Collection plate

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I was very grateful for it, let me tell you. I hate not putting money in the basket because I feel like if you can, you should. Even if it’s a quarter - if that’s what you have, and that’s what you can spare, I think you should.

I consider myself a member of the military Catholic “parish” community, but the Archbishop and the Archdiocese of Seattle has reached out to us so many times and included us at so many levels (we were included in the Seattle Book of the Elect as an example - he didn’t have to do that; we had folks who were baptized Catholic as babies who needed to be confirmed by a bishop, and four parishes reached out and said “come be included with us” - they didn’t have to do that) that I definitely think contributing to the Cathedral is warranted. I put as much there as I do in at my parish.
 
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Pup7 said:
I Googled it. 😆 (Laughing at myself) Of course, it’s US-centric. I’ve never taken notice of what they do in the UK.
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  Christian History | Learn the History of Christianity & the Church
Passing the Plate

After America ended state support of churches in the early 19th century, the collection of “tithes and offerings” became a standard feature of Sunday morning worship.
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In early modern time middle europe, there were little cass boxes installed at church called “Opferstock”

en.wikipedia.org

Poor box - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

“Poor box” is a bit too easy translated as they stored also documents and general sacrificed money for the church in it, not only for the poor. Beside this, alot of “bigger” charities would have been spent directly in form of gifts from the rich to the church, as paintings, crosses etc.
 
Elf01 said:
This is a great idea!!! wished to have this here, too.

I thought Church contributions were paid as a tax in Germany.
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Well I´m orthodox, I don´t pay church taxes instead of what I give face to face.
But even in catholic and protestand churches it´s common to have a collection plate, because tehre are always people present in the mass who are not members officially and there are specific needs for extra money (youth activities etc). A chruch tax covers not all financial needs of the parishes.
 
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My Church does not have a collection during the offertory, or at all. Father announces at the end of Mass that the Mission (it is a mission church) survives on donations and there are donation boxes and credit card kiosks on the grounds. Father believes that the collection disturbs the flow of the Mass.

Patrick
AMDG
 
I thought you declared a Church and your tax went to that Church. Apparently not, or at least it’s not the full story.
 
Elf01 said:
I thought you declared a Church and your tax went to that Church. Apparently not, or at least it’s not the full story.
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If you are part of the catholic church or the protestant main church in germany, you pay when your income reaches a certain point - so many people doens´t need to pay but still do so in the collection plate. Many people who are not oficially part of those churches (non-listed evangelical chruches for example) choose to pay when they visit other protestant services. From the vast denominational landscape in germany, just a few can take the tax. At least, it´s nice to see that there are still people who give more than the tax demands of them.
In my case, the orthodox church is not part of the associated churches the state takes the taxes for - so I pay regularily when I visit the church for the building, the parish etc.
 
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Because cash is a tangible statement of the value society puts on your talents and effort. Those pieces of paper in your wallet are a statement about your character and value. Having to part with cash creates in the mind of the owner, a tangible sense of the value of what his/her cash is being exchanged for. Clicks on a keyboard accessing and disbursing nothing more than a number cannot create the moral understanding of the true nature of money.
 
joeybaggz said:
Because cash is a tangible statement of the value society puts on your talents and effort.
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Be careful with that. I am highly educated and worked my full life and I´m still poor. It´s not a character fault.
 
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After living in Korea and needing to carry a sizable amount of cash everywhere because your cards may or may not work that day (no matter how many time you tell the bank where you are, they will screw up, and it’s usually at the worst possible time), and knowing that there are limited ATMs in Seoul where your American card will allow you to pull cash (I still can’t understand why Citibank ATMs in South Korea don’t work with a Visa card issued by Citibank in the US, and no one will ever be able to give me a satisfactory answer) - I’m grateful to be back in the US where my card is sufficient.

I am paid by the taxpayer. My Leave and Earnings Statement (our ‘pay stub’) is tangible evidence of the worth of the work I do, and I’m good with that. 🙂
 
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alice24 said:
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joeybaggz:
Because cash is a tangible statement of the value society puts on your talents and effort.
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Be careful with that. I am highly educated and worked my full life and I´m still poor. It´s not a character fault.
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No, certainly not on your part, but rather on the part of society. You have labored to impart knowledge and hopefully wisdom to young people your whole life, and society does not recognize the value of that. Some people in Virginia named Mars have created a company that sells little bits of candy coated chocolate (M&M’s) and they are one of the richest families in America. Fair? not in the grand scheme of things.
Please don’t confuse character and commerce.
Shalom
 
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joeybaggz said:
In fact, IMO (and it is just an opinion) electronic giving, credit cards, internet transfers, etc, debase the concept of bringing part of the fruits of your labor and talents and offering it to God.
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Electronic giving was introduced (yes, we have a kiosk in our gift shop and giving online) for the sake of parishioners who are going away on vacation or leaving for a long period of time. The concept was so that our parishioners had the opportunity to easily donate to the church while away. The costs of running a parish doesn’t change just because one goes on an vacation, not that you are saying that.

