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bishop braxton welcomes new chief financial officer

Bishop Edward K. Braxton announced today that he has appointed Mr. James V. Mroczkowski to be the new Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese. The selection was made after a search committee selected a number of candidates from a large pool of applicants. The Bishop personally interviewed the outstanding finalists before making the choice.

Mr. Mroczkowski, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, brings an extensive background in accounting and financial administration and a deep commitment to the Catholic Church to his new position. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from St. Louis University in 1967 and a Masters in Business Administration from St. Louis University in 1977. He was granted his certificate as Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1971 and his certificate of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) in 1984. Mr. Mroczkowski began his career in Public Accounting with Haskins & Sells. Other positions included Manager of General Accounting with Granite City Steel, a division of National Steel; Controller, of the Fisher Corporation — a brokerage/investment banking firm; Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, Wetterau Incorporated – a Fortune 500 retail/wholesale food distributor; and Vice President, Controller, of Maritz Travel Company. Throughout his career, he has been a part-time adjunct accounting and finance instructor at two different local universities and three junior colleges. He is a past president of the St. Louis chapter of the Financial Executives Institute.

Since retiring, Mr. Mroczkowski has worked at various part-time accounting positions within the Archdiocese of St. Louis, specifically with Catholic Charities, Centralized Accounting and the Respect Life Apostolate. Married to his wife, Dianna for 41 years and blessed with two children and two young grandchildren, his family, his belief in God, and his deep commitment to the Catholic Church are at the center of his life. He is a very active parishioner of Assumption-Mattese in south St. Louis County. The words of St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians are a source of inspiration and motivation for him: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your whole being. Do it for the Lord, rather than for men, since you know full well you will receive an inheritance from Him as your reward. Be slaves of Christ the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

As Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese, Mr. Mroczkowski will provide overall financial management to the administrative offices of the Diocese and several of its agencies. This includes strategic planning, budgeting, accounting, audits, internal controls, cash management, investment management, financing, information technology, clergy retirement, property and liability insurance management, real estate, new construction/facilities maintenance and financial advisory services. He will also supervise the internal audit function of the approximately 116 parishes of the Diocese on a periodic basis. Additionally, he will serve on the Bishop’s Cabinet, the Diocesan Finance Council (including audit, budget and properties committees), the Catholic Community Foundation and Boards for other Catholic entities.

Before filling this important position Bishop Braxton and Father McEvilly, the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, met with Mr. Mroczkowski several times and they were agreement concerning his selection. His name was also at the top of the search committee’s list.

Commenting on the appointment, the Bishop said, “I am pleased that someone with Mr. Mroczkowski’s outstanding credentials has come forward to fill this key position in the Diocese. He is held in the highest esteem by those with whom he worked in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, who noted that he brings a rigorous financial acumen and a passionate love for the Catholic Church to his work. I am confident that, from his distinguished and diverse professional background, Jim will bring creative ideas and vision to the challenges we face as a Diocese in the current financial climate. I was impressed by the fact that, as much as he is enjoying his retirement, Jim was eager to return to full-time work in service to the Church. He has come to this desire to serve the Church through a gradual process of conversion that has changed his priorities and brought the true meaning of his life as a member of the Communion of Saints into clearer focus. Jim has expressed the hope that coming to work for the Diocese of Belleville will be a true blessing in his life. I believe it will be a blessing not only for him, but also for the Church in southern Illinois as well.”

Mr. Mroczkowski will begin his service to the Diocese on July 1, 2010, the start of the new fiscal year, after a month of orientation in the office of Mr. William J. Knapp, the current Chief Financial Officer, who announced his intention to retire in December of last year, after twelve years of service.