St. Thomas More Oratory Community State of the Parish Fiscal Year

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1 Mission Statement St. Thomas More Oratory Community State of the Parish Fiscal Year We, the community of St. Thomas More Oratory, are the home of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Delaware. We are empowered by the Spirit and inspired by John Henry Newman s motto: Heart Speaks to Heart to reach out inclusively to make Jesus present to all who share their journey with us. We commit ourselves to the mission of Jesus Christ, which has been entrusted to us. Sacramental Data We serve approximately 900 people (of which at least 300 are college students) on any given weekend during the academic year at our four Masses, and an average of 550 people during the three weekend summer Masses. On average 30 people attend our 12:30 PM daily Mass. On average approximately 55 people take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation each month. Both the Advent and Lent Reconciliation evenings had an average of 35 penitents. There were 10 pastoral visits made. Ash Wednesday had the largest attendance of the past year serving over 1,400 people. We held 12 baptisms, 8 marriages, 10 funerals and two UD student Memorial Services (Connor Mullen on 9/25 and Mark Dombroski on 3/22). Seven college students and adults received the Sacrament of Confirmation, 2 adults received their First Communion, and one non-baptized college student was fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Religious Education Our program has grown from 37 students in to 47 students in to 55 students in for grades K through 8, in addition to improvement in weekly attendance. Twenty of our college students serve as the catechists for the program and receive training throughout the year. There is no greater service to our children that our college students can engage in than this ministry of evangelization. Ten 2 nd graders received their First Reconciliation on December 10, and fifteen students in our program received their First Holy Communion on May 6. This year we moved First Holy Communion from 3 rd grade to 2 nd grade to be consistent with all other programs in the diocese. As we move forward, First Reconciliation will take place in December during 2 nd grade and First Holy Communion will take place in May of 2 nd grade. The families of the students assigned to assist at Mass sponsored refreshments after each of the children s Masses on Sunday mornings and most families spent time gathering socially. Two dinner and movie nights for the children of the Oratory were held this past year, led by our college students (January 26 with 32 children and May 5 with 17 children). Additionally, our annual Christmas and Easter Parties for the children of the Oratory community were very well attended. Many families came together for a morning of service to assist the Oratory community with Fall clean up of the grounds on November 18, There were also many families involved in preparing To Go Bags for the Empowerment Center as a Lenten service project. 1

2 Social/Community Events The Oratory sponsored many opportunities for college students to gather socially after our weekly Friday night dinners (average weekly attendance 38), which included a trip to the Blue Rocks (6), Ice Skating (16), Roller Skating (5), Ice Hockey (25), Launch Trampoline Park (14) and game nights. Other social events included the annual Labor Day barbecue (80), Fall Festival and Apple Picking (24), Hayride and Bonfire (46), Halloween Party (35), Mardi Gras Party (48), Christmas Party (39), Open Mic Night (48), and the Oratory Formal (45). The Oratory sponsored social events after each of the four different Masses: potluck dinner after the Saturday 5 pm Mass, refreshments provided by Religious Ed after 9:30 am Mass, pancake brunches monthly after the 11:30 am Mass (which draws crowds of 75 or more), and cookies & milk weekly and pizza monthly after the Sunday 6:30 pm Mass. Two of our largest social events that take place are the Parents and Family Weekend Brunch (October 15), and the end of the year Class 2018 brunch (May 20) which are standing room only at Mass, and over 100 in attendance at the brunches. Annually the Oratory sponsors a Catholic Students Week (October 2 through 7, 2017) during which we hold events such as a dinner and inflatable game night (25), pizza and UD Creamery night (25), and a Quizzo and Dessert Fest night (25). The Oratory sponsored the third annual community Christmas Open House at the Oblates residence, which continues to draw approximately 150 people, a pre-game Super Bowl party at the Oblate residence on February 4 where many parishioners came dressed in Eagles wear to support the excitement, and a dinner for seniors on May 14. Spiritual Events On average eight college students attended our weekly Bible Study on Wednesday evenings and twelve parishioners attended our communal Bible Study on Wednesday mornings. The annual beach retreat took place in Cape May, NJ on February Twenty-one college students participated and another 8 attended as retreat leaders. The annual mini-retreat during Lent brought together an average of 50 people each day, and the Parish Mission with Br. Mickey McGrath: Be Who You Are Art and Stories of optimism and joy in the Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, on March 5 and 6 had 125 people in attendance each evening. The Teaching Tuesday series in the Fall of 2017 had an average attendance of 42 people, and another 6 college students attended the Faith Journey classes in the Spring of 2018 to prepare for Confirmation and to learn more about the Catholic faith. During Fridays in Lent our student leaders led the Stations of the Cross where an average of 15 people attended. On Good Friday over 85 people attended the Stations of the Cross at noon, another 50 attended the Seven Last Words of Christ prayer service at 3:00 PM, and 70 attended the Passion Liturgy at 7:30 PM. One of our student leaders, Darin Howell, sponsored a student led a five-week reflection and discussion series entitled We Believe an exploration of why we believe what we believe as Catholic Christians. The series was very successful with a consistent weekly attendance of 10 college students. On September 30 th 34 parishioners (including 8 college students) went on a pilgrimage to the Immaculate Conception Shrine in Washington, DC, and on October 28 th another 47 parishioners (including 18 college students) went to New York to visit the 911 Memorial. 2