Joey: Just because you are not using cash, one is still “bringing part of the fruits of your labor and talents and offering it to God.” It’s just another way of contributing.

At our church, the money collected is very controlled. The ushers must put each of the 2 collections at each of our 7 weekend Masses in the correct sealable plastic bag designed for church collections at the back of the church where they can be seen if needed and two ushers must escort the money to the safe which is in a wall in the family room (cry room), again visible. Only our pastor and one other staff member has the combination to the safe which is also under video security, and the combination must be changed every month. These are our diocesan guidelines.
 
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We spoke to our pastor about this once. He said in Ireland, they have a box by the door and that’s how it’s done in Catholic Churches in Ireland.

However, he also mentioned that in Ireland, most people enter and leave the Church though one door.

In the US, a lot of our churches (if not most) have multiple entrances and exits. Also, as sad as it is, theft becomes a problem.

Remember, the donation baskets are sent because we are looking for donations.

Also, some parishes (like mine) only seek donations during Sunday Mass (including the Saturday evening one) & Holy Days; and do not pass the basket during daily mass. Typically, its only pilgrimage churches which seek donations from daily mass attendees.

In regards to the 2nd collection, typically, those are NOT for the Parish (though I guess a parish might have 1 or 2 second collections for debt or special projects. But typically, the second collection is for other collections if you want to donate to those funds (seminary, missionary work, etc.)

Eventually, eGiving will replace the basket, but I assume you will still at least have a guy with a basket on a pole collecting anyone who wants to give cash.

NOTE: Personally, I do not like the method of passing the basket. I prefer the ushers walking down the aisles with a basket on a pole. However, with some of new “circular theater seating” it becomes hard to use the baskets on the pole method.

NOTE 2: It’s also important to remember that some other religions (Christian and non-Christian alike) often ask their people to make an annual, monthly, weekly pledge. So with the pledge system, they don’t have to pass a basket because they can have “collectors” call and follow up with people who are short on their pledge. The Catholic Church doesn’t do this, and most likely never will.

Feel free to ping me some more about this, since I’m involved with giving.

God bless
 
Pup7 said:
I Googled it. 😆 (Laughing at myself) Of course, it’s US-centric. I’ve never taken notice of what they do in the UK.

Passing the Plate | Christian History | Christianity Today
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Yes, it’s also true that in places like Germany, there is a Church Tax, which is how the Church gets the money.

I think “passing the plate” is a far better way… people give what they want and have the option to tie their donations to their name (via envelopes or online donations) or anonymous via cash in the basket.
 
joeybaggz said:
Because cash is a tangible statement of the value society puts on your talents and effort. Those pieces of paper in your wallet are a statement about your character and value. Having to part with cash creates in the mind of the owner, a tangible sense of the value of what his/her cash is being exchanged for. Clicks on a keyboard accessing and disbursing nothing more than a number cannot create the moral understanding of the true nature of money.
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True, but the Church does better when people use e-giving & it’s easier for the person.

For example: I give once a month (via eGiving), at the beginning of each pay period. My monthly tithe for Sunday masses is the same every month, so it’s steady.

For the parish: when people use the envelopes, the parish typically looses money. For example: let’s say you go to Sunday mass 52 times a year. However, stats say the typically person who goes to Sunday mass 52 times a year will not attend mass at his own parish at least 8 times a year due to travel, sick, wedding, etc. Envelope givers will typically donate that weeks tithe to the parish they are attending that week. Which is ok, but not really what donations are for.

When people eGive, all their money goes to their home parish, even when they travel. Then, it’s up to the person to decide if they want to make another donation to the parish they are attending that week. So if they normally give $20 a week, they can still give $20 to their home parish and if they want, a couple bucks to the parish they are visiting. Or nothing to the parish they are visiting and still feel ok.

Trust me… when you are giving via eGiving, you still feel the fact that you are donating… and when you have spare change in your pocket, no one is stopping you (or your kids) from adding some extra cash to the basket 🙂

I hope this makes sense.

God Bless
 
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Yes, if the Holy Day is on a weekday, we do the collection too.

Our pastor really hates doing 2nd collections, so we “only” do 18 a year. But whenever someone recommends creating another 2nd collection for XYZ he pretty much always shoots it down.

Where as my old parish (the one I was baptized in) had a 2nd collection at every mass. If there wasn’t a specific collection it was for, it would go to the poor.
 
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