Our diocesan ministries, education and outreach programs offer support, professional guidance, and direct delivery of services to and for our people, parishes, schools and communities. They do this while maintaining a very tight annual budget which relies on specific revenue sources, including interest earnings, donations and grants, bequests, parish assessment payments and direct donations to the Catholic Ministry Appeal.
63% of our 2022-2023 diocesan ministry budget comes from personal gifts from Catholics who keep Christ at the center of their lives, answering God’s call to reach out through the good works of our Church. A majority of those gifts were made through the Catholic Ministry Appeal.
Our 2023 Annual Report includes a comprehensive overview of the 2022-2023 revenues and operational expenses associated with our traditional diocesan ministry and service areas and comparative year-over-year information and impact reporting. It also spotlights those who make our ministry possible: our donors and the Mater Dei Giving Society.
- Please click here to download a PDF of the full version of the 2023 Annual Report.
- To download the 2022-2023 Pastoral Center summary of operations for the ministries, programs and services of our diocese, click here.
- If you would like to view our audited financial statements for 2022-2023, please click here.
- Click here to view the ministries and services we funded.
- To learn more about the Mater Dei Giving Society, click here.
If you have trouble downloading the report or have questions concerning the information provided, please contact the Office of Stewardship and Development at stewardship@dosp.org.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Your prayers, commitment and generosity are a testament to your faith and a reflection of your devotion and dedication. In response to your good stewardship, I am pleased to share with you the fruits of your generosity through the 2023 Annual Impact Report for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. It accounts for the gifts we received from the faithful, and how we utilized what was entrusted to us over the 2022-2023 pastoral year to Courageously Live the Gospel by strengthening faith communities and offering charitable works in God’s name.
The overall financial health of our Diocese is positive, and I’m grateful for your support of our Church. We have seen growth in our vocations program with the addition of two new seminarians, as well as within our Catholic schools with increased enrollment. Our Ministry to Priests is deeply appreciated, and young adult programs are flourishing. Please know, your contributions are a blessing to so many, serving in countless ways.
I ask you to join me in giving thanks and praise to God for all He has done and continues to do in our Diocese as we strive to share His love with each other, and those in need. May we continue to build the Kingdom of God together.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Gregory L. Parkes
Bishop of St. Petersburg
2022-2023 Financial Report
In 2022-2023, our Diocese received $16.2 million in revenue through:
- donations to the Catholic Ministry Appeal ($9.4 million or 58%) which fund the ministries and services of the Diocese making an impact in our five counties. Click here to see how our appeal has grown from calendar year 2022 through 2023 and a list of our parishes and missions over goal!
- bequest, grants, and interest earnings on investments ($900,000 or 6%)
- program revenues paid by participants receiving direct services ($4.4 million or 27%)
- parish assessment payments through the Cathedraticum ($1.4 million or 9%) which fund the work of the Bishop
This year, the temporal offices were funded through past savings as we transitioned to our new funding model. Next fiscal year, the Parish Sustainability Trust will issue a grant to cover these administrative functions.
By operating in this manner, we live within our means, can plan responsibly and do not spend more on ministries, programs, and services than we have available. In 2022-2023,
To review the Financial Summary of Revenues and Expenses, please click here.
Recognizing Generosity
Our Giving Society
The Mater Dei Giving Society recognizes more than 5,500 members helping our diocese put our faith into action through their generosity. Bishop Parkes looks forward to celebrating more gatherings, special Masses, morning and evening prayer, receptions, virtual events, and more in the coming year.
- Mater Caritatis Circle (Mother of Charity) recognizes those who have given 10 years in a row to one or more diocesan entity.
- Mater Unitatis Circle (Mother of Unity) recognizes those who have given a significant gift (of $5,000 or more) this past year to at least one diocesan entity.
- Mater Spei Circle (Mother of Hope) recognizes those who have established a legacy gift for a parish, a mission or a diocesan entity in their estate.
- Mater Ecclesiae Circle (Mother of the Church) recognizes businesses and organizations that have given a significant gift this past year to a diocesan entity.
Click here to learn more about our Mater Dei Giving Society.
Appeal Champions
The Catholic Ministry Appeal is an annual ask of the people of our Diocese to directly support our Diocesan Church. Each parish has a true goal based upon 14% of their offertory donations minus any support given to Catholic schools. When parishes exceed goal, we can grow diocesan ministry as 100% of all donations go to our ministries, programs, and outreach at work in our local parishes and communities. For the past two years, our Diocese has exceeded its overall goal with 54 parishes and missions exceeding their individual goal in 2022 and/or 2023. To review the results of our appeal and the parishes exceeding goal, click here.
