Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
April 2, 2025 Column Father De Celles
ALL SAINTS/ALL SOULS. This week we celebrate these important feasts that remind us that the Church of Jesus Christ is more than just the people we see at Mass, or even the 2 billion plus Christians on Earth. Because countless numbers of Christians have lived and died before us, and many of those are in Heaven, or on their way there. This is what the Church means when it speaks of the “Communion of Saints.”
Remember, the one Church has three states, or parts: first, all Christians on Earth (“The Pilgrim Church” or “The Church Militant”), second, all those in Heaven (“The Church in Glory” or “The Church Triumphant”), and third, all the souls in Purgatory (“The Church Being Purified” or “The Church Suffering”). All Saints Day, Friday, November 1, is a Holy Day of Obligation (you must go to Mass, under pain of mortal sin) reminds us of our unity with the Church in Heaven. Throughout the year we celebrate the feasts of particular “saints” whom the Church officially considered “canonized saints.” But on ALL Saints’ Day we also remember ALL the other countless numbers of souls who have gone to Heaven, including many of our deceased parents and grandparents, and so many of our little children who have gone before us. This is their feast day! So, we honor them, and pray to them, asking the whole multitude in Heaven to assist us on our way to join them.
All Souls Day, Saturday, November 2, remember s our unity with the Church in Purgatory. Unfortunately, nowadays even the mention of Purgatory often triggers reactions of disbelief or even ridicule—even among Catholics. Yet this dogma goes back to the Old Testament (see 2 Maccabees 12:39-46. And as St. John tells us in Rev. 21:27 that “nothing imperfect shall enter into” Heaven. The thing is, almost all of us have at least some venial sins we cling to, or have some inordinate attachment to earthly things. We are not perfect. But in His great love and mercy, the Lord takes all of us who die with any imperfections (but having, before dying, properly repented of any mortal— “deadly”—sins) and He perfects, or purifies, us. This is what we call “Purgatory.” And we must pray for the Souls in Purgatory—because even while they rejoice as they see themselves becoming more and more perfect, and drawing closer and closer to heaven, they do suffer the pains involved in change: much like an athlete rejoices as he becomes stronger and faster even as he endures the grueling pain of exercise and training. So even though it is not a day of obligation, the Church encourages us to go Mass on All Souls Day to offer that greatest prayer possible for the “Holy Souls.” With this in mind, I invite you to join us either at the regular 9am Mass or the additional noon Mass next Saturday. All Hallow’s Eve. Of course, all this is proceeded on Thursday, October 31, by “Halloween.” As you know, I am not a fan of this day, since it not only tends to distract us from and trivialize the meaning of the important days that follow, but it is also used as a feast day by those that serve the devil (including Satanists, witches, etc.). Still, I understand the innocent fun, especially for kids, of dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating. So, parents can right choose to let the kids have some fun. But keep it balanced, and be careful not to let it, in any way, lead you or yours away from Christ, the Saints, or the Holy Souls.
PARISH FINANCES. Please find the Finance Report of the year ended June 30, 2024 (“2024”), inserted in this bulletin. I have included a side-by-side comparison with last year (“2023”), as well as “2019” (the year before Covid), and “2020” (the year of Covid), since it is helpful to compare to these years as well. For last year, 2024, Operating Income (mainly from offertory and long-term maintenance collections, and other donations) was $ $2,491,738, up $182,584 (or 8%) from the prior year, while Operating Expenses were $2,313,584, up $10,241 (or .4%) from the prior year, leaving us a Net Operating Income of $178,154, up $172,343 from the prior year. It should be noted the increase in Operating Income is almost entirely due to two one-time windfalls: 1) a single bequest of $99,191 (from a decedent’s Will) and 2) an increase (doubling) in the interest on our cash investments amounting to $39,296 (See “DIAL” below). That leaves an increase from what we might call “regular” income from operations of only $44,096, or a 2% increase. Not bad, but that does not keep up with the inflation rate, which was 3%. We also had Extraordinary Expenditures (capital improvements) of $ $98,037: $53,000 to replace heating and air conditioning equipment and $45,037 for our new sound system. This left us with a Net Surplus (the bottom line) of $80,117.14. However, without the two one-time income items discussed above, the bottom line would have been a net loss of $58,370. On the Balance Sheet side of things, we had Cash of $180,564 in checking and $ 2,107,135.00 in savings. Of the cash in savings, $ $243,516.00 is restricted, i.e., funds dedicated to paying for Long-Term Maintenance and Capital Projects. Our sole liabilities amount to only $23,267 in Accounts Payable. Please feel free to contact me or Maerose Naduvilekunnel in the parish office with any questions about the report.
DIAL. All Parishes in the Diocese are required invest our excess cash in a special Fund administered by the Diocesan. This Fund, called “DIAL” (Diocesan Investment and Loan”) then lends money to other parishes for things like building new churches. But it also has a large amount invested in a stock and bond portfolio. This fund pays the parish interest, but most years this interest is well below the rate of return on DIALs investments. Recognizing this, in 2021 the Bishop had DIAL issue the parishes a one-time dividend (we received $228,000). This year he decided to double our interest rate—for one year only—as discussed above.
ELECTION. I hope you all have registered to vote, and plan to vote on November 5, or sometime before then. Remember, we shouldn’t vote for someone because we like or don’t like the way they look or talk, but how they will govern. As Catholics, electing our representatives in this Republic, we must vote based on the most critical issues, especially what Pope Benedict XVI called the “non-negotiables”: (a) protection of human life (pro-life); (b) promotion of the natural structure of the family as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage; (c) the protection of the right of parents to educate their children. I think you can also add to that defending religious freedom and protecting children from the transgender movement, especially bodily mutilation. Of lesser but still important concern are freedom of speech, domestic safety, and enforcement of just immigration laws. And there are other issues, but these seem to be the most important to consider in this election.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles