Finance Committee Corner
Last Sunday $6,853 was received in the offertory
baskets at Mass and $4,377 was received through WeShare, for a total of $11,230. Thank you for so generously giving to our regular collection. 
 

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Our Sunday School Classes for this year ended on May 20 with a Family Day. Family members were invited to attend their child’s class for a review of the year, receive their child’s Progress Reports, and join us for a buffet of cheese, crackers, bagels, fruit, and sweets.
 
Sunday School will begin again on September 9. Registration Packets will be emailed to the parents of current students at the end of June and posted on the Sunday School website. Paper copies will also be available at the rectory. You must register your child each year.  Please register by August 1.
 
If your child is not a current student, please email me at [email protected] so I can send you a packet via email or call the rectory office at 212-877-3111 and leave your postal address if you wish to receive a paper copy of the registration packet.
 
We are so very grateful for the 22 Classroom Catechists and Assistants, 11 Youth Assistants, 13 substitutes and event coordinators, and 4 Team members who monitor the school door, halls, and logistics. Without these generous and dedicated volunteers we would not be able to have our Religious Education Sunday Program for children.
 
If you have questions about Sunday School classes or wish to volunteer, please call Tina Silvestro at 212-877-3111. 
 

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Current Year to Date Financial Report
 
Financial transparency is essential to the life of any organization, and the Church is no exception. I am grateful that the members of the Finance Council see this a priority for us here at Blessed Sacrament, especially because we are such a large and active parish, with many resources, but also many needs. I am happy to present to you our most current year to date Financial Report. Our Fiscal Year runs from September through August, and this coming Fall we will begin presenting quarterly reports to the parish, as I promised last Fall. 
 
From September 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018, our regular collection totals are up from last year thanks to your continued generosity. As you know we have been encouraging parishioners to sign up for WeShare to help stabilize the offertory. In our 2015 Parish Survey we learned that 40% of our parishioners attend Mass once monthly. Each week I preach the importance of weekly Mass attendance so that the Word of God can challenge and inspire us, and so that we can receive strength from the Eucharist, but each of us journeys with the Lord as we are and as we are able. Supporting the parish community as we make that journey in sincerity is, I believe, a sign of our goodness and participation in the life of the Church.   
 
The surplus we are currently running in our Operating Budget is also thanks to the work and generosity of many over and above their weekly giving. I must point out that our Year End Operational Appeal, which we hope to continue each year, raised $154,352.20. The remaining $109,000 raised through our fundraising efforts includes our theatre and other space rentals as well as the Moving with the Spirit event, which last year raised funds for the Poor Box, and this year raised funds to continue upgrading the theatre so that it can continue to assist the parish as a means of revenue. 
 
All of what I just addressed regards the daily operations here, i.e. keeping Blessed Sacrament going while making regular maintenance and necessary upgrades a priority along the way. We must, however, also recognize the great need for capital improvements, some of which are already underway. The Façade work is slated to finish this fall and every person giving to the 5 Year Capital Campaign is making this a reality. Other capital improvements we are now preparing to accept and plan for. The parish currently awaits a finalized Facility Assessment Report, conducted in the spring, which will give us a sense of immediate and eventual needs to our electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and fire safety systems. We are indebted to the parish Buildings and Grounds Committee for making this a priority. While we await those findings, we already know we need the following capital work performed: modernization of our 3 elevators because of code changes, structural work to at least the sidewalk vault on 70 ^th street, major electrical equipment replacements in the church and school as well as replacing the lighting system in the church itself, addressing the church’s failing pipe organ.
 
It is a joy and an honor to have been asked to help shepherd the community here at Blessed Sacrament, and it is a privilege to work alongside some very talented people both pastorally and administratively. I would like to thank each of you once again for your support and again to the Finance Council for their ardent desire to keep us financially sound and prepared for the present needs we are facing.
 
Father Duffell