I agree…however, my response was to a poster who implied the stipend was required to have a mass said, and that if one did not offer a stipend they were stingy, and that the stipend was part of the sacramental nature of the Mass being said…ALL OF WISH ARE MISGUIDED, AND BLANTANTLY WRONG!
One of the Precepts of the Church is that each of the faithful provides for the material needs of the Church. Naturally, this is interpreted to mean that each provides according to his ability, but we see in the Gospels that a Widow’s Mite can be the most effective donation.
I guess that’s why I enjoy being served by Franciscan friars, because they would willingly go hungry without expecting even minimal compensation.
A parish pastor is called to say mass regardless if someone is paying a stipend…I have never seen a box office in front of a church selling tickets for admission.
And it is funny you should bring up Franciscans. I know several Franciscans in my area who are skillful and aggressive fund-raisers. In fact, checking through my memory I am hard-pressed to think of a single religious with a vow of poverty who was not doing his or her part to fund-raise for the Church or community or some cause. The Dominicans near me started a capital campaign for a new church building. The plans were actually scaled back when the Diocese came in and took over. The Jesuits up the road have a huge campus with a boys’ high school and a massive parish church, and they’re expanding it. And the Franciscans care for a historic Basilica and a major retreat center, both of which must require quite a bit of revenue merely for their upkeep.
Just because a Franciscan made a vow of poverty and is prepared to make personal sacrifices doesn’t mean he can’t or shouldn’t be supported by his community, especially those who are able to donate generously. It is a specious argument to say that they expect compensation. I certainly wouldn’t choose to be a religious under vows if I expected generous personal compensation. But you seem to misunderstand the concept of
mendicants, who are religious who beg for their food. Begging is a time-honored tradition in the Church, and in fact Francis revolutionized it, because before he came along, monks were supported by rich benefactors. The Franciscans begged their meals from whoever could give a few pennies. And that has included Mass stipends.
Today, stipends may be a minimal compensation but they still represent something significant to the priests who receive them. I am sure that my parish priests appreciate the $70-80 per week that comes in due to generous parishioners making donations to pray for their loved ones. There is an implicit understanding that these donations do not go to support the parish or repair the roof or keep the lights on in the office, but they support the priest in his ministerial work.
So if you have never offered a Mass stipend and instead choose to close your eyes and pray during the General Intercessions, and you would rather go buy a Venti Latte at Starbucks than support your priest with $10, then yes, you are stingy and selfish: Luke 10:7.
