In an Aug. 11 Catholic Times column, Diocese of Columbus Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kevin Lowry credited years of disciplined planning, generous parishioners, and mission-focused leadership for bringing the diocese to its first balanced operating budget in years.

Lowry’s reflections, which combined personal lessons and institutional strategy, highlight a commitment to what he calls the essential ingredient of fiscal health: predictability.

Lowry recalled that the principle came from a conversation with his wife during an especially demanding season of his career and their growing family. 

“Predictability equals stability,” she told him — words that, he wrote, “became something of a mantra for us over the years.”

New to his diocesan role, Lowry stressed that the credit belongs to his predecessor, CFO John Mackessy, and the diocesan leadership team. 

“With the benefit of his efforts, along with the entire leadership team, we’ve achieved a balanced operating budget for the first time in several years,” Lowry wrote. “We owe that to you, the faithful of our diocese, whose generosity is truly appreciated.”

Lowry said he was struck by the scale of the diocese’s operations and the cost of maintaining parish and school facilities. 

“I had no idea how expensive parish or school roofs can be, or how many require repairs!” he said.

However, he has focused on three core priorities to “provide better predictability” for the diocese: financial sustainability, building for the future, and operational excellence.

For financial sustainability, he explained that “a balanced budget was the first step.” 

Stronger markets also provided relief, “plugging most of the gap in what had been underfunded pension liabilities.” 

The diocesan annual appeal, combined with disciplined, mission-focused spending, now serves as the bedrock for ongoing fiscal health, according to Lowry.

When it comes to building for the future, Lowry pointed to rapid growth in parishes and packed Catholic schools. These needs have spurred local capital campaigns, with a larger diocesan-wide effort in the planning stage. 

“By investing in our mission of evangelization and responding to population growth, we hope to hand over a vibrant and thriving Church to our children and grandchildren,” he wrote.

For him, operational excellence means continually improving the services the diocese provides to parishes and schools, while building relationships rooted in trust. 

He said, “After all, we’re all working together in the Lord’s vineyard.”