Diocese of Scranton adds collection to boost priests' benefits
Published: June 23, 2009
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share thisThe Diocese of Scranton announced this weekend the start of a new monthly collection to help pay for the retirement, education and health care costs of priests.
In flyers tucked into parish bulletins on Father's Day, the diocese outlined the widening gap between the rising costs of clergy care and education and the insufficient funds available to pay for those programs.
Bishop Joseph F. Martino said a second collection to be held at Masses on the first weekend of every month will be used to cover what he called the "enormous" costs of training and care, which are currently not fully met by ordinary diocesan revenues.
In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the diocese is $1.8 million short of the $8.6 million needed to pay for clergy care and education, according to diocesan figures. Parish assessments and funds raised through the diocesan annual appeal contributed $6.8 million for those programs.
Bishop Martino said the new monthly collection "seems to be the most effective and understandable way to meet our obligations to the clergy" rather than increasing the assessments paid by parishes throughout the diocese.
According to diocesan figures for the 2008-09 fiscal year:
- The diocese had to pay $1.1 million for "clergy support and medical assistance" above the $2.9 million parishes contributed to cover health insurance premiums for active priests. Diocese spokesman William Genello said he could not specify what accounted for those costs because they pertain to "medical or other personal issues," but he said "the diocese is obligated to provide necessary care for priests who might be dealing with a variety of personal issues." He also said the costs have exceeded the amount budgeted for them.
- Costs to run the Villa St. Joseph retirement home for priests exceeded the funds parishes contributed to operate it by $38,000.
- Health care costs for retired priests were more than double the $696,000 parishes contributed for those expenses.
- Seminary and clergy education cost $263,000, but the diocese projects education expenses "will increase significantly" in the next fiscal year. Mr. Genello said a number of priests will be engaged in advanced studies this year, in part because priests must be trained in specific areas, like Canon Law, as older priests with those specialities retire.
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com
151 posted comments
I'm assuming the reference by Father Bechtel to "Hussein Obama" was a paraphrase from the Vatican newspaper in question, as I'd be disappointed if he (Father Bechtel) were to engage in what I think is a none-too-respectful way of referring to the President of the United States. I note this because while I've written some highly critical things about Bishop Martino and disagreed with Father Bechtel's defense of this actions, I (a lowly lay quasi-Catholic) would & have never referred to Father Bechtel as anything other than his professional title..."Father Bechtel"; the same is true for Bishop Martino (although I will refer to him as "Joseph Martino" on rare occasion if I want to contrast his religious vs his his secular actions). To the issue at hand: All I can say is "yawn". Raising this extra money has nothing to do with anything other than the economics of running a large organization in this day and age, period. Anyone who stridently believes that this has something to do with some massive scandal can save the mental energy and instead simply chose to not contribute. For every non-compassionate, ineffective priest I've met one who is just the opposite who deserves this kind of support.