SacredHeartAppeal.org
What about money ?
Many questions have been asked about what is going on
with the money part of this appeal. Hopefully this will clarify the different
parts we know of:
1.
Your regular contribution. Please
consider that the continued operation of Sacred Heart relies on your continued
regular contribution to Sacred Heart.
An alternative which has been described, is to write on the check “for Maintenance Fund only” – we understand
that such contributions are deposited in an account that should only be used
for the maintenance and upkeep of this parish, and not necessarily into
accounts owned by the Archdiocese.
Staff salaries, utilities such as electricity and heat, and other bills
continue to need to be paid. We’re
not closed yet, and the parish continues to require operating funds.
2.
A “Sacred Heart
Appeal Fund” has been created and
funded separately since the appeal itself is being organized without the active
participation of the pastor or of the parish council. Funds will be needed to pay for a Canon
lawyer, and / or a civil lawyer, postage
for mailings, and other expenses. Only
after a “charitable organization” status is granted to a nonprofit group (which
has not yet been created), can contributions be tax deductible. Questions should be directed to the Finance
Action Committee at finance@sacredheartappeal.org
.
3.
The “Sacred Heart Fund” has a similar name but is entirely different in
funding and purpose. This is a source of
charitable monies made possible by previous donations, and is created on an
annual basis from funds set aside from the parish budget. This is administered by the Stewardship
Commission, and is supported by our pastor, Arnold Colletti. Applications for grants are turned in to the
parish office and handled by the Stewardship Commission.
4.
An “escrow” account has been mentioned but the idea
was rejected at this time. Handling your regular contribution as noted
above, “for Maintenance Fund only”, we are told, is sufficient to keep the money
in this parish. Contributions to assist
the appeal effort specifically can be made to the Sacred Heart Appeal
Fund. So an escrow account does not
seem to be necessary yet.
Note: this
status is current as of