Edited Title: Sacramental Fees?

[grainofsand]

I did my Confirmation a while back and well I used to go to a catholic school. So they charged my parents $100 for it… I just think that is extremely outrageous and unnecessary. Why would the parents of the candidates have to pay one hundred dollars to recieve the Holy Spirit? Isnt God priceless??? I mean sure if they asked for a donation would have been okay but charging $100 is sick.

Was it the school that scammed us? Its getting closed down this year actually. Tons of kids would get left back multiple times and suspended over and over… the school also taught us to believe global warming and even showed us Al Gore’s vid. Which is against the Church’s beliefs, right?

 

[Eilish_Maura]

Any question about fees should have brought up BEFORE hand.

There are meetings etc at most parishes BEFORE those preparing for sacraments get started where these things are explained.

 

[Dragoro]

Seems a lot of schools are having a crisis of faith lately. Look at ND for example and them showing pro lesbian plays. Its a sad state of affairs, although it seems the church is begining to crack down on it just lately. Some school in the NE lost their catholic affiliation lately cause of stuff like this.

 

[grainofsand]

Any question about fees should have brought up BEFORE hand.

There are meetings etc at most parishes BEFORE those preparing for sacraments get started where these things are explained.

I know but I wasnt in charge of paying and I was also kinda afraid if I didnt do the sacrament =\

 

[Eilish_Maura]

I know but I wasnt in charge of paying and I was also kinda afraid if I didnt do the sacrament =\

Your parent’s should have known.

You received the services now the bill has to be paid.

Nothing about ripping off anyone in any of it.

 

[Tom]

I did my Confirmation a while back and well I used to go to a catholic school. So they charged my parents $100 for it… I just think that is extremely outrageous and unnecessary. Why would the parents of the candidates have to pay one hundred dollars to recieve the Holy Spirit? Isnt God priceless??? I mean sure if they asked for a donation would have been okay but charging $100 is sick.

Was it the school that scammed us? Its getting closed down this year actually. Tons of kids would get left back multiple times and suspended over and over… the school also taught us to believe global warming and even showed us Al Gore’s vid. Which is against the Church’s beliefs, right?

Hmmm, I’ve never heard of a “charge” I’ve always heard of an appropriate donation. Are you positive you’ve got the facts right? If you’re sure it was a required payment, let us know the parish so we can find out what’s going on. Were any children refused the Sacrament because they couldn’t pay? Now I have heard of required payments for use of the Church, fore say weddings. After all you can be married anywhere, you need to pay if you want to use their electricity and facility. To me that’s fair, but not a charge for the Sacrament.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I did my Confirmation a while back and well I used to go to a catholic school. So they charged my parents $100 for it… I just think that is extremely outrageous and unnecessary. Why would the parents of the candidates have to pay one hundred dollars to recieve the Holy Spirit? Isnt God priceless??? I mean sure if they asked for a donation would have been okay but charging $100 is sick.

Was it the school that scammed us? Its getting closed down this year actually. Tons of kids would get left back multiple times and suspended over and over… the school also taught us to believe global warming and even showed us Al Gore’s vid. Which is against the Church’s beliefs, right?

I believe that it is a simple matter of you not knowing what you are talking about.

 

[VociMike]

Did you attend classes beforehand? Did you receive study materials?

 

[maize]

im not a catholic yet (hope to be by next year), but the website for the parish i was looking at joining has forms to fill out for “christian formation” and it says at the bottom confiirmation fee $40, and then on another it says reconciliation/eucharist fee $45.

EDIT: to add, i did notice that they also have fees for classes, which are fine and they call the other fees, “sacramental fees”

i kind of wondered about that too… i mean i dont mind making a donation but the term fee is kind of a strange word to use with the word eucharist.

id also say, you recieved something far more precious than any dollar amount that you could put it on it.

 

[JustaServant]

I believe that it is a simple matter of you not knowing what you are talking about.

Be gentle with the boy.

