16 Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst Year in Review 2024 Cameron Fraser From Diocesan Business Manager “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11: Planning for the future of the Diocese is an essential undertaking that warrants careful discernment of interwoven considerations, many unique to the diocesan context. The responsibility of stewarding temporal goods, and balancing the needs of Christ’s faithful now, and in the future, demands prudence and foresight. We must remain ever mindful of how we “cut our cloth”, acting within our means while upholding our sacred duty to support the mission entrusted to Christ’s faithful. In 2024 we successfully pursued approvals for the construction of a new building, “Cathedral Square”. This legacy project will be a worthy neighbour to Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo and aims to meet several objectives, including: optimisation of our property assets; workplace efficiency; and reduction of our environmental footprint. The project is being funded by the rationalisation of existing assets and income to be generated by future tenants of the building. The project is due for completion in 2026 and there will be much to report when construction commences in 2025. DDF: The Diocesan Development Fund has enjoyed its strongest year on record with a surplus of $6.3m. In the 20232024 financial year, the DDF approved 14 loans supporting parish, school and agency works to the value of $15m. Future growth projections are strong, and this will support the continued renewal of diocesan property assets for many years to come. The Fund therefore continues to build on its solid foundation, playing a vital role in securing the longterm sustainability of the Diocese. The DDF embraces change and consistently offers new products and services to meet client needs and expectations while meeting, or exceeding, all compliance requirements. I am very grateful for the professionalism and expertise of the team committed to the service of our clergy, parishes, schools, and agencies connected with the DDF. The Chancery: Service to parishes continues to be an area of key focus. The Chancery assists with Human Resources, Payroll, Accounting, Project Management, Archives and Legal advice. These services are provided by people experienced in the church and charity concessions, to ensure we remain good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Please reach out and we will assist you wherever possible. A highlight of the past year was the Parish Administrators Conference, which provided relevant content and perhaps, most importantly, a forum for connection and sharing. CRIS: A recent initiative in the Diocese was the establishment of Catholic Risk and Insurance Services Ltd (CRIS) in 2024. This entity was created to assist the Australian Church and its agencies with insurance procurement and improving the management of risk. Why is Sandhurst involved in such a pursuit? Well, the Church
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ0MTI=