The current Finance Council was installed by Fr. Larry upon his assignment as Administrator of St. Mariana de Paredes in 2015-2016.
The members of the Finance Council are as follows:
Refugio “Cuquis” Haro, Chair; Alfredo Avila, Francisco Ayala, Michelle Molnar, Dr. Frank Montejano, Jesus Padilla, and James Scianni
- The Parish Finance Council is mandated by Canon 537 and is a consultative group formed to assist the Pastor in the proper administration of the parish’s goods and resources. The Pastor presides over the Finance Council assisted by an appointed Chairperson and the Business Manager, who serves as an Ex-Officio member.
- To do their job, Pastors seek the help of parishioners, called to be Council Members, by having the members meet regularly to review, reflect and recommend financial administrative strategies. It is important to note that this is an “advisory” body, not a decision making group and that this Council makes recommendations but does not implement such. The Pastor is the sole decision maker for the Parish.
- Pastors establish Finance Councils because they seek pertinent advice on matters of finance impacting the Parish. They consult their Finance Council because they want to know what is wise and prudent. Members of the Finance Council are parishioners who have relative experience in their employment and business lives. Outside experts cannot judge or recommend what is best for a particular parish because they are not part of the community.
- Every leader needs good counsel. Recommendations developed by the Finance Council will be good to the degree that the Council reaches its goal. The goal of the Finance Council is to review and reflect on matters thoroughly, so as to draw sound conclusions. Finance Council members help the Parish as a whole to understand and see more clearly the needs, uses and requirements of the parish’s goods and resources.
- The Finance Council assists in planning for the future financial needs of the Parish. This includes looking at short-term and long-term strategies to meet the needs of the Parish and considers issues to better understand financial concerns presented by the Pastor. It is not just a review of “facts and figures” but looks more at what such statistics say about the Parish.
- The Finance Council comes to practical conclusions on matters presented by the Pastor. It makes a judgment and recommends to the Pastor what it believes is the best course of action. As needed, the Finance Council further assists the Pastor in communicating to the Parish relative information such as the Annual Report.
- The Finance Council meets quarterly.