Finance Council Ensures Responsible Stewardship of Our Parish Treasure

Running a parish and school means that a great deal of money flows in and out. As stewards of that money, the Finance Council ensures that budgets are followed and that money is handled with care and responsibility. The Finance Council assists and advises Fr. Pat on all financial matters.

Jeff Yardley has been on the Finance Council since 2009 and currently serves as the Chair. He prepares the agenda for the monthly meetings and works closely with Fr. Pat and the voting members of the council.

“Being on the Finance Council has really given me a better appreciation for the behind-the-scenes operation of the church and school,” Jeff says.

Although he works in finance, Jeff’s involvement was somewhat by chance.

“I had gone to school with Frank Janasiewicz, our previous Finance Council Chair,” Jeff says. “I wandered into an OLL Ministry Fair with no intention of signing up for anything and saw Frank there. We were catching up and when he found out I was in finance, he roped me in.”

Jeff stayed with the council and stepped into the role of Chair after Frank. He and the other six members meet with Fr. Pat and Chris Sutton, Principal of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School.

“We review, advise and approve projects large and small — everything from large multimillion dollar capital projects and campaigns, such as when we built the St. Bernadette Center, down to the replacement of HVAC units and other campus improvements,” Jeff says.

The understanding of stewardship in our parish means that our Finance Council has a very real appreciation for the gifts and needs of the parish. Their work is ordered towards using those gifts to help us all grow in our relationship with Christ, from our littlest kindergartner to our oldest parishioner.

“I think stewardship has helped us better frame decisions,” Jeff says. “We always had this focus among the members, but the renewed emphasis has given us something to point to and use as a framework.”

The Code of Canon Law requires that every parish have a Finance Council to advise the pastor. Members must be parishioners and not staff. The diocese guidelines make it very clear that members should have a solid background in finance and strongly value the development of the faith community. This balance ensures that the Finance Council will truly serve the parish and the school.

Jeff takes his role seriously and understands that he and the Finance Council are managing the money that parishioners earn and generously give to the parish. The work they do brings transparency and accountability to the parish finances and culminates in the annual financial report.

“We as an organization take your generous gifts of treasure seriously and with the deepest sense of responsibility,” Jeff says.