At Sacred Heart Church we are blessed to be served by the Society of Jesus. We are also most fortunate to have a beautiful church and the parish halls and presbytery complex.

Review of parish life: In the last three years we have reviewed parish life. Our Parish Pastoral Plan has given a focus to our present and future activities. The new Parish Pastoral Council recently held its first well-attended AGM . There we heard about the wide range of ongoing and planned parish initiatives.

Review of parish finances: But these activities cost money and we have not had a major review of our finances for almost six years. In that time income has slipped behind expenditure - over the last five years, taking inflation into account, income in real terms has declined by almost 17%. Nor have we reviewed what we give to the parish. Both these reviews are long overdue - hence today we launch a 'Planned Giving Campaign'.

Parish income and expenditure: Now our expenditure is projected to exceed income. Without an increase in income in 2006, we estimate a shortfall for the year of some £38,000. Principal costs are people, premises and the day-to-day expenses associated with the parish mission of evangelisation and pastoral support. We have a dedicated parish team supported by salaried staff. The church, parish halls, presbytery, grounds and schools all require upkeep, including insurance, repairs and general maintenance.

Our average weekly income in 2005 was £5270 .

On the other hand, our 2005 average weekly costs added up to £5,999.

These costs exclude the very large 'one-off' buildings-related projects that we occasionally have to fund. We have funded these in the past from parish reserves built up through careful management of parish income. In recent years these reserves have paid for the disabled access ramp to the church and our contribution to the Sacred Heart Primary School extension. Now we do not have enough income to enable us to pay in regularly to the reserves. Existing reserves are almost exhausted.

In the near future we will have to fund several more large maintenance projects. These include providing a youth ministry space, disability access to the parish halls and presbytery, repair of the organ and a new church floor. We hope to replenish the reserves and fund these major projects through a special appeal later this year.

The immediate problem: So.. in 2005, weekly outgoings of £ 5,999 with an income of £5,270. This means that on average our income fell short each week by £729. Furthermore, this shortfall is increasing, and though the Society of Jesus has recently offered significant help with the costs of providing the Youth Minister's accommodation, we need to do much more to help ourselves in the future.

We plan to undertake a thorough review of the parish finances to achieve greater efficiencies and identify savings. However, this alone is unlikely to solve our problems. We all know current costs such as gas and electricity will not stand still. The 'bottom line' is that the parish needs to raise more money on a week-by-week basis. If we cannot manage to do this, we may have to curtail some parish activities.

What can we do? We can all ask ourselves three questions - and then act on the answers.

1. Does my giving reflect the importance of the parish in my life?

Some people put £1 or less into the collection each week. For some, that is a sacrifice and all that they can reasonably afford. Others probably could do more. Please reflect and think about the importance of the parish in your life and what you can afford - and ask if this is reflected in what you give each week.

Most of those who already give regular weekly amounts have not changed the amount for at least three years. But inflation has risen by over 6% during this period. Cardinal Hume once suggested that people who work should think about an hour's pay when deciding what to give. If your take-home pay is £10,000 a year - that's about £5 a week. The same test could be applied for retired and other people with an income but not in paid employment - think of this income as for a 52 week year made up of 40 hour weeks.

2. What happens to the parish when I am not here?

You might not be able to attend Mass here every week, yet the parish is still here and its running costs continue. If all of us committed a regular amount each week, the parish could plan ahead knowing that your donation could be relied on.

From the parish point of view, the best way to receive regular donations is by Bank Standing Order. However this option doesn't suits everyone - use of weekly offertory envelopes would be our second choice.

3. Why don't I get the Government to add 28p to every £1 that I give?

If you pay UK tax, the Government will top up every £1 you give by 28p if you Gift Aid your donation. Currently less than half of the money given by parishioners each week is gift-aided. We estimate that this means a potential loss of income to the parish of up to £545 per week.

Gift-aiding costs you nothing and does not require any disclosure of financial circumstances. You just have to complete a simple form to say you are a tax payer and donate your money using a method approved by the taxman - either by signing a Bank Standing Order form or by using offertory envelopes. (We can supply the forms or envelopes). The parish cannot claim gift-aid from money placed loose in the collecting boxes.

What Next?

On Sunday 21st May we will be formally asking every parishioner to act on their answers to the above 3 questions. On that day pledge cards will be available at each Mass and we will ask you to consider whether you could:

Promise to make a regular weekly donation.

Increase your donation from its current level.  

1. Arrange for your regular donation to be paid to the parish by monthly Bank Standing Order (preferred choice) and (if you are a taxpayer) sign a Gift Aid form.

If you don't wish to use a Standing Order, use offertory envelopes for your weekly donation, place these in the collection box when you attend Sunday Mass and (if you are a taxpayer) sign a Gift Aid form.

We know that many of you already give generously - including some who give more than they can or should contribute. We also know that some parishioners experience significant financial hardship.

All that we ask is that each person reviews what they give to the parish and acts in the way which is right for them. Remember - if your circumstances change, you can change your mind at any time.

If we all do what we can, we believe that we can close the gap in our finances and continue to grow and thrive as a parish community. Thank you and God bless you for the thought and time that we know you will give to the Planned Giving Campaign.

Parish Finance Committee: Margaret Duffy, Ranjit Croos-Fernando, Alan Fernandes, Hugh Johnston, Gerard Mitchell SJ, Dan O'Brien, Jean Sherry.

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