But I agree, something in this story doesnt sound right.

 

[1ke]

The fee is not for the Sacrament itself.

It is a shame that you assume the school would be in the business of “scamming” the parents of attendees.

The fee is for associated materials, facilities, and probably some wages. Someone has to contact the parishes to retrieve sacramental records and do paperwork associated with verifying baptisms of the candidates. Confirmation typically includes some sort of retreat or bringing in speakers for a day of reflection (those speakers get a fee). And, there are materials, which if not included in the regular school fees would need to be paid for.

You-- or more appropriately your parents-- should ask the school to provide a list of what the fee covers in your particular case.

And, no, showing Al Gore’s video is not against Church teaching. The Church does not have a position on the validity of the theories surrounding global warming (which is a matter for science, not the Church). The Church does specifically teach we must be good stewards of the environment.

 

[rpp]

im not a catholic yet (hope to be by next year), but the website for the parish i was looking at joining has forms to fill out for “christian formation” and it says at the bottom confiirmation fee $40, and then on another it says reconciliation/eucharist fee $45.

EDIT: to add, i did notice that they also have fees for classes, which are fine and they call the other fees, “sacramental fees”

i kind of wondered about that too… i mean i dont mind making a donation but the term fee is kind of a strange word to use with the word eucharist.

id also say, you recieved something far more precious than any dollar amount that you could put it on it.

This sounds suspicious. There are no “fees” for receiving any sacraments.

To require payment for administering the sacraments is the grave sin of simony.

 

[1ke]

im not a catholic yet (hope to be by next year), but the website for the parish i was looking at joining has forms to fill out for “christian formation” and it says at the bottom confiirmation fee $40, and then on another it says reconciliation/eucharist fee $45. EDIT: to add, i did notice that they also have fees for classes, which are fine and they call the other fees, “sacramental fees”.

The fees, if any, associated with RCIA will vary from parish to parish. The fees will cover books/materials, a bible and/or Catechism, retreats, and probably refreshments and speaker fees.

Regarding the “sacramental fees” these are also called stole fees. Typically these fees go to a charity/good works fund.

Of course it’s important to know that no one is ever refused a Sacrament if they cannot pay associated fees.

 

[maize]

This sounds suspicious. There are no “fees” for receiving any sacraments.

To require payment for administering the sacraments is the grave sin of simony.

hers the links to the PDFs…

stmarysuffolk.org/downloadforms.htm

the fees are listed at the bottom of forms…maybe they just worded it poorly.

EDIT: on some forms it says registration fees for the rite, and then the term sacramental fees is used on one form. as i said some of the wording is suspect, its probably an honest mistake.

 

[maize]

The fees, if any, associated with RCIA will vary from parish to parish. The fees will cover books/materials, a bible and/or Catechism, retreats, and probably refreshments and speaker fees.

Regarding the “sacramental fees” these are also called stole fees. Typically these fees go to a charity/good works fund.

Of course it’s important to know that no one is ever refused a Sacrament if they cannot pay associated fees.

ok, thats sounds ok. as i said i dont mind giving money to the church, i just wasnt sure about how it was worded.

thanks for the explanation.

 

[1ke]

This sounds suspicious. There are no “fees” for receiving any sacraments.

To require payment for administering the sacraments is the grave sin of simony.

Not exactly.

The bishop sets sacramental and mass offering amounts in his diocese as outlined in Canon Law. In both cases, there are provisions for those who cannot give anything.

See the following canon related to sacramental fees:

Can. 848 The minister is to seek nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by competent authority, always taking care that the needy are not deprived of the assistance of the sacraments because of poverty

There is a whole section of canon law applying to mass offerings. Here are some of the canons:

Can. 945 §1. In accord with the approved practice of the Church, any priest celebrating or concelebrating is permitted to receive an offering to apply the Mass for a specific intention.

§2. It is recommended earnestly to priests that they celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering.

