The Diocese of Richmond document, "Called to Stewardship, Diocesan Norms and Guidelines for Parish Finance Councils," Revised July 1, 2025, requires St. Patrick to have a functioning Finance Council composed of at least 5 members, exclusive of the Pastor.
The mission of your Finance Council can best be characterized by this quote from Bishop Knestout's letter at the beginning of "Called to Stewardship":
Finance Council
finance council
"The establishment of a Parish Finance Council is required by Canon 537 of the Code of Canon Law. These councils are not optional; rather, they are a necessary structure for ensuring accountability and transparency in the administration of parish temporal resources. The participation of dedicated, competent lay faithful in this capacity serves as a valuable resource for pastors, who remain the chief stewards of the parish's resources."
While the Diocese requires the Finance Council to conduct its business in closed session, the Finance Council invites all parishioners and any other interested persons to submit written comments by regular mail, email (addressed to office@stpatrickslexington.com with "Finance Council" in the subject line), or by personal attendance at meetings before the Council closes for its business meeting. The Council will make every effort to respond to any input, providing the input includes a name and address. Anyone planning to attend a meeting should check with the Parish Office to make sure the time/location of the meeting has not changed.
Finance Council Members:
John Czekner
Mary Jim Fulton, Chair
Ron Ginder
Ed Hosken
Jim Kostelni
Deb Tucker
The Richmond Diocese's fiscal year begins on July 1 and concludes on June 30. The Diocese determines many of the figures to be used in such areas as retirement contributions, medical insurance, cathedraticum rates, and the amount of permissible pay raises for the pastor and employees.
Your Finance Council offers the following observations about the current budget:
1. The cathedraticum is calculated on a progressive scale. St. Patrick’s effective tax rate is 9%.
2. Overall FY26 budgeted income and expenses (excluding the preschool) are a 3% increase over the FY25 budget.
4. The majority of the budget is mandatory expenditures from utilities to salaries.
To view the FY26 vs. FY25 budgets, click the link below for the Fiscal Year 2024/2025 (FY25) Year-End Report.
Annual Budget - FY26
2024/2025 (FY25) Year-End Report
DOWNLOAD THE FORM
St. Patrick Church is joining the community of Catholic Churches that offer a direct debit program for your church offering. You determine every part of the program, including the amount of the offering, the frequency of the donation, and the accounts you would like some or all of the offering to be applied. There is no cost to you, and you may withdraw from the program at any time.
Online Giving (Direct Debit)
In June 2014, the Garden and Maintenance Committee completed an “Inventory and Estimate of 25 Year Replacement Costs” for the major equipment and structures owned by St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. This inventory and estimate were then used as the foundation for creating the long-range 25 Year Capital Maintenance Plan (CMP), which was commissioned by the Rev. Father Joseph A. D’Aurora and presented to the Finance Council on June 15, 2014.
The CMP explains that the Parish has facilities and equipment valued at over $1,630,000 that must be continuously maintained and/or replaced. Meeting this financial obligation, as well as upgrading our facilities to better accommodate our handicapped parishioners and visitors, will require continued Maintenance Reserve Fund contributions from our parishioners.
To address the long-term needs of the parish, several steps have been taken.
• A Maintenance Reserve Fund has been established to avoid the need for future Capital Campaigns and to ensure adequate funds are available to repair or replace equipment over time.
• Adequate operating funds have been budgeted to put in place contract service agreements for preventive maintenance using appropriate experts to protect our investments and extend the useful life of equipment systems.
• An accurate inventory of St. Patrick’s facilities and equipment has been documented.
• A long-term comprehensive maintenance plan for guiding maintenance activities and forecasting future projects and capital investment has been developed.
25 Year Capital Maintenance Plan
25 Year Capital Maintenance Plan