Bingo on Sundays?

[dsmommy]

Does anyone think that it is wrong for a parish to have bingo on Sundays? It is a requirement to work bingo on Sundays in our parish so that our children can go to catholic school. It seems strange that it’s catholic and should be keeping the sabbath, but instead taking either me or my husband away from our family for 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon right after church to work bingo, so that a bunch of people can gamble. I have been trying to figure out a way to bring this up to the school, but just don’t know how to go about doing it. It seems strange to say to them that my religious beliefs are that I should be home with my family on Sunday, a day of rest, when the school is a catholic school and they should know this. Forgive me if this was a previous discussion on this board. If so, point me in that direction. Thanks.

 

[Island_Oak]

Is this something you are expected to do EVERY Sunday or only occasionally as part of on-going school fundraising? If it’s only occasional, I guess I miss your point. Bingo is not a wagering game i.e. there is no way to lose $ if you don’t get a “bingo,” just a chance of winning–so the “gambling” issue is weak at best.

If it really is intruding on your Sundays on a regular basis, you have a solid point and there any number of solutions. You could offer to pledge a certain amount of $ towards the fundraising in order to be relieved of the time-served obligation. If that’s not feasible, offer to participate in some other way/at some other time that still supports the effort.

If you are feeling pressured by this commitment, there may be others who do too. Have you talked to other parents? What are their sentiments? Perhaps if there is some agreement, a new mode of fundraising could be pursued–bingo is hardly the only alternative.

 

[puzzleannie]

Youngstown Diocese instituted a policy which strongly encouraged parishes to fund schools and other operations through good stewardship programs, and to hold bingo, fall festivals and other events for community building, not fundraising. Stewardship and tithing are very strong there. DH ran bingo for a time for our geographic parish when other leader became ill (he was a prof. colleague), and consequently hates the whole idea of bingo, which he considered a tax on the poor to support the Church. Particularly when the day after bingo we would work at the county hunger center and feed many of the same people who played bingo the night before at our church.

 

[dsmommy]

well - in our parish, bingo is MANDATORY for all parent’s of incoming kindergartners. As it pertains to us, we have a 6 yr old, a 4 yr old, a 2 yr old and a 7 month old. We are currently entering our 2 nd yr of obligation from our oldest and by next year, just as our obligation is ending, a new 2 year obligation is beginning.

In other words, we do not have the option of “choosing” any other fundraiser in lieu of Bingo. And i am everyday amazed that the parish priest or even the principal who is a religious condones this activity where a parent is removed from the home for 5 hours on a Sunday to work Bingo - Sunday which is suppose to be a day of rest and to be WITH your family.

Any other ideas out there on how to approach this one??

 

[puzzleannie]

you might want to get active with the school PTO or school board so your voice gets heard, and organize other parents who object to Sunday bingo, but be prepared to suggest alternatives. If your parish, like many, regards the school as a necessary evil, rather than acknowledging that one of the parish’s primary roles is to hand on the faith, and the parochial school system is one of the best means to do this, you have an uphill battle.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

Is it Sunday afternoon? Then I would do what annie suggests. Is it Sunday night? Sounds like they need better rotation!