We have been blessed in many ways by the Lord and have been supported by the Church in times of need so we feel that we can thank both of them by supporting our parish as well as the Catholic Ministry Appeal…We feel very good knowing that our contributions are helping.
Carmelo & Elba Meletiche
If you would like to support our Catholic Ministry Appeal, click here.
Impactful Encounters
Ministry to Priests
Spiritual direction, sacramental reconciliation, support groups for a variety of ages and stages in our priest’s vocation and care of retired priests are all a part of our pastoral ministry budget. “I have enjoyed my whole ministry here as the Director of Ministry to Priests and ministering to people that I have a lot of admiration and concern for,” explained Father Arthur Proulx, Director, sharing how important it is for our diocese to have this ministry, sharing the reality of most retired priests, explaining, “I’ve been a priest since 1980, and this is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. Particularly keeping in mind that a lot of priests have no family at all. It’s especially important for the Diocese to reach out to them, to let them know they haven’t been forgotten.”
To learn more about this ministry, click here.
I’ve been a priest since 1980, and this is one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had.
Rev. Arthur Proulx, Director
Ministry to Priests
Discipleship Days
In response to feedback from our previous “Parish Growth Summit” a diocesan pastoral team planned and presented a free, immersive dive into parish growth at Discipleship Days held in three different locations January 26, 27, and 28, 2023.
“Our diocesan pastoral team collaborates with our parishes to unlock the potential for amazing ministry now and in the future,” said Dr. Lois Locey, Chancellor for Administration and Chief Operating Officer of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. “Our goal is to support and energize parishes’ efforts to cultivate servant leaders who live out their baptismal calling, nurture disciples through vibrant encounters and empower communities to become missionary-focused.”
Discipleship Days, funded through donations to the Catholic Ministry Appeal, drew more than 350 clergy, lay ecclesial ministers and volunteer leaders from 75 parishes and six schools.
To learn more about our efforts to grow our parishes, click here.
This event actually empowered me to go to my members in the Haitian community, to share everything that I learned here to help them understand exactly what discipleship is and what we need to do to bring more people into the Church.
Peter Dickenson, Finance Counselor
Immaculate Conception Haitian Mission
Gulf Coast Catholic
Parish life and parishioner’s stories about their faith serve as the inspiration for a new media tool to reach all Catholics throughout the Tampa Bay, Nature Coast and Suncoast areas. The Gulf Coast Catholic Magazine was launched by Bishop Gregory Parkes in September 2023 in response to ideas expressed during his listening sessions hosted throughout the Diocese.
Since its launch, the magazine has been mailed directly to registered parishioners, approximately 100,000 households, and is now available on Instagram (@GulfCoastCatholic). In each issue, readers find tips for growing in faith, enhancing spirituality, and deepening prayer.
The Gulf Coast Catholic Magazine is supported through direct donations, gifts to the Catholic Ministry Appeal, as well as advertisements.
To learn more about our new magazine, click here.
Those interested in advertising or receiving their own issue of Gulf Coast Catholic, please visit our website at dosp.org/gulfcoastcatholic.
2023 World Youth Day
In 2019, Pope Francis announced from Panama City, Panama the next World Youth Day would be in 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. However, due to the increasing concern for COVID-19, the global event was pushed back to 2023. With an extra year to prepare, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry gathered 118 pilgrims from around the Diocese of St. Petersburg to embark on this journey.
Ana Jahuey, a young parishioner at St. Cecelia Catholic Church and Administrative Assistant for Intercultural Ministries and the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, made the pilgrimage to Lisbon with her brother. “Being able to experience World Youth Day with my brother has brought us closer,” Jahuey stated, “We grew up in a Marian household and Our Blessed Mother has been an inspiration for this trip. I’m glad we have this wonderful opportunity to journey together and to live our faith at this moment of our lives.”
Click here to read more about Ana’s journey.
For more information about our youth and young adult ministry, visit dosp.org/young-church.
World Youth Day was both physically and spiritually demanding, yet it was truly exciting and enriching. It was a pilgrimage through and through.
Ana Jahuey, Administrative Assistant
Intercultural Ministry/Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute
If you have trouble downloading the report or have questions concerning the information provided, please contact the Office of Stewardship and Development at stewardship@dosp.org.