2025-26 Diocesan Finance Council Approved Budget Highlights
Most Reverend James V. Johnston, Jr. – Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
John Crowe – self-employed
Christine DeMarea – Partner, Husch Blackwell, LLP
John DeStefano – Retired Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, Great Plains Power, Inc.
Eileen Hutchinson – Retired Vice President of Finance/CFO, Government Employees Health Assoc., Inc.
Alan Lankford – President, Lankford and Associates
Thomas McCullough – Retired Executive Vice President; DST Systems, Inc.
Reverence Michael Roach – Pastor, St. James Parish in Liberty
Margo Shepard – Founder, Managing Partner, Shepard Wealth Advisors
Jim VanDyke – Retired Partner; BKD, LLP CPA’s and Advisors
The Diocese has had a Diocesan Investment Committee since 1995. Tracey Lewis chairs this committee, and is joined by Katheigh Degen, Ray Evans, Joseph Massman, Joseph Nastasi and Margo Shepard. The Investment Committee continually reviews the investment policies, objectives and performance of the Priest Retirement Trust, the Lay Employee Retirement Trust, the Charitable Gift Annuity Trust, the Deposit and Loan Fund and certain other Diocesan investments/trusts. Angela Laville, as Diocesan Finance Officer, and Monica Adams as Internal Auditor/Risk Manager, staff both the Finance Council and the Investment Committee.
Highlights of the 2025-2026 Diocesan Chancery Operation Budget
By Angela Laville, Diocesan Finance Officer
The Diocesan Finance Council, at its meeting on June 23, 2025, recommended approval of the operating budget of the Diocesan Chancery Operation for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which began July 1, 2025. Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. subsequently accepted the recommendation. The review and approval of this ‘balanced’ budget by the Diocesan Finance Council is one of the two primary responsibilities of a Diocesan Finance Council which are stipulated in Canon Law, the other being the review of the annual audit. Thus, it is a significant and extremely important responsibility. Equally important is the responsibility of Bishop Johnston, his advisors and staff to present to the Faithful of our Diocese the content of the annual budget in that it is funded largely from your direct contributions through the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) and, indirectly, through an assessment of contributions (the “Cathedraticum” assessment) made at the parish level. Bishop Johnston and I have a responsibility to be clear in describing for you where the money comes from and how it is allocated. It is in this spirit of disclosure and financial accountability that we present here information regarding the 2025/2026 Operating Budget of the Diocesan Chancery Operation.
The operating budget of the Diocesan Chancery Operation reflects the functions and ministries coordinated at the Chancery Offices/Catholic Center and the three campus ministry locations. It is sometimes informally referred to as the Diocesan Budget or the budget of the Diocesan Administrative Offices. It does not include separate entities that manage individual budgets such as Catholic Charities, Catholic Cemeteries, the Diocesan Insurance Program, the Deposit and Loan Trust, parishes and schools. Bishop Johnston’s Administrative Cabinet functions as the “budget committee,” and I, as the Finance Officer, chair the budget process, which started in January with discussions regarding the significant topics and issues. These discussions of the ‘macro’ issues led to the development of specific budget directives which were used by office and program directors to complete line-item budgets. The resulting balanced budget was, and is always, a true collaborative effort.
The total Diocesan Chancery Operation Budget for 2025-2026 is $16.93 Million, which is an increase of 7.15% from 2024-2025. The budget, as it has been for at least the last 33 years, is a balanced budget and, in fact, could be considered a surplus budget, with a small surplus going to enhance certain key reserve areas relating to seminarian education, priests on special assignment and the care and upkeep of certain properties.
There are five primary sources of income which fund the operational budget (see pie chart). The largest source of income is the Diocesan Cathedraticum Assessment, which is an assessment on parish income based on a defined formula approved by the local bishop after consulting with the Presbyteral Council and the Diocesan Finance Council. The Diocesan Cathedraticum Assessment amount for 2025-2026 is $7.46 million, which is an increase of $286,305 from 2024-2025.
A second important source of income is the Annual Catholic Appeal, which raises funds for several of our important programs and ministries. For 2025-2026, the Annual Catholic Appeal is budgeted at $2.0 million. These funds go entirely toward our programs for education, catechesis and faith formation, vocations and seminarian education, various areas of pastoral ministry and social services/outreach. The total cost of these areas alone exceeds $5.9 million.
Another primary source of funding is “net” interest income, budgeted in 2025-2026 at $300,000. This income source is a net combination of three components and is calculated as follows: total interest and investment income of the Diocesan Chancery Operation less interest paid on deposits and internal endowments associated with the Diocesan Chancery Operation.
The accompanying chart shows the operating expense budget by seven (7) major cost categories.
School Office Operation – income and expense associated with the office that oversees the administration of the elementary schools, the high schools, and the early childhood centers.
Direct School Allocation – direct payments to the Bright Futures Fund, the St. Joseph Catholic Academy and the three Diocesan high schools. These are schools that are not subsidized by parish income; thus, the Diocese provides funding to enable the tuition to remain at a reasonable level.
