BRIGHTON -- The Archdiocese of Boston will increase priest stipends on July 1 in an effort to compensate for higher living expenses and defray the cost of Social Security. The goal of the new policy is to be fair and just for all priests, according to Father Robert Connors, chair of the Stipend Committee.
The benefits package for archdiocesan priests was recently approved by Cardinal Sen P. OMalley after two consultations with the Presbyteral Council. The policy is usually reviewed about every three years but has not been changed since 2003, except for annual cost of living increases of 3 percent.
Father Arthur M. Coyle, secretary for pastoral and ministerial services, laid out the two primary reasons for the increase in a letter to the priests of the archdiocese.
