Who is Forming the Feasibility Study? The Archdiocese has a process for us to follow. They are securing a Facilitator to guide us through the process. Once all is in place on the Archdiocese side, they will contact us to begin the process. Who is forming the Feasibility Committee? The committee has been formed at the recommendation of Fr. Ray. Members currently include Lillie Bourgeois, Marshall Candies, Jesse Fonseca, Alvin "Ko" Hebert, Patrick Hinrichs, Brian Matherne, Terry Matherne, Tina Montz, Victoria O'Rourke, Ron Stanley, and Jan Thompson. Can we use studies from other parishes or states? We do not know! We don’t see why not but because we do not know the process so we cannot answer this question. We see no reason why we would not be able to use all resources to assist us in the process. Is 30 Days all we have to complete the study? We will have 30 – 60 days to complete the process, with the help of the Archdiocese. If we Raise Money, do we keep it here? YES, we are still an active parish. We still have ongoing expenses and activities that require funding, so all funds raised at St. Gertrude remains at St. Gertrude.
How long has the parish been in the red? Prior to 2010 St. Gertrude periodically used Catfish Festival Funds to help with short falls. This has continued through the present time with greater frequency and greater fund pulls. COVID 19 and Hurricane Ida has created a greater strain on the overall shortfalls of balancing the budget. Who owns St. Gertrude? The current St. Gertrude property was purchased in 1954 through a Charter that names the Archdiocese and the Parishioners as owners. The Deed indicates that the Archbishop, the Vicar General, and the Pastor along with two parishioners were named in the purchase agreement. The cost of the purchase was $4,000.
Can we sell some of our property? Based on previous experience with the Archdiocese, Yes, we can sell off some of our property if necessary. If we sell property who gets the money? The Parish would keep the funds raised to be used in the parish for needed repairs and/or bill payment.
Can we apply for State and Federal Grants? Yes, we can apply for grants on behalf of St. Gertrude Catholic Church, but we must remember that the Archdiocese is not considered a non-profit organization. It is a not-for-profit organization with a 501c designation. This makes it more difficult to locate grants. Can we do Fundraisers? Yes, but we must be realistic about doing Fundraisers. We must determine what kind, how many, and what will best be supported by the parish and community. Can we do a Pledge Process? Yes, but in the Archdiocese, this is called a Capital Campaign. We also must remember that many in our parish are retired and are on fixed income
Can we fix the property ourselves and/or can we hire local contractors to check water and electricity? We can repair small things and secure our buildings, but we cannot begin any major work on any building. This was the information provided to us by the Archdiocese at the first meeting that was held. The Archdiocese has specific requirements for contractors on carrying liability insurance and from what we understand is attempting to secure reputable contractors to do the work on damaged buildings throughout the Archdiocese. As we get more information on this topic, we will share it with parishioners.
Are we willing to change the size of St. Gertrude? Here are some of our parishioner’s questions and our preliminary answers!
Can we start smaller? Yes, everything is on the table! We can rebuild the church smaller or if possible, begin rebuilding one building at a time. We can even go as far as rethinking our parish back to its original function, a Mission of another parish for the time being, Are we willing to change the footprint of the grounds? Yes, in order to keep St. Gertrude a viable parish, we have to make changes. Everything is on the table. We must think out the box in order to save our parish, selling land and/or buildings is a possibility, How willing are we to liquidate in order to survive? This is the million-dollar question. As stated before, all ideas must be considered including a smaller footprint!
How can we have “out the box” thinking when we are limited on everything? The Feasibility Study that we will complete with the guidance of the Archdiocese should assist us in thinking out the box. We are just asked to be patient with the Archdiocese through the process!
Important Information from the Archdiocese about Insurance!
Moving Forward!
The Archdiocese will be looking at all buildings with flat roofs very soon.
The Archdiocese indicated that they will be creating a priority list of churches and their needs.
The Archdiocese will be making decisions by looking at the Archdiocese as a whole and not by looking at individual parishes.
All buildings that receive FEMA funding must be brought up to current codes.
The Archdiocese has $2 Billion in Real Property! With 14,050 pieces of real property. Half of the property has sustained some kind of damage. That means 700 pieces of property sustained damage.
Each piece of property has a deductible of 5% of its value. The value prior to the Hurricane.
Each property must be inspected and reports have to be put into FEMA requirement format in order to be submitted.
FEMA does not cover content of buildings, interruption of business, or damage to the rectory.
The Insurance Company, Gallagher, has a 70-million-dollar cap on what they will pay out to the Archdiocese.
Of the 700 damaged properties only 127 have had adjustors and reports completed and accepted by the Archdiocese and only 77 are ready to go out for bids.
The original third-party company handling assessments, inspections, and other hurricane related tasks was fired due to lack of completion of tasks. A new process has been implemented that should offer better transparency and faster reaction time.
