Well, this is different. From Monday’s Times:
Over more than 40 years of Catholic priesthood, Father Brian Jordan has seen firsthand the challenging lives of many of the workers who keep the city going. He does not envy them.
A Brooklyn native who is the priest of St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown Manhattan, Father Jordan, 71, said affording a life in the city has become a real challenge for those he ministers to, especially younger people. Had he not pursued the ministry, he said, he is not sure if he would still be able to eke out a living in the city where he was born and raised.
“In a lot of ways I’m grateful I became a Franciscan priest,” he said, citing the city’s skyrocketing rents and mortgages, particularly near his church, which is a block from Madison Square Garden. “I’m not sure I could afford this.”
He earns an annual salary of about $43,000. But he doesn’t see any of it. As a Franciscan priest, he has made a vow of poverty, meaning he does not own any property, personal bank accounts or individual goods. He and about a dozen other friars he lives and works alongside at St. Francis of Assisi pool their salaries to pay for food, health care and other household expenses — a communal way of life he described as “a fraternity in ministry.”
Father Jordan and the other friars receive a modest monthly allowance for incidental expenses. If another friar falls ill or needs assistance, those funds come from a reserve set aside and are distributed by a lay money manager.
In short, Father Jordan’s financial life is in the hands of God and a cadre of church accountants.
“The way we spend money is really a spiritual, theological task,” he said. “We’re entrusted with the people, but we have trained professionals — lay people — who guide us on how we meet expenditures and how we make money.”
Taking a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience is required of a friar. It also helps Father Jordan keep his outside costs virtually nonexistent. And not having to think about earning or spending money has allowed him to concentrate on his vocation, he said.
“I don’t have to worry about paying the mortgage, I don’t have to worry about paying my monthly rent, I don’t have to worry about the condo fees,” he said. “I focus on people.”
