By Free Republic | Created at 2024-12-11 22:56:47 | Updated at 2024-12-22 17:21:50
1 week ago
[Catholic Caucus] Two Years After Restricting the Traditional Latin Mass, the Archdiocese of Washington Finds Itself In Serious Financial Trouble
Rorate Caeli ^ | December 11, 2024 | DC Rosary Rally
Posted on 12/11/2024 2:07:44 PM PST by ebb tide
Two years ago, the Archdiocese of Washington decided to end the Traditional Latin Mass at Old St. Mary and five other parishes. Like much of the Church, the Archdiocese had been experiencing rapid decline for decades. That decline was exacerbated by the revelation of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's sex abuse in the 2018 "Summer of Shame." But through it all, the seven parishes with the TLM were among its most thriving and generous in the Archdiocese.
Cardinal Gregory's decision in 2022 to end the TLM at these parishes and replace it with three "Mass centers," with only Sunday Mass and no parish life, was unbelievable. Particularly stunning was the cancellation of the Latin Mass at Old St. Mary in Chinatown. Old St. Mary had been dying when the TLM was reintroduced with the permission of Cardinal James Hickey in the mid-1980s. The TLM brought the congregation back to life. As noted by former parishioner Kenneth Wolfe, by 2022, the TLM at Old St. Mary accounted for "roughly two-thirds of that parish’s income, 100 percent of the church’s volunteer singers and about 90 percent of its volunteer base." The TLM parishioners were so generous financially that they paid for Old St. Mary's beautiful restoration. Now, as predicted, Old St. Mary's has lost nearly all of its regular Mass attendees since the restrictions.
In 2022, when the ADW was contemplating restrictions, Wolfe noted the Archdiocese's precarious financial position:
Cardinal Gregory’s two predecessors (Cardinals Theodore McCarrick and Donald Wuerl) resigned in disgrace, costing millions of dollars. Sex abuse payouts have been enormous. Pews are nearly empty at many, if not most, Catholic churches in D.C., and the archdiocese is likely on the verge of bankruptcy. According to the financial report released for the most recent fiscal year, parishes ran an operating deficit of $2.3 million in just that one year, and the priests’ retirement benefit trust and medical and care funds have unfunded liabilities of tens of millions of dollars. Contrary to some assumptions, the Archdiocese of Washington is actually quite small, having only double the number of parishes as Virginia’s 70-parish Diocese of Arlington, which makes these large monetary deficits staggering.
Wolfe wondered how, given these challenges, the Archdiocese could contemplate doing something so destructive as cutting the legs out from under its most generous parishes by cancelling the TLM. Fr. De Rosa vigorously protested the cancellation of the Latin Mass at Old St. Mary, but Cardinal Gregory ignored his pleas.
A new report in The Pillar reveals that Wolfe's dire financial predictions have been fully vindicated--and reveals the extent of the financial mismanagement within ADW.
Since the revelation of McCarrick's sex crimes in 2018, the ADW's annual operating deficit has more than tripled to nearly $10 million per year as giving has dried up across the archdiocese.
Making matters worse, the ADW's former Chief Financial Officer covered up the deficit with "smoke and mirrors." The ADW's Audit Committee, which stunningly did not include a single accountant, failed to catch the extent of the financial problems. Fr. De Rosa explains:
I asked why auditors did not catch this over the last several years. The audited financial statements of the [archdiocese] are all available online after all. [The ADW's current CFO] responded that technically the math was all there and correct for someone to see it, as he did on arrival in the [archdiocese], and that the ‘audit committee’ to which the audits are presented each year does not include any accountants, who might’ve been better trained to look for these things.
Now, the Archdiocese is unveiling a new system of assessments to skim more money from the Archdiocese's most financially healthy parishes in a bid to stave off bankruptcy. But this approach will likely only further accelerate the death of the golden goose. As Fr. De Rosa explains, “many people give money to parishes with the express understanding that 100% of their gift stays at the parish.” Now, that will no longer be the case. In addition, the new assessment system will require contributions to the Archdiocese even where gifts are made from foundations and grants. And it admits of no exceptions for smaller gift-giving.
