Can parishes force tithing?

[brownie1]

My Catholic school/parish is suggesting forced tithing. Where each family would be responsible, in addition to tuition and church offering, to pay $500 monthly to support the operating budget. I was wondering if tithing was mandatory and if a priest could enforce a specific amount of tithing.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

What are the consequences to a family’s refusal to pay this $500 charge? What exactly is meant by the “operating budget”? (In other words, is the money being designated solely to the school, or to the church, or to both?) Will registered members who don’t have children in the school be charged this fee?

If this money is intended to support the school, then the parish should simply raise the cost of tuition by $500 for families with children enrolled there. If this money is intended to support the church, then the parish cannot “force tithing.” Tithing is an Old Testament precept that is no longer binding on Christians. For Catholics, the Church mandates that Catholics support the Church “each according to his own ability” (CCC 2043). It does not specify that this “support” must be monetary or even that it must necessarily or entirely go to the local parish.

I recommend that you first obtain clarification of exactly what the parish has in mind with this $500 charge. Once clarification is obtained, I recommend consulting with the diocese. You may also obtain guidance on this issue from the St. Joseph Foundation.