The fierce independence of Boston Catholic Charities
By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 10, 2003
Why would the board of Catholic Charities in Boston defy the bishop? Welll...
For the last available budget year (2002), Boston Catholic Charities received $38.7 million in revenue. Less than $1 million came from the Archdiocese of Boston. Almost $24 million came from government contracts (including Medicaid payments and the like).
Look at those figures for 2 seconds, and then decide: If you're responsible for the budget of Catholic Charities in Boston, who do you need to keep happy: the bishop or the politicians?
Next question: If more than 60% of your organization's revenue comes from the government, are you a Catholic charity, or a government agency?
Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.
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