Can. 952 §1. It is for the provincial council or a meeting of the bishops of the province to define by decree for the entire province the offering to be given for the celebration and application of Mass, and a priest is not permitted to seek a larger sum. Nevertheless, he is permitted to accept for the application of a Mass a voluntary offering which is larger or even smaller than the one defined.

§2. Where there is no such decree, the custom in force in the diocese is to be observed.

§3. Members of all religious institutes must also observe the same decree or local custom mentioned in §§1 and 2.

 

[rpp]

hers the links to the PDFs…

stmarysuffolk.org/downloadforms.htm

the fees are listed at the bottom of forms…maybe they just worded it poorly.

EDIT: on some forms it says registration fees for the rite, and then the term sacramental fees is used on one form. as i said some of the wording is suspect, its probably an honest mistake.

Thank you for the link.

The concern that I have is that I cannot find anywhere where they say the fee can be waived in cases of financial hardship. Also, I do not like the term “fee” to begin with. This makes me a slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps a brief note to the DRE (Drirector of Religious Education) to change the wording may be helpful. I am certain they do not mean to imply that if you do not cough up the money that you cannot receive a sacrament.

When I went through my RCIA, they did not charge us a penny. They said if we felt that we should pay, then drop it in the Sunday collection.

 

[rpp]

Not exactly.

The bishop sets sacramental and mass offering amounts in his diocese as outlined in Canon Law. In both cases, there are provisions for those who cannot give anything.

See the following canon related to sacramental fees:

Can. 848 The minister is to seek nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by competent authority, always taking care that the needy are not deprived of the assistance of the sacraments because of poverty

There is a whole section of canon law applying to mass offerings. Here are some of the canons:

Can. 945 §1. In accord with the approved practice of the Church, any priest celebrating or concelebrating is permitted to receive an offering to apply the Mass for a specific intention.

§2. It is recommended earnestly to priests that they celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering.

Can. 952 §1. It is for the provincial council or a meeting of the bishops of the province to define by decree for the entire province the offering to be given for the celebration and application of Mass, and a priest is not permitted to seek a larger sum. Nevertheless, he is permitted to accept for the application of a Mass a voluntary offering which is larger or even smaller than the one defined.

§2. Where there is no such decree, the custom in force in the diocese is to be observed.

§3. Members of all religious institutes must also observe the same decree or local custom mentioned in §§1 and 2.

Okay, I can see this. Thank you for the correction.

I guess simony would not come into it unless the priest refused to administer the sacrament without a payment. Would that be correct?

 

[FAB]

There are no “Fees” for sacraments, but there are related cost. Depending on the finacial condition of a parish, there may be a charge to cover expenses of books, materials, salary of the DRE and in our dioceses a retreat. I have been Confirmation director for the past six years in my parish and those cost added up to $160.00 per canidate, a cost that was passed on to the parents. As much as I hated to do so and worked to keep cost down it was just a fact of life. Even if a parish does not charge for books andn the like, most still charge for the retreat food and lodging. We never denied any child the Sacrament of Confermation if their parents could not afford to pay.

Peace,
FAB

 

[puzzleannie]

I did my Confirmation a while back and well I used to go to a catholic school. So they charged my parents $100 for it… I just think that is extremely outrageous and unnecessary. Why would the parents of the candidates have to pay one hundred dollars to recieve the Holy Spirit? Isnt God priceless??? I mean sure if they asked for a donation would have been okay but charging $100 is sick.

Was it the school that scammed us? ?

a Catholic school cannot confect the sacraments, the Catholic student celebrates in his own parish, so if there is any cost for materials and resources used in preparing for that sacrament, catechesis, retreats etc., who would you suggest pay for it besides the candidate or his family. if your school charged you for the course to prepare you, no it was not a scam, and no they did not charge you for a sacrament because they did not give you a sacrament, the priest or bishop did.

there is NO fee for sacraments in the Catholic church

there is frequently a fee for costs of sacramental preparation, overhead etc.