by The Leaven
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas feels blessed and grateful in the midst of these challenging times, said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, to have received funding for local church, parish and school operations through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provides economic assistance to workers and small businesses.
Parishes, schools and ministries in the archdiocese received enough funding to meet almost 10 weeks of payroll expenses for their employees.
According to the requirements of the CARES Act, all funding received was considered a loan at first, then reporting was required. If all reporting stipulations were met, then partial and/or full forgiveness may be given.
“This was truly a godsend when we learned of it,” Archbishop Naumann said. “When the local government required the suspension of public worship, parishes lost one of the main sources of funding for their ministries — their weekend collections.
“But the teachers and staff at the parish schools continued to instruct their pupils online, and the aid programs at Catholic Charities continued to deliver food to the hungry and help those struggling to find shelter and health care, regardless of their religious affiliation.
“Thus, the loans that our various parishes, schools and Catholic Charities ministries received kept their employees — like those of many other small businesses and religious denominations — off the unemployment rolls and hard at work.”
“That, in turn,” he added, “has permitted us to both honor our mission and keep our people helping other people.
“For this, we are very grateful.”