Social Ministry – primarily a direct subsidy payment to Catholic Charities, as well as certain aspects of the Life & Justice Office, our Restorative Justice Program subsidy and the subsidy for the Ministry to the Disabled.
Pastoral Ministries – operation of those offices that train and support pastoral ministers as well as offer many formational opportunities to the people and parishes of the Diocese. These offices include Worship, Family Life, Youth, Campus Ministry, Permanent Diaconate, some aspects of the Life & Justice Office, Hispanic Ministry and Evangelization/Faith Formation.
Support of Priests/Seminarians – costs relating to (1) the canonical mandates of care and support of priests, (2) support and education of seminarians, (3) vocation awareness and development, (4) Bishop’s residence.
External Allocations – direct payments to support entities of the broader Church outside the Diocese. These entities range from the Missouri Catholic Conference to the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the Holy See.
Diocesan Administration – those administrative and systems costs that allow the Bishop to effectively oversee the parishes, schools and other operations of the Diocese.
As in prior years, the creation of a balanced budget for 2025-2026 was challenging; however, there is always an effort to fund operations plus investing in the future for the faithful of the Diocese.
Included in the 2025-2026 Diocesan Chancery Operation Budget are several efforts directly related to our completed Diocesan Shared Mutual Vision and Pastoral Plan. While this plan began a few years ago, implementation continues, and the focus has not changed. One area of continuation is the Comprehensive Resource Study to assist the Diocesan administration in determining how to advance in the future. For this $30,000 was included in the budget. Second, $100,000 has been allocated for the continued feasibility study related to possible efforts for a retreat center/camp facility within our Diocese. A third area of focus is the future of both City on a Hill and Journey to Bethany. The Diocese has allocated $65,000 to support these programs. Both of these efforts began within the Diocese and have separated into unique legal entities; however, continued support is provided to assist with communication costs, website development and personnel costs.
The seminarian education budget is estimated at $1,165,293 with the number of seminarians projected at 23. This year the Chancery Operation will use approximately $300,000 of seminarian reserves to assist in funding the overall seminarian education budget.
The Chancery Operation continues its support of Catholic high school education and our three separately incorporated Diocesan high schools in the amount of $515,000. The support for Bishop LeBlond will be $180,000, the support for St. Pius X will be $125,000 and the support for the St. Michael the Archangel will be $210,000.
The fiscal year 2025-2026 represents the fourth year of St. Joseph Catholic Academy. This structure enables the three elementary schools, LeBlond High School and the early childhood centers located in St. Joseph, Missouri to operate in a more effective and efficient manner. The Chancery Operation is supporting this endeavor in multiple ways including a direct contribution of $250,000.
The Chancery Operation continues its support of parish ministry as well as support of our sister organization – Catholic Charities. The Diocesan subsidy to Catholic Charities is set at $351,809.
The Chancery Operation increased its planned support of the Bright Futures Fund by $85,000 to $540,000. This aligns with an ongoing commitment to enabling Catholic education to be available to all those who desire the Diocesan programs.
Allocations will continue for several important ministries which are reflective of our commitment to supporting the various efforts of faith formation and discipleship, evangelization involving youth and adults, as well as serving the needs of the poor. These include the areas of Youth Ministry, Campus Ministry, the Office of Catechesis and Faith Formation, Family Life, Hispanic Ministry, Life & Justice, as well as our support of Catholic Charities, the Bright Futures Fund and our Diocesan High Schools. The budget also continues to fund at appropriate levels those offices, cost centers and programs which are canonically required or necessary to administer an organization like ours.
If you have any questions about this budget or other aspects of the financial operation/condition of the Diocesan Chancery Operation, please contact me at 816-756-1850 or laville@diocesekcsj.org.
