PRIESTS in the Diocese of Killaloe have dipped into their personal funds to keep the diocesan accounts in the black.

 

Although on a basic salary of €22,000 rising with increments for years of service and responsibility to €27,240, the 90 priests in the diocese donated €171,885 last year to bolster coffers and help deliver a surplus of €93,941.
The financial dig-out, suggested by retired Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh after the collapse in income from investments and dividends in 2008, has seen the priests contribute €343,918 over the last two years.
When this year’s donations are factored in, the priests will have contributed over €500,000 to diocesan funds.
In 2007, the diocesan accounts showed a surplus of €165,517. The year after, a deficit of €22,403 was recorded, mainly due to costs incurred in financing a bridging loan of €3.6million but thanks to priests putting their hands in their pockets, surpluses of €95,911 and €93,941 were registered in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
The diocesan accounts for 2010 show a gross income of €1,088,121, comprised mainly of parish contributions of €795,595 and priests’ contributions of €172,033.
However, there was some respite for the benevolent priests with Bishop Kieran O’Reilly telling The Clare Champion he expected it would “unnecessary for the contribution from priests to have to continue in the short term”.
The bishop also referred last year to the significant reduction in diocesan income from investments, which followed the crash in the financial markets in 2008. This reduction, he said, was substantially replaced by an agreed increase from 12.5% to 18% in the contribution rate from parish income in 2009.
“Thankfully, this contribution from parishes in 2010 is only marginally reduced from 2009, €795,595 as against €812,050,” he added.
Bishop O’Reilly pointed out that once again in 2010, as in 2009, priests of the diocese contributed “extremely generously from personal funds” a total of almost €172,000 towards diocesan income. This assistance was requested by my predecessor, Bishop Walsh and had continued through a third year in 2011.”
“This generosity from our parishioners and priests, together with some further savings achieved in expenditure, has meant our income and expenditure account shows a surplus of €93,941 for 2010, somewhat similar to 2009.
“The diocesan finance committee continues to strive to make further expenditure savings. We expect these surpluses generated in recent years, together with the further savings, will make it unnecessary for the contribution from priests not have to continue in the short term,” he said.
Bishop O’Reilly also acknowledged that the interest payments on the diocesan loan of almost €75,000 continued to be a significant drain on finances.
“With the generous assistance of many parishes, which provided loans to the diocese, the interest charge has reduced from €102,450 in 2008, to €98,548 in 2009 and €74,978 in 2010. We have recently requested further assistance from a number of parishes by way of set-off facilities and once again, several parishes have responded positively. This will further reduce the interest charges in 2011 and beyond,” he outlined.

 

€2.28m paid to victims of clerical sex abuse

THE Diocese of Killaloe continues to pay for the wrongs of the past with in excess of €2.28 million having so far been paid to victims of clerical child sex abuse.
Payments to victims of clerical abuse in the diocese in 2010 amounted to €195,799, down from €232,363 the previous year and €320,000 in 2008.
Most of the €2.28m has been paid from a trust fund, set up by retired Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh, from the proceeds raised from the €1.5m sale of six acres of land at his residence at Ashbourne, Ennis in 2001.
At the time, Bishop Walsh acknowledged that the ongoing fallout from “the appalling tragedy of sexual abuse by a small number of clergy in the past” demanded time for healing and reconciliation.
It is understood that some 55 complaints against 15 priests, alleging clerical child sex abuse between 1955 and 1990, have been lodged.
In a statement on the publication of the Killaloe Diocesan Accounts for 2010, Bishop Kieran O’Reilly said the payment of €195,799 during the year was towards “healing and reconciliation”.
“With regard to the safeguarding of children, the diocese continues to insist that best practice is adopted and State guidelines are adhered to, by all in our parish communities, who interact with children and young people.
“A great deal of time and resources continues to be committed to dealing with the tragic result of sexual abuse by a small number of clergy in the past,” he acknowledged.

 

Diocese left €678,000 in will

“AN extraordinary gift” is how the Diocese of Killaloe has described a substantial donation bequeathed in a will.
However, in a diocese also suffering from a fall-off in vocations, the only stipulation attached to the legacy is that the money must be used to educate young men for the priesthood and the promotion of vocations.
Labelled under the heading of “special payments” in the latest financial statement of accounts, the Killaloe diocese received €232,363 in 2009 and €195,799 last year.
A spokesperson for Bishop Kieran O’Reilly said a further allocation under ‘special payments’ will be recorded in the 2011 statement of accounts but he refused to reveal the precise amount.
The diocese has one seminarian, a native of Birr in County Offaly, currently studying for the priesthood and in 2011, for the first time since the late 1990s, two priests were ordained in the diocese in the same year – Fr Ger Jones from O’Breinsbridge and Fr Ger Fitzgerald of Castleconnell.
Last year, the people of the diocese contributed €76,577 to the missions.

 

€500,000 donated for disaster relief

MORE than €500,000 was contributed by the people of the Killaloe diocese towards relief work in Haiti and Pakistan last year.
A sum of €369,840 was donated to the Haiti relief fund following the disastrous earthquake, while €141,012 was contributed for flood-relief work in Pakistan.
Bishop of Killaloe Kieran O’Reilly lauded the people of the diocese for their generosity in difficult financial times.
“Your generosity towards crises across the world, especially in times of such economic hardship at home, is a shining example of the Gospel values by which we strive to live,” he said.