Transparency Update #1

Friends in Christ Our Hope,

As we conclude our first year together with Deacon Dennis and Father Bryan, we wanted to update you on the “State of Christ Our Hope.” What a year it has been! Since Fr. Bryan and Dn. Dennis arrived last July, we have been on a roller coaster ride together (flooding, pandemic, etc.). Through it all you have been the one constant. Your passion for and commitment to our mission are awe-inspiring. Thank you.

Our mission is unlike any other Catholic parish community in the Seattle Archdiocese. It is closely tied to Pope Francis’ call to be a field hospital to those living on the margins. Christ Our Hope is committed to serving as a beacon of light (and hope) in downtown Seattle. We do this through powerful evangelization and outreach ministries to the poor and marginalized, impactful faith formation, vibrant celebrations of liturgy and responsible stewardship. This last community attribute is thanks to your abundant generosity. We live up to our motto: "All Are Welcome" in a powerful way. Christ Our Hope is truly a model Pope Francis parish.

Self-isolation has been challenging for us all over the past three months. Early in the pandemic, we successfully moved our community to a virtual platform using Zoom, Facebook LIVE and YouTube to remain in communion thanks to hard work by both our pastoral team as well as many of you. Recently, we reintroduced public Masses adhering to a detailed Safety Plan for use of our Church spaces.

Earlier this year, Dn. Dennis proposed the creation of a Transparency Team to help keep us informed on the financial health of our small, but mighty parish. Christ Our Hope Finance Council member Frank McKulka graciously offered to take the lead in this effort. Frank and Dn. Dennis are joined by other members of our community: Ray Aspiri, Paula Holmes and Claire McPherson.

Enclosed is our first update to the community. Here is the immediate takeaway from our efforts (more to come from the team in future weeks):
 

PARISH SIZE

Total number of parishioners is down from 2018-2020.

• Beginning in 2018, our parish community has grown smaller primarily impacting the Sunday Morning Mass community (5 PM Spanish Mass is up and 7 PM Mass is flat to up slightly since 2017)
• The decline in attendance at the 8:30 AM/9:30 AM Mass began in 2018 (declining by 15%) and continued through 2019 (declining an additional 20%)
• This equates to a loss of approximately $115,000 in annual donations

 

FINANCES

Despite efforts to tighten our belts, expenses are still approximately
$100,000 over annual revenues.

• We have worked hard to alleviate our financial challenge by making thoughtful, rational decisions to address the budget deficit
  • Withheld our rent in the face of flooding and Josephinum building closure
  • Paused our St. Vincent de Paul outreach due to lack of team leader
  • Adjusted our staffing model
  • Took advantage pandemic payroll support funding

MISSION

Even with the above challenges, we continue to be blessed by you and your passion for our mission. Since our inception, you have challenged Christ Our Hope to be a parish dedicated to those on the margins, committing ourselves to spending a minimum of 5% of our annual budget on outreach. We have done this in the past year in powerful and meaningful ways:

• Through a robust outreach program hosting Catholic K-8 and Catholic high school students and others at the Josephinum for days of service to our sisters and brothers living above our Church and beyond
• Organizing numerous community-building events with Josephinum residents including Christ Our Hope’s 9th Anniversary Party, Bingo nights, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Brunch, and numerous other opportunities to break bread together and serve various Josephinum community needs, and the needs of others in downtown

What a blessing this community is to all who enter our sacred space!

In the coming year, these immersions will be done virtually due to the pandemic and coordinated by a volunteer team of parishioners. As a financially prudent step, we will take a one-year pause on funding the half-time position Lauren Pusich has held as Immersion Coordinator at Christ Our Hope. As you may recall, Lauren recently was promoted at Catholic Community Services and is stepping away from her role with Christ Our Hope.
 

SACRAMENTS

In the area of Sacraments, we confirmed 12 Confirmandi in late February with Archbishop Etienne at our paired parish community of St. Patrick, have had several baptisms and weddings at the parish in the past year, will bring into the Church two Catechumens and one Candidate through RCIA when the Sacraments (usually performed at the Easter Vigil) can be performed at Mass.
 

ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

Your generosity has been awe-inspiring over the years. Most recently, we successfully met our 2020 ACA assessment goal in what chancery officials say was record time. We are truly blessed by you.

For many, the financial challenges in this moment in time prevent participation in the ACA. Be assured of our prayers if you are facing these difficulties and thank you for your financial support of the parish in the past. We only ask that you please hold the ACA and other parish initiatives in your prayers, which are just as important as any financial contribution. For those not impacted by the difficult economy, we need you now more than ever. Please be as generous as you can for the financial well-being of our community moving forward.
 

THE FUTURE

In the coming year, we will be focused on growing our community through social media marketing and other direct marketing measures. Christ Our Hope has a great story to tell and will no doubt attract other Catholics who will want to join our mission of love in downtown Seattle. But we cannot do this without your continued generous support.

We want everyone to remember that since the inception of this parish we have encountered challenges. Together we have always been able to overcome them, standing taller and stronger as a result. For those who have supported our mission throughout the years we say, "Thank You!"