February 13, 2009
Salaries frozen, budget to be cut, Catholic Center staff reduced
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Staff reductions, a salary freeze for priests and diocesan staff, a reduction in the Catholic Parishes Campaign goal, and a call to cut the next budget by 10 percent — these were the elements of cost-saving measures announced Feb. 6 by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger and Tim McGuire, diocesan chief operating officer.
Reasons given for the cuts include concern for parishes in this time of financial uncertainty, the soft economy, increasing unemployment and low earnings or losses from diocesan investments.
In a letter published in this issue of the Message, Bishop Gettelfinger acknowledged the economic pressures on the parishes. “In recognition of the existing burdens facing you and all our parish communities I have taken some painful steps,” he said.
Following is a list of the steps taken, all effective for the next fiscal year starting Sept. 1, but some having immediate impact.
- The CPC goal is cut back to $5,162,869, an amount 1.77 percent lower than last year.
- The bishop and all priests of the diocese will forgo any cost of living increase for the fiscal year 2009-2010.
- All diocesan directors and other diocesan staff members will also forgo any cost of living increase for the same period.
- Justin Clements, diocesan director of the Office of Stewardship and Develop-ment, is retiring and will not be replaced. His position is one of three director positions that will not be filled for the fiscal year 2009-2010. Clements, the author of two books on stewardship and a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences on stewardship, has guided the diocesan office since 1985.
- George-Anne Ryder, diocesan director of Activities and Facilities, is retiring and will not be replaced. Her responsibilities include the Catholic Center, Sarto Retreat House, Villa Maria Retirement Home for Priests, and Rabenwood Retreat House. Ryder has held the position since 1991.
- The search for a new Director of Schools is deferred. Since the departure of Phyllis Bussing as diocesan director of the Catholic Schools Office, Donna Halverson has served as interim director. Halverson, the former associate director, has agreed to serve another year as interim director.
- Catholic Charities will continue to operate at the current staff and service level, operating in part from a “rainy day fund” established with several large contributions in recent years. The subsidy from diocesan funds is being reduced by $100,000 for the fiscal year 2009-2010.
- The Catholic Center Print Shop will be closed. Linda Allgood, who has operated the Print Shop for the past 17 years, will lose her job. The Print Shop has been one of the functions of the diocesan Office of Communications, producing a variety of items including parish newsletters, CPC brochures and posters, diocesan stationary and envelopes, and the annual diocesan Yearbook and Directory.
- Work hours are being re-duced for three staff members, Barbara Lamble in the Treas-urer’s Office, Charleen Kaelin in the Tribunal, and Donna Gish, associate director of the Office for Adult Formation.
- Beyond the elimination of the stewardship director and the activities director, the deferral of hiring a new Catholic Schools director and the reduction in subsidy to Catholic Charities, Bishop Gettelfinger instructed department directors to reduce their budgets by 10 percent for the fiscal year, 2009-2010. These departments include the offices of the chancellor, treasurer, tribunal, adult formation, communications, youth and young adult ministry, vocations, worship, Hispanic ministry, Catholic Charities and Catholic schools.
At a department directors’ meeting in the morning Feb. 6, and a meeting of all diocesan staff early that afternoon, McGuire presented some of the data that led to the cost-cutting decisions. He cited a significant reduction in the net assets of the diocese, loss of earnings from investments and continued uncertainty about investment income.
Unaffected by the budget measures is the hiring of a Catholic Campus minister for the University of Evansville, to succeed Kristal Riffert who re-signed from the position late in 2008. Steve Dabrowski, diocesan director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, said an appointment to the UE position would be announced in the near future.
Also unaffected is the effort to hire an associate director of the Guadalupe Center, headquarters of a diocesan office serving the Spanish speaking. Benedictine Sister Karen Durliat, former associate director of the center, is the current director, having succeeded the former director, Father Gene Heerdink, who has retired.