The Diocese of Allentown has been recognized for its financial transparency in a nationwide report.
The findings were contained in a report by Voice of the Faithful, a group of lay Catholics focused on Church governance that conducts an annual survey of diocesan financial transparency each summer. The group produces a scorecard that rates dioceses against each other, and against the national average performance, in an effort to spur improvement.
The 2022 report listed the Diocese of Allentown among the five most-improved dioceses in the nation in financial transparency.
The Diocese of Allentown has always provided various types of financial and governance information, and this past year compiled it in one place on the website, resulting in a new Financial Transparency web page.
The Financial Transparency page includes the following detailed information:
- Combined financial statements for diocesan entities for the past two fiscal years.
- Because We Are Catholic Annual Appeal information, including details on how donations are used, and a listing of members of the Appeal’s Board of Trust Advisors -- lay people who assist in ensuring the proper allocation of Appeal donations.
- An explanation of how a portion of weekly parish contributions is used by the Diocese to support parish communities, school, and the mission of the Church throughout five counties.
- A list of members of the Diocesan Finance Council, lay experts who advise the Bishop on financial and stewardship matters.
- Guidelines that direct the management and oversight of financial resources including Financial Policies and Procedures and Parish Collection and Counting Procedures.
- Contact information for leadership members of the Diocese’s Finance Office, including Mrs. Kim Fiorentino, Secretary for Administration.
“It is gratifying to see that the effort our Diocese makes in being transparent on financial and governance issues is being noticed,” said Sean Werner, Chief Financial Officer.
“We continue to be grateful for the generous contributions people have made over the years to our Diocese and its ministries, and we strive to be as transparent as possible in showing how we use these resources to advance the mission of the Church throughout our five counties.”
The Diocese’s Financial Transparency website can be accessed at www.allentowndiocese.org/financial-transparency. The group’s full Financial Transparency Report can be viewed here.
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