Beginning last July, we began an analysis of the financial situation of the diocese, all 133 parishes, schools and other diocesan entities. Once the analysis was complete, we used it as the basis for a series of meetings over the past several months with the pastors, explaining our current situation and discussing ways to address our challenges so that we could plan for a secure mission of the Church for the next five years. These meetings helped improve the plans for addressing various aspects of the project. More recently the diocese used those meetings to offer an Early Retirement Program that is voluntary for those employees of the diocese or parishes or other entities who qualify. I have been assured that this program is voluntary and that the package being offered is very generous, much more than one would find in similar programs now being used in business or industry. I am pleased that if we have to move in this direction — and we do — that we are being as generous as possible. I am also pleased that we have teams of qualified professionals who are meeting and will continue to meet throughout this month to explain the materials that have been sent out to pastors and employees. In that way individual questions and personal concerns can be addressed.

In the meantime I have received some letters and emails from individuals expressing concern over one or another part of this process. I have read them all and, when appropriate, have responded personally. Some were frankly beyond my capacity and I referred the queries to those who know the details best.

While these questions have been good and valid, as every honest question always is, I have detected an underlying condition that in my judgment merits my comment. We are all very proud of our diocese. We love our parishes as we love and support our parish priests. While the parish rightly is the center of our lives as Catholics, the fact is that no parish does or could stand alone. That is true in terms of our theology and Church law. There is only one Church on Long Island. That is the Diocese of Rockville Centre to which I have been sent as your pastor and shepherd. Parishes are “portions” of this one local Church. Parishes depend on the diocese for their existence, first and foremost because the bishop is the pastor of every parish and appoints a priest to be the pastor. In addition there are many other ways that the parish depends on the diocese and the diocese on the parishes. It is a symbiotic relationship Paul compares to a body and its various parts. Most of these are pastoral and spiritual. Some of them are very practical and administrative. One of these latter areas would be, for example, the pension plan of the diocese which no parish could maintain on its own. Thus we need one another and we do in fact depend on one another “to build up the Body of Christ together.”

In the past 50 years our diocese has grown and it has also seen many changes and many new challenges and opportunities. We have always met them together, whether it was forming new parishes, consolidating schools, developing parish outreach or deepening our love of the Lord in the Eucharist at our First Diocesan Eucharistic Congress. Today, among other issues, numerous factors are severely affecting our ability to meet our obligations and the needs of the People of God and the broader Long Island community. Chief among them: steady decreases in Mass attendance over the past 10 years and subsequent decreases in Mass offertory contributions; coupled with the demographic shifts in the communities we serve increasing the level and scope of services needed. These factors have placed incredible financial stress on our parishes and schools. We, therefore, have to address them now for the future good of the Church and the fulfillment of our mission to bring Christ to the world.

Currently many of our parishes and schools are financially sound. However, an alarming number are currently struggling to stay viable. Current analysis shows that up to 100 parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre either have or shortly will have operating deficits. Some parishes have had to use cash reserves to pay employees and subsidize their schools. Every part of our Church is grappling with investment losses incurred during the recent financial crisis; reduced savings and capital; dramatically increasing payroll, healthcare and pension expenses; and increasing building maintenance expenses on aging infrastructure. In addition, we have significant unfunded pension liabilities and significant future building maintenance costs.

If we are to pass on a Church to future generations that is fiscally sound and adequately ministering both pastorally and spiritually to a growing Catholic population on Long Island, we must act now. And that we are doing. Put aside Newsday and other media outlets. Here is what is happening.

As a first step, all internal organizational structures are being evaluated to help the Church create sufficient resources needed to invest in our five key ministries (our parishes, pastoral outreach, education, Catholic Charities and formation) and to ensure that every parishioner’s donation is maximized for the pastoral priorities of the Church.

Second, as you might have read, we are offering an early retirement program or Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) to 1,800 eligible full-time and part-time employees. This is a compassionate way for people to retire early from their service to the Church if they so desire.

Third, any organization is only as good as the services it provides. We are enhancing our existing management and development and evaluation programs led by the pastor and other leaders with similar expertise so we can work to improve the service that each parish is able to provide its people.

And finally, we are expanding our parish administrative team that nearly 30 parishes are already utilizing quite successfully. This serves the pastor by providing him with administrative analysis and allows him to focus more on pastoral responsibilities. This will be a joint venture between diocesan experts and pastors to provide parishes and schools with some operating functions in a far more efficient and cost-effective manner.

Please look for continued updates and reports on our progress on our diocesan Web site and as always, please let me know your suggestions and perspectives. Either I or, better, someone who is in charge of these matters will do our best to respond.

This may take some time but I am convinced that I would be irresponsible just to let things go on without trying to make these improvements.

I need your prayers and support as do the extraordinary priests who serve you daily. Together we can build up the Body of Christ which is this one Church at Rockville Centre, Christ’s one Church on Long Island. I have every confidence we can do this for the Church of today and, even more, for the Church of the next generations.