4 - Parish Letter and Financial Statement: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi Church

4

Parish Letter and Financial Statement: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi Church

1 p.; printed

A letter from Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap. offering a financial and spiritual overview of St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in Watts, Los Angeles, for the year 1930. Despite the mounting economic challenges of the Great Depression, Father Stephen commends parishioners for a financially successful year achieved through sacrificial giving and strict parish economy. In lieu of the traditional bazaar, the community held a ‘Parish Drive’ that successfully lowered their bank debt by $3,000.00, bringing the remaining balance to $37,600.00. Father Stephen identifies interest payments as the parish’s heaviest financial burden and urges continuous use of the duplex envelope to build up regular Sunday collections. Finally, he underscores that the underlying debt was primarily incurred to build the parish school, firmly reminding parents of their religious obligation under Diocesan Statutes to enrol their children in Catholic education.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition