Annual budgets, audits, investments, real estate holdings.
This may seem like the list of responsibilities of a high-powered executive or business broker. It is, however, also a glimpse of the many fiscal tasks that a bishop has to manage as the leader of a diocese.
While local Catholics are familiar with Bishop Larry Silva’s role as a spiritual shepherd who celebrates Masses, administers the Sacraments and writes teaching documents, he also bears the less-visible duty of being the diocese’s chief financial steward. It is through his management and approval that funding for parishes, schools and diocesan programs are distributed, and ways of bringing in money to the diocese are explored.
But he has help.
Assisting him in these matters is a group of knowledgeable advisors. The Diocesan Finance Council, comprised of mostly lay members from the community, shares its expertise in the worlds of money and finance to guide Bishop Silva toward prudent decision-making and handling of the diocese’s assets.
“The finance council of the diocese gives a broader spectrum of advice to me and the diocesan administration,” Bishop Silva explained in an email to the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
The diocesan finance council has nine members:
- Bob Harrison, chief executive officer at First Hawaiian Bank
- Janessa Bonifacio, consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting firm
- Todd Taniguchi, vice president of finance at Reyn Spooner, a Hawaii clothing manufacturer
- Sister Davilyn Ah Chick, Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, principal at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
- Jim Severson, retired executive (chief financial officer) of GASPRO
- Paul DeVille, retired executive (CEO/CFO) of Hilo Hattie stores and Honolulu Advertiser
- Vecy Pascual, retired auditor for the U.S. Navy
- Taryn Schuman, private practicing certified public accountant
- Lawrence Lasua, CEO of Molokai Federal Credit Union
Also on the finance council are ex-officio members diocesan vicar general Father Gary Secor, diocesan finance officer Lisa Sakamoto, diocesan director of real estate Marlene DeCosta and diocesan attorney Bruce Graham.
Every diocese is required to have a finance council, according to Code 492 of the church’s canon law. The group must have three or more members at the bishop’s discretion, who are “of the Christian faithful” and appointed to renewable five-year terms.
The council is responsible for reviewing the financial report each year prepared by the diocesan finance officer. Members prepare the diocese’s annual budget as well. Sakamoto said the bishop also is required to receive the consent of the council for any “alienation” (selling) of property, loans or settlements greater than $250,000.
In addition to number-crunching, finance council members advise the bishop in the hiring and firing of the diocesan finance officer and are also crucial resources during the transition time between bishops. The finance council is the only advisory board whose roster remains intact while a diocese awaits the appointment of a new bishop.
Bishop Silva’s finance council meets with him and diocesan finance staff every other month. Sakamoto said they open each meeting with a prayer before launching into discussions about financial updates and reports on investments and real estate.
Sakamoto said the finance council also provides guidance on other diocesan projects, including the implementation of a new accounting system for parishes and schools.
“Their input for me is very important,” she said.
With the diocese’s fiscal health and stability on the line, Bishop Silva is very careful when choosing council members. He said he looks “for people with various skills, such as investing, accounting and financial planning, who know the diocese and are committed to its mission.”
The finance council members, in turn, are glad to be of service. Janessa Bonifacio, a young public accountant, said she brings her detail-oriented skills to the table, as well as her Catholic values.
“As a member of the Catholic Church, I try to help their mission by remembering to treat others the way I want to be treated, through patience and empathy,” Bonifacio said.
Council member Jim Severson brings more than 20 years of experience serving the Catholic Church. In addition to membership on the finance commission of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts Fathers, he also was the interim diocesan finance officer before Sakamoto.
“With my financial and administrative background and experience working with our Catholic organizations, I believe that I am able to make meaningful contributions to the financial well-being of the diocese,” Severson said.
Paul DeVille said his time as a CPA, CFO and CEO “has given me leadership and people skills, broad financial comprehension, (and) a deep understanding of all aspects of all types of real estate.” His role in the diocesan finance council helps the church’s mission “through exercising careful stewardship of its resources.”
Sister Davilyn Ah Chick offers the council “a wealth of experiences with boards’ responsibilities, procedures, policies, and even with the writing of constitutions and by-laws.” She is the only member of a religious congregation on the council.
Vecy Pascual has a unique perspective from also being a member of her parish finance council at St. Joseph Church in Waipahu. She said she strives “to bring spirituality into the financial concept of the church.”
“Being a member of the diocesan finance council has given me the opportunity to learn firsthand the various missions of the church,” she said. “Above all, we are all called to share our time, treasure and talent, and together, we can build God’s kingdom here on earth.”
