BishopAccountability.org
	Churches Miss Goals, but Target Reached Official: Demographics, Not Necessarily Scandals, Likely Reason for Church Declines By Mark Guydish Times Leader [Scranton PA] June 28, 2005 While announcing deep administrative budget cuts recently, the Diocese of Scranton noted that fewer churches are meeting goals in a key fund drive: the Diocesan Annual Appeal. Officials also insisted the financial crunch is not because of the priest scandals plaguing the church locally and nationally. A deeper look shows that, although individual parishes have missed goals, the diocese overall still consistently meets its mark. Money from the Appeal pays for a variety of diocesewide services, including the newspaper and television stations, schools, support for retired clergy, and social services. Diocese Spokesman Bill Genello said the goal has risen each year, from $3.5 million in 1999 to this year's $4.4 million. As the overall goal goes up, so do the goals for each parish. According to the June 23 issue of the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Light – which, because of budget cuts, will be published every three weeks instead of every two – 66 percent of parishes in the 11-county diocese met their goals in 1999; 41 percent did so this year. But that's an incomplete picture. Genello said that although fewer parishes meet individual goals, the overall goal has been exceeded each year since 1999. This year, the diocese topped the goal by at least $23,000. Genello added, however, that this year's Appeal actually raised about $62,000 less than last year's. Genello said it's difficult for the diocese to know if the sex scandals have caused a decline in appeal donations, but added that anecdotal evidence suggests that's not the case. "The diocese mails pledge cards to more than 137,000 households for the appeal," Genello wrote, "and sometimes parishioners write back concerning issues that bother them. For the 2004 appeal, only one complaint about the abuse issue was received." The difficulty parishes are having meeting goals is more likely the result of demographic changes, he said. A recent study shows that in many parishes there are more funerals than baptisms each year. That probably translates into a steady loss of older people who were big donors, Genello speculated. "For instance, if a parish has a donor pass away who has given $3,000 to the appeal each year, and the parish was just making goal, it then becomes difficult for that parish to make goal in succeeding years." When the budget cuts – totaling about $800,000 – were announced, diocese officials stressed that legal fees and settlement costs from the few local priest scandals were covered by insurance and did not affect the administrative budget. Genello elaborated on that. Scranton joined with 55 other dioceses nationwide in 1989 to form a self-insurance company that includes liability coverage for sexual misconduct claims. "Even after the major scandals were revealed in 2002," Genello wrote, "the premiums have not risen beyond the normal yearly inflation (about 5 percent)." A quick survey of some Catholics at Wilkes-Barre's Charles T. Adams Senior Center shows the scandals have been among reasons people reduced donations to the appeal. "I've cut down, truthfully, because we're paying for the priests' problems," said Dorothy Askew, a parishioner at St. Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre. Askew also cited the closing of schools and consolidation of churches, all of which leave her wondering where the money donated to the diocese goes. Beverly Matzer cited similar reasons for her change in donations, saying that parishioners are constantly asked to give money. She contributed to the diocesan appeal once, but not since. "I don't believe in it. We have to give too much to the churches as it is." Others have gladly given in the past, but don't have the funds to continue. Sandra Migliore, who attends St. Rocco's in Pittston, said the reason she didn't give in the past two years is simple: "I haven't been able to afford it." The Annual Appeal clearly has – and probably always will have – staunch supporters such as Therese Pizzela and Julia Ivan. Both said they contribute annually and have not decreased their donations. "We feel that we give a nice amount," Ivan said, "and we've given every year."