11-26 Trustee Update
St. Joan of Arc Parish Trustee Update
On behalf of our parish leadership, we wanted to share some good news, give you an update on our progress, and most importantly say thank you.
It’s hard to believe how much has happened in such a short time. We’ve opened a beautiful new school, brought two parishes together, and have begun building one parish family. Certainly, there have been growing pains. We know change isn’t always easy.
But we’ve been impressed by how people responded. Ministries are coming together, volunteers are sharing their talents across campuses, and we’re finding new ways to work together. We’re grateful to everyone who’s helping make that happen.
We also have some very encouraging financial news! For the first three months operating as a new parish, our weekly envelope giving is up 22% over the same time last year. Attendance is also up at both campuses.
As you know, our aggressive school mortgage repayment plan calls for 17 extra principal payments of $1 million each quarter, starting January 2026. Well, we’re ahead of schedule! Because of your generosity, we’ve already made six additional $1 million payments this year, two more than planned. That’s remarkable progress!
Our school is thriving too. Enrollment has grown by more than 100 students in just two years. We are at approximately 87% capacity at 393 students for K through 8. What a wonderful sign for the future of Catholic education in our community!
But we also want to be realistic. We’re still making our scheduled $150,000 monthly mortgage payments, along with the extra principal payments. We have more than $1.3 million remaining on our Upon This Rock commitment, a $351,000 annual diocesan assessment, and the everyday costs of operating our parish.
Thankfully, as noted previously, weekly giving remains strong at both campuses. Still, finances will remain tight until some of these major obligations are behind us. That’s why we’re watching spending carefully and looking for ways to operate more efficiently.
We also want to address rumors about the future of the Lourdes campus. There is no timeline for any facility closures at this point. Bishop Walsh and the requirements of canon law will help guide that process. In the meantime, we’re committed to keeping things going at Lourdes while being responsible with our resources.
Our financial progress will help determine the timing of future decisions.
Our long-term goal remains a new church at the school campus. We’d like to see that happen sooner rather than later, but Bishop Walsh has made it clear that we must pay off the school mortgage before beginning that project.
After the first of the year, as our fundraising campaign winds down, we’ll hold another round of community meetings and listening sessions. We’ll update you on our financial goals, share where things stand and hear your questions and concerns. We also encourage you to review the financial snapshot within the Annual Report we mailed out to you in August.
Finally, thank you. Thank you for your generosity, your patience, and your willingness to embrace change. Thank you to our staff, teachers, volunteers, ministry leaders, Father Rich and Father Tony for all they’ve done to bring us together.
We still have plenty of work ahead but we have so much to be thankful for. We’re not just paying off a building or merging two organizations. We’re building a parish family that will serve generations to come. We’ve come a long way, and there’s good reason to be excited about our future.
Thanks, and God bless you!
Dennis Gerard & Gary Ghere
St. Joan of Arc Parish Trustees