-06 to $61.6 million in 2006-2007, according to the archdiocese's most recent financial report.

In one budget-cutting move, subsidies to the 10 to 12 parish schools that do not meet their expenses will be reduced by 10 percent in fiscal year 2008-09, archdiocesan communications director Mary Ross Agosta said. Subsidies to individual schools over the last five years ranged from about $400,000 to nearly $3 million, she said.

Overall, the financial report shows that subsidies to parishes and parish elementary schools totaled more than $5.6 million in fiscal year 2006-07.

"They'll have to be more aggressive about making up the deficit," Agosta said. "Whether it means more fundraisers or parent involvement as volunteers, the challenge has really been passed on to the pastors' and principals' plates."

Citing growing subsidies and the need to provide more financial aid to students, the archdiocese in February announced the closing of St. Monica School in working-class Miami Gardens. Agosta said it became too costly for the archdiocese to continue subsidizing the school, where enrollment had declined by nearly half during the last five years from 325 to 165 students.

There are no plans to close any other schools, she said.

At the same time, the archdiocese moved forward with the layoff of 49 of the 182 staff members at archdiocesan offices this year, Agosta said.

Archbishop Favalora said the reduction in staffing would not lead to the elimination of ministries. Agosta said some ministries were moving to other locations to help reduce costs at the archdiocese's Miami Shores administrative center.

The relocation of Newman Campus Ministry headquarters to the archdiocesan-owned St. Thomas University was among the moves, Agosta said. Other ministries, such as marriage preparation, ministries to married couples and retreats, will gradually become the responsibility of parishes, she added.

In a separate meeting, the archbishop told pastors that any outstanding parish debts will no longer be covered by the archdiocese.

"The parishes will be mirroring what we did (in establishing priorities) at the pastoral center (administrative offices)," Agosta said.

Closing parishes is not being explored, Agosta said, explaining that although a few parishes "may be poor, our population is growing."

"We have an ever-growing immigrant population. The majority are Catholic, whether or not they fully participate, but when all else is failing they come to the church for help," she said.

Currently, about 1.3 million Catholics live in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, which comprise the archdiocese. There are 120 parishes and missions, 66 elementary and secondary schools and two seminaries in the archdiocese.