The Curch of the Taxiarches in Watertown, MA. Photo; TNH/Theodos Kalmoukos
Source: The National Herald
BOSTON,MA – The annual amounts New England parishes are obligated to give to the Archdiocese are really revealing and interesting. They are required to give 15% of their annual expenses to the Archdiocese, as it was decided abruptly without any information or advance notice to the Parishes in 2006 at the Clergy-Laity Congress in Nashville, TN. That formula was changed from 15% of income because the Church officials believed that many parishes were not reporting all their annual income or keeping double sets of records in order to avoid disclosing how much money they were bringing in.
The Metropolis of Boston receives 25% of the total amount that its parishes contribute to the Archdiocese. That is the formula for the other metropolises as well. Beyond that, most of the metropolises, including Boston, have established special funds with various names and collect extra funds from parishes and individual faithful in order to support their ministries and operations.
TNH has learned that many parishes in New England and in other areas of the United States are having trouble meeting their financial obligations to the Archdiocese and are constantly forced to ask their members for additional donations. They also organize Greek festivals, lotteries, Greek pastry bake sales, golf tournaments, cooking shows, fashion shows, and other fundraisers in order to satisfy the metropolises’ demands.
Even large parishes have difficult paying annual dues to the Archdiocese and have asked for reduction. The most troubling issue is the spectacle of the empty churches on Sundays in most of New England, even in parishes comprised by 550 and more families that their average Sunday congregation is now down to 70, as some parish officials have said. Even on Great Friday Evening and also the Resurrection Service there are empty pews in many churches.
Below is the list of Parishes and their financial requirements for the 2016 in Parish City State Allocation:
St. Constantine & Helen Andover, MA $49,700
St. Athanasius The Greek Orthodox Church Arlington, MA $58,800
St. George Greek Orthodox Church Bangor, ME $5,000
Hellenic Association of Boston Brookline, MA $70,800
St. John The Baptist Boston, MA $23,850
St. Catherine G.O. Church Braintree, MA $52,900
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Brockton, MA $53,600
Dormition of The Mother of God Church Burlington, VT $8,000
Hellenic Orthodox Community Church Cambridge, MA $20,400
St. George G.O. Church of Cape Cod Centerville, MA $46,920
Saint Constantine & Helen G.O. Church . Chicopee, MA $3,600
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Clinton, MA $3,600
Panagia Greek Orthodox Church Cohasset, MA $12,500
Holy Trinity Church Concord, NH $24,840
The Annunciation Church of Cranston Cranston, RI $57,000
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Danielson, CT $7,500
St. George Greek Orthodox Church Dartmouth, MA $10,800
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Dover, NH $36,000
Assumption of the Virgin Mary G.O. Church Dracut, MA $17,000
Greek Orthodox Church of St. Luke E. Longmeadow, MA $39,000
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Fall River, MA $12,000
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Fitchburg, MA $16,000
Holy Apostles Saints Peter & Paul Haverhill, MA $32,200
Holy Trinity Church Holyoke, MA $10,200
The Assumption of Virgin Mary G.O. Church Ipswich, MA $39,300
St. George Greek Orthodox Church Keene, NH $12,700
Taxiarchai Greek Orthodox Church Laconia, NH $5,400
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Lewiston, ME $16,250
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Lexington, MA $33,600
Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church (Day Lowell, MA $49,800
St. George Church Lowell, MA $8,000
Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church Lowell, MA $34,800
St. George G.O. Community Lynn, MA $65,000
St.Anargyroi Marlboro, MA 21,000
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Manchester, NH 31,200
St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral Manchester, NH 63,350
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Manchester, NH 7,400
St. Gregory The Theolgian G.O. Church Mansfield, MA 25,200
St. Phillip Greek Orthodox Church Nashua, NH 39,600
St. Sophia Hellenic Orthodox Church New London, CT 49,000
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Newburyport, MA 18,000
St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church Newport, NH 3,600
St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Newport, RI 23,200
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Norwich, CT 21,720
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church Pawtucket, RI 28,800
St. Vasillos Greek Orthodox Church Peabody, MA 73,680
St. George Greek Orthodox Church Pittsfield, MA 15,600
Holy Trinity Church Portland, ME 32,400
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Portsmouth, NH 32,400
St. Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church Roslindale, MA 37,900
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Rutland, VT 0
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Saco, ME 31,800
Dormition of The Virgin Mary Somersworth, NH 3,000
Dormition of The Virgin Mary Somerville, MA 39,600
St. George Southbridge, MA 6,000
St. George Greek Orthodox Church Springfield, MA 54,600
Taxiarchae Archangels Greek Orthodox Church Watertown, MA 74,800
Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church Webster, MA 26,400
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Weston, MA 100,000
Annunciation of the Virgin Mary G.O. Church Woburn, MA 28,440
St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral Worcester, MA 83,400