1. Maintenance

A. Property Insurance

B. Diocesan Finance Committee on Buildings

C. Renovation or Disposition of Church Property

D. Special Project Deferrals

ADMINISTRATION POLICY ON DIOCESAN PROPERTY

FROM THE 2020 DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL HANDBOOK SECTION 6, NO. 5-8

A. PROPERTY INSURANCE

1.   Since 1975 the Diocese of St. Paul insures, under a single set of policies, all the properties of the diocese and of the parishes. All of the arch/dioceses of Western Canada form a mutual insurance group called ASSET PROTECTION GROUP for their common protection.

2.      The coverage applied to each parish or mission is decided upon by the Parish Finance Committee and the pastor.  For an adequate coverage, a periodic evaluation of the properties must be made by the local people, e.g. contractors, professional appraisers or others.  When additions are made to the buildings or contents, additional coverage should be requested as soon as possible when protection is desired.

2.1 In the cemeteries, the monuments are the property of the families and not of the parish. They are not protected by diocesan policies against vandalism or loss.

2.2 The small buildings unused for years, and which would not be replaced after a loss, are not insured as a rule unless there is an explicit request made by the pastor/people of that area. The request must be approved by the Bishop prior to any additions to the insurance policy.

3. When a parish building is to be erected or renovated extensively, the diocesan agent should be contacted before construction begins, to ensure the parish is adequately protected, even in the case of the construction being done by an independent contractor. The insurance premiums are paid to "The Diocese of St. Paul" within a month after the invoice is issued.

4. In the case of any kind of loss, the diocesan financial administrator is to be contacted immediately to report the details of the loss.

5. In case of an insured loss that is not replaced, and the parish is not an active community, the cash value collected from the insurance is deposited in the St. Paul Construction Trust (diocesan church building fund), to be used as needs arise.

6. All COMMUNICATIONS concerning insurance are made with the diocesan financial administrator who, in turn, will contact the administration office at Capri Insurance and if required, the Asset Protection Group.

B. DIOCESAN FINANCE COMMITTEE (RE: Buildings)

1. The Diocesan Finance Committee is established to provide advice to the Bishop and the Council of Priests (or Diocesan Consultors) regarding the following:

1.1 the need of major renovations of existing buildings (major renovations means with a budget equal or superior to 50% (100%) of the annual budget of the parish/mission),

1.2 the need of a new building (the cost of which would be superior to the diocesan imposition paid by the parish/mission the previous year),

1.3 the need for renovation or construction of a "diocesan" structure,

1.4 the planning of such a project, and

1.5 the revision of actual plans and specifications of the project.

2. The Diocesan Finance Committee will be involved as soon as a major renovation or a new building is requested. The committee will study the need of such work and the scope of the project.

3. The Diocesan Finance Committee will follow the development of the project until its final approval and the completion of the work being done

4. The members of the Diocesan Finance Committee will be appointed for a period of three years; their mandate is renewable.

C. RENOVATION OR DISPOSITION OF CHURCH PROPERTY

1.  All parish properties are owned by "Le Diocèse de St-Paul".

2. To build, renovate, modify, dispose of, add to, any property of “Le Diocèse de St-Paul”, the Diocesan Finance Committee must be contacted at the very first step of the project.

3. To dispose of churches: when churches are closed and not to be used for Catholic worship in any foreseeable future, the Bishop must be consulted before any commitment is made.

3.1 The church must be stripped of any and all religious articles before it is closed permanently.

3.2 The local people must be consulted as to the future use of the property, and their reasonable reactions must be considered.

3.3 Preferred future use must go to Catholic worship in another locality, then to worship by another Christian community, and perhaps for secular purposes if morally advisable.

3.4 When advisable, the church may be demolished.

4. To dispose of other properties, not to be used again by the Catholic community, we can foresee:

4.1 The rental or lease of such property for any acceptable use;

4.1.1 All revenues proceeding from mineral rights (the production from wells or surface rentals) are the property of the diocese. They will be deposited in the St. Paul Construction Trust (to be loaned eventually to parishes who need funds for building or renovation;

4.1.2 If the proceeds come from a property in an active parish, they will remain in the parish accounts;

4.2 The sale of such property, in which case the proceeds of the sale will also be deposited in the diocesan account, unless the property is in an active parish.

5. Other parish property: documents of all kinds like parish records, bulletins, financial reports, cancelled cheques, etc. are to remain parish property and must not be removed or destroyed with the change of personnel. No liturgical property can be sold. Religious property such as pews, altars, crucifixes, etc. cannot be sold or disposed of without the express written permission of the Bishop.

D. SPECIAL PROJECT DEFERRALS

The diocese recognizes that special projects and renovations may take longer than 1 fiscal year to complete. Often special collections or fundraisers are held to generate revenues to help facilitate these special projects. The diocese will allow funds to be deferred and used until the project has been completed. However, these funds cannot be held indefinitely. Deferral of funds must be requested through the Bishop. In addition, the request must be accompanied with the following:

a. Project timelines and parameters (should not exceed 3 years)

b. Project budget

c. Sources of revenue

Extensions to project deadlines may be granted by the Bishop. If the funds have not been used after the 3rd year, they will be reclassified as revenue to the general donation account and then will be subject to imposition at the current levy rate. Long-term projects such as building construction/renovations will house the funds in a separate building investment account until the commencement of the project.