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fakename
Guest
At what rate (monthly, weekly, etc.) are we obligated to contribute to the Church?
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vjnycguy
Guest
My family does once a month.
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UpUpAndAway
Guest
I assume you are talking about money (treasure) and not time or talent.
Is there actually an obligation tied to frequency? I’ve known people who contribute weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. The amount given each time increases as the frequency decreases.
Then there are people like me who donate at different frequencies depending upon the nature of the contribution. Sunday collection? Weekly. Bishop’s Appeal? Annually. And so forth and so on.
Is there actually an obligation tied to frequency? I’ve known people who contribute weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. The amount given each time increases as the frequency decreases.
Then there are people like me who donate at different frequencies depending upon the nature of the contribution. Sunday collection? Weekly. Bishop’s Appeal? Annually. And so forth and so on.
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Blenderx
Guest
Whatever rate you are able. There is no obligation with regard to frequency, only an obligation to give, period. Examine your conscience prayerfully to determine what is just for you.
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1ke
Guest
This is a matter of personal discernment. The Church has no requirements establishd for either amount or frequency.At what rate (monthly, weekly, etc.) are we obligated to contribute to the Church?
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GratefulFred
Guest
The Catholic Church has 6 Precepts Catholics are required to follow. The following is from a canon law website:
Sunday collections, annual appeals, spontaneous offerings, bequests and wills, and so on are all ways that Catholics have to satisfy this precept of support. Note that offerings given for a specific purpose can be used by Church authorities only for that purpose (1983 CIC 1267).
My thought: At identical income levels, individuals still have many needs to meet, especially when income is lower than average. So there is no hard rule.
Remember Christ taught that it is the giving with proper intent that matters to Him. The poor old woman gave very little, but for her it truly was alot. The rich guy gave a lot and was too proud of it. The old woman was justified and the rich man was not.
We all know the Church has expenses just to operate the Church for Mass. And then there are many social ministries that require money to operate. Each of us should consider giving what we can. And on a regular basis.
- Help provide for the needs of the Church.
Commentary: While the Church has the innate right to require from the faithful whatever is necessary to support its legitimate temporal activities (1983 CIC 1260), in fact it rarely exercises this authority. Rather, it leaves to individual Catholics the right to determine precisely when and how they will assist with the temporal needs of the Church (1983 CIC 222, 1261, 1262, 1266).
Sunday collections, annual appeals, spontaneous offerings, bequests and wills, and so on are all ways that Catholics have to satisfy this precept of support. Note that offerings given for a specific purpose can be used by Church authorities only for that purpose (1983 CIC 1267).
My thought: At identical income levels, individuals still have many needs to meet, especially when income is lower than average. So there is no hard rule.
Remember Christ taught that it is the giving with proper intent that matters to Him. The poor old woman gave very little, but for her it truly was alot. The rich guy gave a lot and was too proud of it. The old woman was justified and the rich man was not.
We all know the Church has expenses just to operate the Church for Mass. And then there are many social ministries that require money to operate. Each of us should consider giving what we can. And on a regular basis.
W
wcknight
Guest
The phrase I like is, “Give until it feels good”.
the phrase used to be give until it hurts, but who wants to do that ???
The Old Testament said to give one tenth of income. That is what mormons do (actually 10% to their church and 3% to the poor)… Christians as a group give about 3%, Catholics around 2 and a half percent.
Personally, I think a good number would be to give about 5 percent in total to the church and other charities.
I thiink the reason why Catholics give a bit less than other groups, is because of a backlash from the middle ages. The protestant reformation focused attention on the abuses of selling indulgences for money, and the Church has been ever hesitant to ask folks for money, for fear of looking mercenary.
The last thing a pastor wants to do is to ask his parishioners for money, even if the Church needs it for repairs. He is much more likely to have a parishioner make the appeal.
the phrase used to be give until it hurts, but who wants to do that ???
The Old Testament said to give one tenth of income. That is what mormons do (actually 10% to their church and 3% to the poor)… Christians as a group give about 3%, Catholics around 2 and a half percent.
Personally, I think a good number would be to give about 5 percent in total to the church and other charities.
I thiink the reason why Catholics give a bit less than other groups, is because of a backlash from the middle ages. The protestant reformation focused attention on the abuses of selling indulgences for money, and the Church has been ever hesitant to ask folks for money, for fear of looking mercenary.
The last thing a pastor wants to do is to ask his parishioners for money, even if the Church needs it for repairs. He is much more likely to have a parishioner make the appeal.
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wcknight
Guest
BTW I’m an usher, and I think the Church needs to come out with a more definitive statement about giving. I live in a fairly afflent area and it’s almost unbelievable how many folks settle for dropping a dollar in the collection basket.
I don’t want to judge anyone but in an area where incomes are well into the six digits, one buck is just too ridiculous, even if it is every week or even every day.
I don’t want to judge anyone but in an area where incomes are well into the six digits, one buck is just too ridiculous, even if it is every week or even every day.
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baltobetsy
Guest
Three words: electronic funds transferBTW I’m an usher, and I think the Church needs to come out with a more definitive statement about giving. I live in a fairly afflent area and it’s almost unbelievable how many folks settle for dropping a dollar in the collection basket.
I don’t want to judge anyone but in an area where incomes are well into the six digits, one buck is just too ridiculous, even if it is every week or even every day.
You don’t know if those nice folks dropping in a dollar have given by check or EFT separately, and they just don’t want to let the basket pass by with nothing.
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Seeker1961
Guest
That’s how I do my donations and the folks sitting by me and the ushers probably think I don’t give anything either. But, shockingly enough it’s not any of their business.Three words: electronic funds transfer
You don’t know if those nice folks dropping in a dollar have given by check or EFT separately, and they just don’t want to let the basket pass by with nothing.
I’ve heard Pastors talk about giving 5% to your local parish and another 5% to other Catholic organizations but it is something each person must determine for themselves.
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Debora123
Guest
Giving 10% total of your income to some sort of good cause (whether that be the Church, a charity, etc etc…) is a standard percentage commonly used by Christians.
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wcknight
Guest
I would agree with that BUT I’ve been ushering for at least 15 years well before EFT and it really was not that great, long before EFT came into play. Our parish also has EFT (that I also use) and you can get coupons that you drop in the basket (I don’t bother with the coupons)…Three words: electronic funds transfer
You don’t know if those nice folks dropping in a dollar have given by check or EFT separately, and they just don’t want to let the basket pass by with nothing.
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Seeker1961
Guest
Which kind of defeats the paper-saving purpose of EFT so that other people don’t judge you for not putting something in that basket…I would agree with that BUT I’ve been ushering for at least 15 years well before EFT and it really was not that great, long before EFT came into play. Our parish also has EFT (that I also use) and you can get coupons that you drop in the basket (I don’t bother with the coupons)…
I also know that some folks do one BIG yearly donation to their parish and then don’t bother the rest of the year.
Bottom line, we really shouldn’t be assuming anything about anyone based on what we see or don’t see going in that basket. We don’t know if they give to their parish or not just by looking at that.
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