The horrible mismanagement of the Archdiocese of Washington is representative of what is happening throughout the wider Church. Vicious attacks on the remaining traditional faithful, combined with outright deception and fraud, accelerate the Church's long-term decline. Francis's successor as Pope will have a monumental task on his hands. It is now clear beyond any doubt that the Church's revival will come from its traditional elements-- not doubling down on the status quo. The Church simply cannot afford a Francis II.
TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Worship
KEYWORDS: bernadinsboy; frankencardinal; gregory; queenofthenile
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The horrible mismanagement of the Archdiocese of Washington is representative of what is happening throughout the wider Church. Vicious attacks on the remaining traditional faithful, combined with outright deception and fraud, accelerate the Church's long-term decline. Francis's successor as Pope will have a monumental task on his hands. It is now clear beyond any doubt that the Church's revival will come from its traditional elements-- not doubling down on the status quo. The Church simply cannot afford a Francis II.
1 posted on 12/11/2024 2:07:44 PM PST by ebb tide
To: ebb tide
The church has an “evil” problem, not a “mismanagement” problem.
Only when they identify the problem correctly then they can begin to address it.
2 posted on 12/11/2024 2:10:13 PM PST by cgbg (It is time to pull the Deep State out of the mass media--like ticks from a dog.)
To: ebb tide
Isn’t this the Jesuit deam? To kill the Church?
3 posted on 12/11/2024 2:10:44 PM PST by Ge0ffrey
To: Al Hitan; Fedora; irishjuggler; Jaded; kalee; markomalley; miele man; Mrs. Don-o; ...
4 posted on 12/11/2024 2:11:34 PM PST by ebb tide ("The Spirit of Vatican II" is nothing more than a wicked "idealogy" of the modernists.)
To: ebb tide
I’m shocked ... Shocked, I tell you!
This is my “shocked face”.
Wilton Gregory has proven to be an “apt” successor to Teddy McCarrick ...
🤢🤮
5 posted on 12/11/2024 2:13:04 PM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
To: cgbg
6 posted on 12/11/2024 2:21:03 PM PST by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
To: ebb tide
Really hate to see what’s happened to the Church since the days when I really enjoyed and respected it. Having missals with Latin on one side and English on the other let you understand what you were hearing while reveling in the beauty of the sound of the words and the music. After all these years, much of the magic of my enjoyment of those years comes in my memories of masses and music and art and incense and fellow students rapt in their prayers. So sad to see the mundane not just a choice, but a forced demand.
Before they’re taken down, there are still videos of Latin masses available on YouTube.
7 posted on 12/11/2024 2:26:38 PM PST by mairdie (GreenwichVillage ArmyPoet: https://www.iment.com/maida/family/father/oldsoldiersdrums/frontcover.htm)
To: cgbg
Cardinal Gregory's decision in 2022 to end the TLM at these parishes. . . []
. . . And to try to replace them with Gay-Pride Catholics whom he specifically invited to hold "Pride" events at his cathedral. (No doubt "Lust," "Avarice," and "Murder" events are in the works . . .)
His persistence in courting Poofters to replace the Latin Mass folks and their darn chastity, donations, and scads of children make me suppose Gregory is a poofter himself.
He needs to be removed. And jailed for the rest of his hate-saturated, perverted life.
And if he shocks everyone and reforms to his core while he's in the calaboose, well, we'll be the first to welcome the Prodigal Poofter back home.
Oremus!
8 posted on 12/11/2024 2:30:08 PM PST by SamuraiScot
To: Ge0ffrey
The next Pope if there is one, needs to dissolve the Jesuits and ex-communicate them all. Fire them from every university. Heretics.
9 posted on 12/11/2024 2:42:02 PM PST by HYPOCRACY (Democracy is dead. Long live the Republic!)
To: ebb tide
10 posted on 12/11/2024 2:45:36 PM PST by chopperk (airhi)
To: HYPOCRACY
Thanks to VatII Italy has closed 150 Churches this past year.
11 posted on 12/11/2024 2:49:46 PM PST by chopperk (airhi)
To: ebb tide
The people want a Latin Mass, Don’t make it harder than it is.
12 posted on 12/11/2024 2:50:14 PM PST by exPBRrat
To: ebb tide
I'm not Catholic. Would someone explain why the
Latin Mass is important, other than tradition?
13 posted on 12/11/2024 2:54:59 PM PST by gitmo (If your theology doesn’t become your biography, what good is it?)
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