3 The student leaders sponsored a movie and discussion night after viewing The Shack on November 3, 2017, to which 10 college students participated with in-depth conversation. Student involvement in liturgical ministry continues to grow as students serve all four Masses as sacristans, servers, lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion and choir members. We sponsored a workshop for music and liturgical ministries on October 24 that had 36 ministers in attendance. Fr. Ed led six faculty and parish retreats throughout the year: St. Ann School in Fayetteville on August 8; St. John Neumann Church on August 26; St. Margaret of Scotland Parish Mission from November 11 to 13; Christ the Teacher School on December 22; Padua Academy on February 16; and St. Elizabeth School on April 13. The Oratory participated in a Salesian Pilgrimage to Annecy, France the home of St. Francis de Sales from July 2 through 6, The pilgrimage was sponsored by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales during the 150 Anniversary of our Diocese, whose patron is St. Francis de Sales. The Oratory collaborated with Mt. Aviat Academy and St. Michel School in Annecy. There were 82 people (ages 10 through 78) who attended the pilgrimage. Capital Improvements During the summer of 2017 we renovated the men and women s bathrooms, painted the kitchen, and had a new conference table custom built for the library. During the fall of 2018 we had the drainage issue resolved in front of the Oratory by replacing broken pipes and redirecting the drains directly into the street. We also replaced much of the uneven and broken sidewalks and installed a concrete pad for the new bike rack. During the spring of 2018 we had new landscaping installed in front of the Oratory. Service Events The Oratory is committed to these charitable priorities: Water is Life Kenya, The Little Sisters of the Poor, Nativity Prep, the Empowerment Center, and annual toy drives at Christmas. The Oratory sponsored two service trips to DeSales Service Works (DSW), a ministry of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, in Camden, NJ. A total of 36 students participated in these service experiences. Additionally, we sponsored two trips to Sojourners Place with 20 students participating. Six of our students participated in a Spring break service trip with DSW from March 24 through March 30. Annually the Oratory participates in the Nun Run to support the ministry of the Little Sisters of the Poor. Our attendance at the Eleventh Annual Nun Run on September 16, 2017 was 28. Additionally, students and parishioners join in our Bingo Outreach with the residents at the sisters Jeanne Jugan nursing home in Newark. The Oratory continues to support the ministry of Water is Life Kenya, founded by our parishioner Joyce Tannian, by donating funds and participating in the annual Water Walk. On April 28, approximately 20 students participated in the walk. Campus Ministry put significant effort into Student Leadership Development during the past year. We initiated this process by taking 10 students to the Jesus House on July 7-9, 2017 for a leadership workshop. Students formed committees such as Social Media and Publicity, Theological programming, Service and Advocacy, Liturgy and Prayer, Community Building and Outreach. There was increased attendance at the weekly leadership meetings and initiative among our student leaders this year. 3

4 Kim attended the Catholic Campus Ministry Association Convention in Minneapolis, Called 2018: That Your Joy May Be Complete, where she attended a keynote presentation and workshops, networked with other campus ministers and helped convene a gathering of Diocesan Directors from around the country to discuss best practices, trends and concerns in campus ministry in higher education. The Oratory, through our second collections, the Bishop s Annual Appeal, and other charitable requests, made a total donation of $82, during the fiscal year. Diocesan Special Collections Church in Central & Eastern Europe $ $ Cathedral of St. Peter $ $ Share in the Spirit - Catholic Schools $ $ World Mission Sunday $ $ Military Archdiocese $ $ Campaign for Human Development $ $ Retired Religious (Sisters) $1, $ Catholic University & Catholic Communications $ $ Black & Indian Missions & Home Missions $ $ Catholic Relief Services/ Latin American Missions $ $ Good Friday collection for the Holy Land $ $ Lenten Rice Bowl for CRS $ $ Seminarian Formation/ Priests Retirement Fund $ $ Peter's Pence collection/ Works of the Holy Father $ $ Annual Catholic Appeal (Target goal 2018: $58,000) $63, $65, Oratory Special Collections Oblate Ministries $6, $4, Gabriel Weston Net Ministries $2, N/A Water is Life Kenya $ $ Little Sisters of the Poor $ $ St Thomas More Oratory Charities $4, $2, Appeal by Liam Hudson $ N/A Neighbors to Nicaragua $4, N/A Birthright of Delaware $ Bassou Family Fire Relief N/A $ Total $92, $82,

5 Annual Report to the Oratory Community September 29-30, 2018 Income Actual Ordinary Income 295, , ,450 Gifts/Bequests/ 135, , ,000 Endowments Capital/Appeal/ Special 11,000 23,846 8,000 Purpose Religious Ed 2,500 3,143 3,250 Total $444,500 $530,632 $453,700 Expenses Actual Clergy, Staff, Rectory 148, , ,250 Admin & Support 75,500 76,807 72,800 Church & Hall 59,650 79,173 62,625 Liturgy 21,000 20,883 20,000 Special Charities 750 2,923 2,500 Assessments/ Non-Program 36,000 35,021 33,000 Parish Programming 23,800 38,879 36,300 Fixed Costs & Benefits 58,000 54,729 58,854 Capital Improvements 22,255 22,255 40,000 Religious Ed 11,100 8,829 10,100 Total $456,585 $497,599 $488,429 Difference -$12,085 $33,033 -$34,729 The fiscal year budget anticipated a deficit of $12,085 because of the expense for the outside drainage repair and cement replacement. However, our total income was greater than expected and covered the anticipated deficit. Income: We anticipated an income of $465,585, but actually received $530,632. This was due to an increase in offertory collections and generous gifts to support our programs. Additionally, $82, was collected for our various second collections throughout the fiscal year. Expenses: We spent more money than anticipated for capital improvements and facility renovations: drainage repair, outside cement work, new cement pad for rack, upgrading of restrooms, emergency kitchen repair for 55 Lovett Avenue residence, and new landscaping. We will anticipate a deficit for $34,729 to cover the cost of a Feasibility Study for future expansion of the Oratory. 5