Fundraising in Homily

[whichwaytogo47]

Giving is a spiritual thing. Giving is one of the very basic precepts of the Church, it is that important.

It is. There are gifts of time, money, prayer to God, etc. But asking for money is not teaching people holiness; it’s a request - it’s not teaching wisdom. We all have an obligation to support our church.

The announcements are the best place for REQUESTS. The homily is the best place for teaching. If you’re teaching how giving is holy and how it is wise to give and how it makes you feel more positive, that could be in the homily. If you are asking specifically for money, though, and not teaching a lesson, it is most prudent to do that during announcements.

 

[ontheway1]

I couldn’t agree more. It is your gift. Given voluntarily, out of charity. But when the bishop gets in your face to “remind” you to give more, is it still spiritual? Is your additional gift still “spiritual”, or more of a tax?

 

[whichwaytogo47]

I couldn’t agree more. It is your gift. Given voluntarily, out of charity. But when the bishop gets in your face to “remind” you to give more, is it still spiritual? Is your additional gift still “spiritual”, or more of a tax?

I think the danger is it takes away the concept of being a cheerful giver. We really need to teach cheerfulness to really get people to give generously and faithfully and sacrificially.

It’s like you have a kid. You can pay him $5 for doing a chore. Or you can teach him that there’s value in helping out the family by doing the chore. If you pay him, he begins to expect money for doing the chore. When you teach him there is value to the family for what he does, he begins to become a teamplayer. Same thing with giving. If someone is asked for money, they will give once. If you teach them how to give or that they will feel better when they give, they might be more generous with their money.

 

[TheLittleLady]

But when the bishop gets in your face to “remind” you to give more, is it still spiritual?

What about when your Bishop reminds you to attend Mass on Sunday and other days of obligation?

To go to Confession in order to be disposed to receive Communion? The precepts all work together:

"2041 The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. the obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor:

2042 The first precept (“You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.") requires the faithful to participate in the Eucharistic celebration when the Christian community gathers together on the day commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord.82

The second precept (“You shall confess your sins at least once a year.") ensures preparation for the Eucharist by the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, which continues Baptism’s work of conversion and forgiveness.83

The third precept (“You shall humbly receive your Creator in Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.") guarantees as a minimum the reception of the Lord’s Body and Blood in connection with the Paschal feasts, the origin and center of the Christian liturgy.84

2043 The fourth precept (“You shall keep holy the holy days of obligation.") completes the Sunday observance by participation in the principal liturgical feasts which honor the mysteries of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.85

The fifth precept (“You shall observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.") ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts; they help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.86

The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his abilities.87

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P75.HTM

 

[whichwaytogo47]

It is appropriate for homilies to address our giving. Christ did speak of our duty to give.

Agreed. But there’s a difference in our duty to serve the church and learning how to be generous and specific requests for money. If you request money, you need to go back to the well everytime it comes dry or once a year. If you teach people how to give (especially emotionally) than people are more likely to give cheerfully rather than reluctantly.

I am in a parish that has a big church bldg. and it costs
money to keep up!! So taking up a special collection for
the oil and needs of the bldg. are taken every Sunday.
I see NO problem for that, but to harp on it by the Bishop
seems a bit much… It might be that I don’t know the parish
nor the financial difficulties that the Diocese is undergoing.

I am so with you!

The faithful also have the duty of providing for the material needs of the Church, each according to his abilities.87

And that’s what needs to be taught. But it needs to be taught in learning how to have generosity, preferably not asking for the well to be refilled once it is empty or on schedule for another refilling.

Having been very involved in parish finances in the past, I can tell you there is simply no other time to make financial appeals except during the homily. That is unfortunate, but it is a fact. After communion, during announcements, people do not want to sit through more than a few sentences

That’s your opinion for which you state as a fact. Yes, you are not going to get as much receptiveness if it’s said during announcements and there will have been people whom had left beforehand, though they’re not supposed to do so. And I agree with you that before mass doesn’t work unless you start mass late to have an announcement.

But the most important thing is for people to attend church and to truly understand the mass. And while the homily is not the most important part of the mass, it can be the most instructive part of the mass. Thus if the homily is bad or worse, none is given, than people don’t learn to appreciate the mass. The homily should be used to instruct people and really needs to be given with the assumption that someone hadn’t received instruction in CCD, RCIA, or some other method to know the holy sacrifice of the mass. You should be able to GO TO THE HOMILY and know why it’s essential to go to mass, why it’s important to give, and why it’s important to evangelize?

So would you rather have more funds or have more parishioners? You need to teach people in the homily and having requests instead of in the announcements can really take way from the rest of the mass. People are not properly catechized, thus if the homily’s bad, the mass is bad. People really do need to know about the mass so they don’t lose appreciation for what it is.

