January 15th, 2023: The Rector's Account

St. Matthias’ was officially founded as a mission of St. George’s, Place du Canada, in 1873, which means our community is 150 this year! For the next 12 months, we’ll be diving into the archives to shine the spotlight on particularly interesting parts of our history.

As January progresses, the St. Matthias' office is always focused on one big project: reconciling the finances of the previous year. In 2023, our wonderful accounting department works primarily on computer, but not so in the 1890s! In this note given to the Wardens in 1895 (scribbled, we might add, on scrap paper), then Rector Edward Bushell detailed the receipts and expenditures from his discretionary account. This handwritten report was included in the yearly financial statement, which in 1895 was presented at Easter - the church's fiscal year ran April to March rather than January to December as ours does now.

You'll notice, if you read closely, that Rev. Bushell’s discretionary monies were primarily funded by “early Communion offerings,” rather than being a guaranteed line item in the global budget. This holds true through the 1880s and 90s and into the early 1900s: while the majority of offerings were the province of the Treasurer, the rector was responsible for collecting them during the first, earliest service. Rev. Bushell also received donations intended for “the poor,” which he disbursed at both Christmas and “during the year,” and an amount intended to be presented to a bishop, perhaps in support of said bishop’s ministry. Among his expenditures was a chart for the Sunday School – an unusual line item, as at the time the Sunday School had its own budget, funded by the children who attended. Our Sunday School today also benefits from the rector’s discretionary fund, although we like to think our instrument collection is a bit more exciting than whatever chart Rev. Bushell purchased for the St. Matthias’ Sunday School in late 1894 or early 1895!