From the February 4, 2005 Edition of The Pilot

Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee releases first report

The following report was released Feb. 1, 2005 by the Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee of the Archdiocese of Boston. Chancellor David W. Smith has also announced his first report on reconfiguration funds will be printed in the Feb. 25 issue of The Pilot.

Introduction Report

The members of the Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee are pleased to report to our fellow Catholics of the Boston Archdiocese. As was announced in a Nov. 30, 2004, press release from Archbishop O’Malley, the committee was assembled to provide an independent review of the financial aspects of the parish reconfiguration process including the transfer of liquid assets and liquidation of liabilities of suppressed parishes of the archdiocese. The committee will review the establishment of a Parish Reconfiguration Fund which will receive the proceeds generated from the sale of closed parish property and the use of those proceeds. The committee’s mission is to assess, make recommendations and report regarding the integrity of the process used to handle and dispose these assets and liabilities. It will also evaluate the extent to which the disposition of proceeds conforms to the commitment to use the Parish Reconfiguration Fund only to help parishes with past, present and future obligations and programs. The committee is advisory in nature, committed to representing the interests of parishioners throughout the archdiocese, and will work with the archdiocese to insure that the financial aspects of parish reconfiguration are handled with transparency.

The PFROC is comprised of lay professionals from a variety of backgrounds including law, finance, banking and public relations. Members include parishioners from each of the five regions of the Boston Archdiocese, three being from parishes recommended by the archbishop for suppression.

To insure geographic representation, a pastor from each of the five regions of the archdiocese was asked to submit three candidates for the committee. David Smith, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston, and David Castaldi of St. Ann Parish, Boston, whom the archbishop requested serve as chair of the committee, reviewed the credentials of candidates and jointly recommended membership. Membership on the committee was invited by Bishop Richard Lennon, vicar general of the archdiocese, and Archbishop O’Malley. In addition to David Castaldi, chair; the following individuals serve on the Parish Reconfiguraton Fund Oversight Committee, Maureen Corcoran of Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence Parish, Brookline, Central Region Representative; Nan-Marie Jaeger of St. Helen Parish, Norwell, South Region Representative; Kathleen Rabe of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish, Danvers, North Region Representative; Norman Sabbey of Mary Immaculate of Lourdes Parish, Newton, West Region Representative; and, Timothy J. Schiavoni of Sacred Hearts Parish, Bradford, Merrimack Valley Representative. Because the work of the Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee is closely related to the responsibility of the Archdiocesan Finance Council, the committee will include a lay member of that council who probably will also be a member of the Strategic Financial Planning Committee. In order to maintain continuity in the process, committee members have committed to serve a three-year term.

To date, the Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee has held five meetings to familiarize members with the organizational structures, finances, and accounting procedures of the Archdiocese. At each meeting, archdiocesan employees and volunteers from various departments and committees that are involved in the reconfiguration process have explained their roles and presented their assessments on the reconfiguration process.

Laity, clergy and employees of the Boston Archdiocese may confidently expect a thorough review of all relevant financial information by the Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee as it embarks upon its mission. The committee will report its findings and recommendations periodically in The Pilot and is exploring the possibility for direct dialogue between the committee members and fellow parishioners in the archdiocese.

The Parish Reconfiguration Fund Oversight Committee operates under a charter that was approved by the Archbishop and that resulted from discussions between the committee chair, Chancellor David Smith and Bishop Richard Lennon. The charter contains specific provisions that insure the independence and effective functioning of the committee. To insure independence, no member may be an employee of or have significant business dealings with the archdiocese. Other provisions include full access to relevant information, executive sessions without the presence of archdiocesan employees and the ability to hire independent experts. The committee is developing a communication policy respond to fellow Catholics and the media.

[Editor’s note: As a convenience to our readers, we are reprinting the full text of the committee’s charter with this report. The text is also available on the archdiocese’s Web site, www.rcab.org. To access it, go to the “News/Events” tab, click on “Pilot Articles” then scroll down to the Dec. 3, 2004 issue. ]

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