December 7, 2021

Dear Parishioner,

Time has passed by so quickly for me over the past year. I remember writing to you about the financial condition of the Parish in October 2020. You responded to my appeal with great generosity. At the time, we were at the stage where “the tide was up to our lips” because of the COVID-19 pandemic and relatively flat Sunday Collections received over the previous several years. Because of your response and contributions, you saved us from a financial precipice in which the running of the Parish was on a slippery slope.

We made many changes to keep the parish alive. We had to grapple with the reality that the Parish’s income and expenditures had to be in-line with what our Parishioners have been donating. We saw that the Sunday contributions did not cover the basic expenses and utilities required to keep the Church doors open -- even with the one-time donations I mentioned above. This of course led to furloughing some of our staff and keeping our rectory expenses to an absolute minimum. The thought was not far from our mind that having an extra priest might be a luxury. Due largely to the generosity of a few Parishioners, we were able to maintain the staffing of the Parish.

Our new Parish Finance Council has spent many hours preparing the enclosed State of the Parish Report. I kindly ask and would greatly appreciate it if you would read the new Parish annual financial statement. Should you have any questions, please contact me or the Parish Finance Council at (415) 922-1010.

I also want to share with you how I feel when I drive down Van Ness Avenue where it intersects with Broadway Street. It is there that I often shed a tear as I pass by the former St. Brigid Parish. It was once a vibrant parish community inside one of the most beautiful churches in the history of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It is now an Academy of Art University property that houses a small private school. I shiver to think that SVDP Parish could become a museum, or relic, like St. Brigid. Because of that, I am asking you to invest in our Parish. Will you help us grow again?
 

Yours In Christ,
 
Fr. Michael J. Healy