[dangus]

>> Now that I have finished laughing hysterically, why would you imply that I would make something like this up? If you think I did, then call them up and ask them if they are fake.<<

Thanks for the information... it was very interesting.

What I am saying is that what you have stated is directly contrary to my experience seeing parish budgets, but I accept the claim you make in the NY diocese. If I had meant to call you a liar, I would have, but I did not mean to.

From what you say, it does sound like the NY diocese is, in fact, an irregular situation brought about by the peculiar circumstances of NY, though, sadly, I have no doubt such a thing once "innovated" was probably widely copied.

I also now recall the rather obvious fact that the Rockville-Center diocese parish I referred to is likely an excpetion in the diocese: It was run by Franciscans.

[thor76]

You are probably correct in your assertion that the peculiar financial weirdness there was started as a response to gross financial disparities across the city. And, you are also correct that the IPF concept was copied, to a greater or lesser extent elsewhere.

Probably the greatest single administrative mistake that was made, was that done by the Late Archbishop Thomas Molloy of Brooklyn. He engineered the partitioning off the "gold coast" of Nassau and Suffolk counties into the Diocese of Rockville Center. That was a blunder worthy of Inspector Cluseau of Pink Panther fame!

If the Brooklyn Diocese had all those suburban parishes to fund the populous but poor inner city parishes, things would have been a lot different!

The Arch of NY had planned a similar move many, many years ago - of separating the seven upstate counties into the "diocese of Yonkers". That would have been a literal disaster! Those seven counties are now paying to run everything in the three NYC counties (Bronx, Manhattan, & S.I.). Whew!!!!