Today we celebrate that wonderful Gospel of the Transfiguration, which is very important, because it is the Transfiguration that enables the apostles and the disciples to get through the passion. Because they have seen the majesty of God in Christ Jesus upon Mount Tabor. Moses and Elijah attest that he is the Messiah and the Christ. To have seen our Lord horribly tortured, to carry His cross and to be crucified, die upon the cross, to see Him being taken down and placed in the tomb would have caused that scandal, that stumbling block of Faith, but the Transfiguration enables them to think on when He said that He would rise on the third day.
The second of Lent has in previous years where I have spoken on stewardship. At the end of March, the Archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia will cease to have us bank with them as another stage in our progress to become an Oratory of Pontifical right, we will be a more independent entity in the life of the Church here in Cardiff. As a result of that, whereas in the history of the Parish it has come under the umbrella of the archdiocese, paying the levy and things being prescribed by them, as of the 31st of March St. Alban’s enters a new period of its life and history. So as of that date the parish will, of course, still be a part of the archdiocese of Cardiff-Menevia through the person of his grace the archbishop, we are no longer part of the archdiocesan trust. What it does mean in practical terms for us a parish, all of us have to stand alone as it were. This is not just us, but those parishes in the care of the Rosminians and the Benedictines of Belmont Abbey. So the entire finances of the parish, the security of the parish, the direction of the parish, all now fall on the parish priest’s shoulders. Therefore in previous times when we could have asked for aid from the archdiocese, from the 31st of March we will not be able to do this.
So that is why; in moving forward we have to be more prudent and more attentive to our needs. The only money the parish will have access to will be the weekly collections, donations, and fundraising. It is a big moment in the life of the Parish. In the last eight years, through the generosity and constant giving of yourselves, the Parish has done an enormous amount of work. The church on the inside and outside has been transformed, and the school has improved. So it is possible to carry on.
It is our next job to have £100,000, in the bank that we do not touch, that if there was a disaster that is not covered by the insurance, then we will have that reserve. Just simple housekeeping. I am confident that we will do this because we make savings, that £100,000 will not be for works but will be that buffer.
Stewardship for us in the Parish has a keener meaning because now we realise we won’t have to pay the levy, which is around £14,000, so that is helpful. But that does not mean that we can have that to play around with, it will be used for those things which the archdiocese provided, such as safeguarding. So I would ask you to be conscious of this new moment in the life of the Parish, we have always trusted in Providence since we have arrived, Providence has never let us down. I will tell you all when we reach the £100,000 mark, and we will then start as if from zero.
I ask you, as your Parish Priest; if you by law are a taxpayer, you can take the gift aid envelopes, fill them in and place them in the collections. The ability for us to draw back tax 25p for every £1 becomes for the Parish so much more critical. If you pay 40% tax, we can draw back that 25p and you can draw back 15% rebate for yourselves. It is all covered by GDPR and only the Parish priest knows who gives what, nobody else. Nobody knows how much you earn. All you are saying is that you pay tax.
Next week I will be putting in the gift aid application form and I would as you, as long as you are paying tax, that you would sign it. It will make an enormous difference. The budgeting of the Parish falls entirely on my shoulders, but together we can ensure we have a bright future. We need to pray, we need to try to be generous, we need to try to be attentive.