Angela E. Laville
Diocesan Finance Officer
Budget by Cost Category
| 2025/2026 Allocation | Other Income | Total Budget | ||
| School Office | ||||
| Office | 491,904 | 165,250 | 657,154 | |
| Parochial League | 326,000 | 326,000 | ||
| Subtotal | 491,904 | 491,250 | 983,154 | 5.81% |
| Direct School Allocations | ||||
| Bright Futures Fund | 540,000 | 540,000 | 1,080,000 | |
| Saint Joseph Catholic Academy | 250,000 | 0 | 250,000 | |
| High Schools | 515,000 | 0 | 515,000 | |
| Subtotal | 1,305,000 | 540,000 | 1,845,000 | 10.9% |
| Social Ministry | ||||
| CCEAC Collection | 75,000 | 0 | 75,000 | |
| Charities Allocation | 222,500 | 0 | 222,500 | |
| Mental Health Ministry | 7,000 | 0 | 7,000 | |
| Life & Justice | 227,366 | 2,500 | 229,866 | |
| Ministry to Disabled & Housing | 26,309 | 0 | 26,309 | |
| Housing & Community Services | 6,000 | 15,000 | 21,000 | |
| Restorative Justice | 21,000 | 0 | 21,000 | |
| Subtotal | 585,175 | 17,500 | 602,675 | 3.56% |
| Ministries | ||||
| Campus Ministry, NWMSU | 142,370 | 85,500 | 227,870 | |
| Campus Ministry, St. Joseph | 63,452 | 3,000 | 66,452 | |
| Campus Ministry, UMKC | 17,188 | 0 | 17,188 | |
| Campus Ministry, Warrensburg | 106,475 | 26,500 | 132,975 | |
| Campus Ministry Office | 12,174 | 0 | 12,174 | |
| Youth Camps – Savio/Bosco | 0 | 159,600 | 159,600 | |
| Diaconate Office | 127,235 | 0 | 127,235 | |
| Family Life Office | 242,801 | 68,000 | 310,801 | |
| Hispanic Ministry | 162,734 | 0 | 162,734 | |
| Journey to Bethany | 15,000 | 0 | 15,000 | |
| Office of Catechesis & Faith Formation | 229,288 | 68,691 | 297,979 | |
| Office of Divine Worship | 258,118 | 0 | 258,118 | |
| Parish Based Ministry | 135,000 | 0 | 135,000 | |
| Pastoral Care Committee | 2,000 | 1,376 | 3,376 | |
| Priestly Life/Ministry | 89,300 | 13,000 | 102,300 | |
| Retreat Center/Camp Feasibility/Master Plan | 0 | 100,000 | 100,000 | |
| Tribunal | 568,160 | 0 | 568,160 | |
| Young Adult Ministry | 50,000 | 0 | 50,000 | |
| Youth Office | 96,528 | 22,269 | 118,797 | |
| Subtotal | 2,317,823 | 547,936 | 2,865,759 | 16.92% |
| Support of Priests & Seminarians | ||||
| Bishop’s Residence | 72,965 | 0 | 72,965 | |
| Major/Minor Seminarians | 865,293 | 300,000 | 1,165,293 | |
| Priests on Special Assignment | 200,000 | 0 | 200,000 | |
| Reserve Plan | 145,000 | 0 | 145,000 | |
| Retired Priests’ Health Insurance & LTC | 160,000 | 400,000 | 560,000 | |
| Consecrated Life | 29,117 | 0 | 29,117 | |
| Vocation Office | 0 | 286,707 | 286,707 | |
| Subtotal | 1,472,375 | 986,707 | 2,459,082 | 14.52% |
| External Allocations | ||||
| Catholic University | 8,250 | 0 | 8,250 | |
| Holy See Support | 23,000 | 0 | 23,000 | |
| MO Catholic Conference | 134,000 | 0 | 134,000 | |
| USCCB | 69,600 | 0 | 69,600 | |
| Subtotal | 234,850 | 0 | 234,850 | 1.39% |
| Diocesan Administration | ||||
| Archives | 212,887 | 0 | 212,887 | |
| Bishop’s General Administration | 235,586 | 0 | 235,586 | |
| Bishop’s Office | 266,862 | 0 | 266,862 | |
| Bishop’s Presbyteral Council | 1,450 | 1,100 | 2,550 | |
| Bishop Emeritus | 6,600 | 0 | 6,600 | |
| Bright Futures School Fund (Dev.) | 255,785 | 0 | 255,785 | |
| Chancellor’s Office/VG for Administration | 182,400 | 0 | 182,400 | |
| Chancery/Catholic Center | 321,915 | 1,430,000 | 1,751,915 | |
| Communications/Catholic Key | 438,068 | 145,500 | 583,568 | |
| Comprehensive Resource Study | 30,000 | 0 | 30,000 | |
| Doubtful Accounts Allowance | 60,000 | 0 | 60,000 | |
| Finance Office | 650,859 | 168,000 | 818,859 | |
| MOScholars Finance Support | 0 | 229,684 | 229,684 | |
| Human Resources | 666,835 | 131,000 | 797,835 | |
| Information Systems | 99,061 | 172,984 | 272,045 | |
| Office of Catholic Health Care | 0 | 100,000 | 100,000 | |
| Office of the General Counsel | 330,874 | 70,000 | 400,874 | |
| Printing/Mailroom | 54,934 | 98,000 | 152,934 | |
| Professional Services | 148,500 | 15,000 | 163,500 | |
| Property Management | 365,339 | 0 | 365,339 | |
| Religious on Parish Assignment | 71,547 | 77,203 | 148,750 | |
| Reserve Plan | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Stewardship & Development/Annual Appeal | 632,374 | 100,000 | 732,374 | |
| Vicar General for Pastoral Affairs | 146,487 | 26,000 | 172,487 | |
| Subtotal | 5,178,363 | 2,764,471 | 7,942,834 | 46.91% |
| GRAND TOTAL | 11,585,490 | 5,347,864 | 16,933,354 |