 

[whichwaytogo47]

If the church doesn’t have enough funding, what happens?

They close. Churches need money to operate. It’s important to have enough people in attendance and enough of those people to give generously to ensure the proper upkeep the church, to give to the community, and to stay out of debt. It’s important that people give sacrificially and are taught how to give, rather than a church having to go from year to year or crisis to crisis asking for donations.

Well said. I think this is how it should be addressed in the homily. Still, I think it would be better in the announcements unless the lectionary readings for the day included these as precepts. And it should be instructed that while gifts of money are important (because it’s a duty to support your church), it’s also a duty to be giving to the sick, the lonely, the incarcerated, the homeless, the young, the old, the home-bound, and anyone else whom has no one to pray for them.

I’m fine with asking and understand that it is necessary – but asking either after a homily or after mass in announcements seems to be much more respectful to the Sacraments, God, and people experiencing them. I give in the collection every week and what I can and having someone ask for half an hour when we should be focused on God has generally made me LESS enthusiastic about giving than a moving homily (though I realize my experience is not everyone’s).

I think it’s very important to be inspired to give. I don’t see how being asked for the Annual Appeal pushes me to be generous. And I’m not able to donate without my wife’s approval so the way we are asked to give is REALLY important. If you ask us, we’ll probably say NO. If we are taught to give generously, than I hope I’m in a season where I can give faithfully and dutifully. People are best able to give when they have developed a generous, cheerful heart and have avoided debt. The Bible clearly says that the borrower is slave to the lender and that includes the inability to give to one’s church.

 

[tafan2]

Yes, it is spiritual. And yes, it is a “tax”, in the sense that the Bishop has the authority explicitly granted to him by canon law to request funds from the faithful and we are obligated to give (to the extent we are able). It is one of the minimum requirements for us to grow in the love of God and neighbor (paraphrasing the Catechism based on memory.).

 

[ontheway1]

love of God and neighbor

Point 1, and I will admit that this is a cheap shot: how much and how often do I have to pay for “love of God and neighbor”.?
Point 2: This line of argumentation gets us dangerously close to the notion of buying indulgences and we all remember how well that turned out a few hundred years ago.
Point 3, and the most important one: What happened to the sheep that needed to be found? WHAT ABOUT THE GUY IN THE PEW? The OP expressed concern over a dying man, and CAF discussed nothing but money and how we have to support the corpulent caretakers of the coffers.

Finally, everyone here, myself included, understands the need to support the institution of the church and many of us do.

 

[casslean]

I think what’s being overlooked here is that the issue is not whether the church should ask for money or whether parishioners have an obligation to support their church, it’s whether the homily is the appropriate time and place for such requests, and how they might be addressed within or outside the homily.

If the homily is such that it drives people away from the church because they are not being ministered to spiritually, then how is that going to help the church, financially or otherwise? And worse, what will it do to the person it drives away?

We can be both pastoral and pragmatic in our approach even on difficult issues like money.

 

[tafan2]

You should be able to GO TO THE HOMILY and know why it’s essential to go to mass, why it’s important to give, and why it’s important to evangelize?

So would you rather have more funds or have more parishioners? You need to teach people in the homily and having requests instead of in the announcements can really take way from the rest of the mass. People are not properly catechized, thus if the homily’s bad, the mass is bad. People really do need to know about the mass so they don’t lose appreciation for what it is.

You make it sound as if I am advocating this happening every Sunday. I am not. I am only saying there is nothing wrong with it happening periodically. Indeed, I think it is good for us to be reminded of our obligations towards the rest of our Christian community. One could say it is an very important part of our evangelization. Yes, people need to be taught that.

We had a successful capital campaign that lasted for years, the end result being a beautiful new Church, and now we have more parishioners. I suppose those requests for money were definitely part of an evangelical effort.

Would I rather have more funds or more parishioners? At any point in time: it depends. If the parish is dead broke and about to shut the doors, more funds, otherwise it would be likely to lose a lot of parishioners and it certainly could not effectively evangelize if it does not have the resources. Over the long run, more parishioners (which a side effect would be more funds over time). But its a strange question.

 

[TheLittleLady]

It violates the spirit of this forum to say such disrespectful things about our Bishops.

 

[whichwaytogo47]

We had a successful capital campaign that lasted for years, the end result being a beautiful new Church, and now we have more parishioners. I suppose those requests for money were definitely part of an evangelical effort.

That is awesome. I apologize for making that sound like you or your church advocates it every Sunday.

I have had to confess many times that I struggle with generosity, particularly because I’m disorganized.

We could be a lot more generous if I took on another job and figured out a way to provide not just for ourselves but a couple of children as well. That and if we payoff our debt. In other words, be able to give first and pay myself first and than cut the budget to reflect what that new income is.

