Parish Finance

St Edmund’s Parish is financed primarily by the collections taken at Sunday Masses, stipends given when Masses are requested, and donations (traditionally called stole fees) made for baptisms, weddings and funerals.

Other income sometimes comes from legacies left to the parish in people’s wills, for which we are very grateful, rental income from private use of our crypt, and general donations.

Like all Catholic parishes in the UK, we are self-financing and although supported by the Diocese of East Anglia in practical ways, do not receive any direct income from the Diocese as such.

With other parishes within the Diocese, together we are a Registered Charity (No. 278742) and as such are regulated by the Charity Commission. This means that we submit sixth monthly financial returns to the Diocese for scrutiny and are audited by external auditors.

Day-to-day finance is handled by the parish office and overseen by the parish’s Finance Committee and parish Treasurer. Large items of expenditure (which generally are concerned with maintaining the fabric of our buildings) has to be signed off both by the parish finance committee and the diocesan trustees.

At the parish AGM each year the Treasurer presents a financial report to parishioners.