Without financial resources, the church, like any other organization, cannot do very much. Money buys food, clothing, shelter, and office supplies. It pays salaries, rent, telephone, and energy bills. Money cannot buy everything, especially the supernatural goals the church holds dear. But efficient and effective use of financial resources make the achievement of these goals a possibility.
Every archdiocese is a multimillion dollar operation.
Across the Hudson River in the poorer archdiocese of Newark the figures are still big. The biggest problem for any archbishop running a diocese is to get the right people in the right place. Archbishop Peter Gerety Priest personnel. Those are the most difficult, the most delicate, the most sensitive decisions I have to make in the course of the year. The most important influence a bishop has over his diocese is through the recruitment, training, and assignment of personnel to parishes and diocesan agencies.