 

[tafan2]

The Church is very plain its teaching, we are to support the material needs of the Church to the extent we are able. So do not fear, you struggle financially, the Church does not intent to burden you further. Every priest and bishop would say the same.
That being said, there does seem to be a resentment of the Church even asking for money. Perhaps understanding why the Church does so and accepting that in peace is a good place for you to start supporting the material needs of the Church, considering your difficult circumstances.

 

[whichwaytogo47]

It violates the spirit of this forum to say such disrespectful things about our Bishops.

I think it’s a general misunderstanding if we say disrespectful things about the Bishop. I don’t think that someone is intentionally being disrespectful or having malice in what they say. That said, I think there’s a huge disappointment that homilies are sometimes not instructive and/or not focused on the readings.

I have Saturday morning guy group and I have the Protestant church I attend and I have Wednesday night guy group with the Protestants so I am able to see what’s different between the holy sacrifice of the mass and a sermon, but that doesn’t mean that the homily shouldn’t be used to explain the rest of the mass so everyone can appreciate the mass in the way it deserves for all of its beauty.

It should make us all weep that people don’t know the holy sacrifice of the mass. It should make us weep that not every Catholic knows that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. It should make us weep that what is said in the homily goes in one ear and out the other. It should make us weep that people don’t truly understand the mass and/or what it means to be Catholic or what it means to evangelize and make sure that a sinner becomes a repentant saint. It should make us weep that people don’t know they are saved by grace and can voluntarily go to Hell with one mortal sin. It should make us weep that people are not properly educated in the faith despite getting confirmed. It should make us weep that not everyone has someone to pray for them. It should make us weep that some people are really lonely. It should make us weep when someone doesn’t have the when two or more people are present.

 

[tafan2]

Point 1, and I will admit that this is a cheap shot: how much and how often do I have to pay for “love of God and neighbor”.?
Point 2: This line of argumentation gets us dangerously close to the notion of buying indulgences and we all remember how well that turned out a few hundred years ago.

I must have done a poor job of paraphrasing the CCCC, we give to the Church in order to increase our love of God and neighbor, not in order to increase the love we receive from them (if you read again what I wrote, I actually think this is clear).

Point 3, and the most important one: What happened to the sheep that needed to be found? WHAT ABOUT THE GUY IN THE PEW? The OP expressed concern over a dying man, and CAF discussed nothing but money and how we have to support the corpulent caretakers of the coffers.

Yes, the OP expressed concern over a dying man, and almost everyone who has responded to him offered him their prayers and sympathy. How was the pastor of the church to know the OP’s situation? It is not clear the pastor would have based on the post. We have not discussed nothing but money, we have defended the Church;s right to ask for money.

Finally, everyone here, myself included, understands the need to support the institution of the church and many of us do.

That is you opinion, it is not at all clear to me. Consider how you misinterpreted the teaching from the CCC as evidence why.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Sorry, the phrase “fat bishops” then edited to say “corpulent caretakers” drips with malice.

 

[whichwaytogo47]

Sorry, the phrase “fat bishops” then edited to say “corpulent caretakers” drips with malice.

Ok, thanks for sharing. I must have missed that.

 

[ontheway1]

So do not fear, you struggle financially, the Church does not intent to burden you further. Every priest and bishop would say the same.

I would love to agree with you but the evidence, anecdotal as it is, indicates that the priests are a little more concerned with money.

Years ago I enrolled my son in a well respected catholic school. We were happy to pay tuition and to contribute to the church as we could. After a couple of years, I lost my job and suddenly we found ourselves a single-income family. We could still pay the bills and the tuition, but my contributions to the church coffers had to be reduced. I notified the parish priest of my situation so he would understand what we were facing.
Shortly afterwards I received a letter from the parish encouraging me to “participate in the life of the parish”. I was thrilled and responded that I would be happy to volunteer for some committe of other activities as needed.
The response came quickly. I was instructed that the school tuition I was paying did not cover all the costs of education and that I needed to contribute more. This came with instructions for how I need to set up a direct payment from my bank account and the amount of additional money I had to contribute.

This came within weeks of me telling the padre that I had lost my job.

Believe it or not, I did comply, although our financial situation was really difficult as we were relying exclusively on my wife’s salary.

So much for the caring prelates. They do burden you and don’t care. I am living proof.

What an example of catholic charity and care for the flock.

 

[tafan2]

You should have taken it up directly with your pastor after the response from the parish. Odds are great he was never involved directly with your situation. Yes,he was at fault for having uncaring employees of the parish, but it’s hard to police everything at most parishes. Having been involved with managing both parish and school finances, under multiple priests, I have seen similiar situations as you describe many times. I have never seen a pastor not be understanding when a family’s hardships came to their attention.

 

[ontheway1]

Maybe a little sarcasm, but not malice.