Obedience and the second collection

[IrishAm]

Last Sunday’s second collection was for the Campaign for Human Development. I am not a great fan, but always feel that I am obligated as a Catholic to put “something” in the collections that my bishop or my pastor have deemed appropriate. Even if it is just a little, I think it is an obligation to the community. Or maybe that’s just old-school “pay, pray and obey” mentality?

Anyway, the priest who celebrated Mass – whom I respect a great deal – made it a point during his homily to say he disagreed with the CHC and they hadn’t gotten a dime from him in many years. I was actually fairly shocked – not that he held the opinion but that he was proclaiming it from the pulpit on the day of the collection. Apparently our pastor agrees, as do others, for it all made the front page of the Washington Times today (washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/26/catholics-rebuffing-controversial-charity/ ). Our parish, I might add, is pretty conservative and very faithful to the teachings of the Church.

I do not want to digress into whether people agree or disagree with the Campaign for Human Development. That conversation is taking place on other threads. What I would like to hear are your opinions of priests making these statements, if you feel that in their comments against the second collection (which was at the direction of the bishop) the priests were behaving in a manner that was disobedient to the bishop and, by extension, the Church?

(And, no, I really don’t have an opinion. I agreed with much of what was said, but was very uncomfortable that it was being said in the homily. It seemed just seemed wrong . . . or maybe it seemed “right” but at the “wrong place, wrong time.” )

 

[lada]

It seems to me that the priest, and not necessarily the Bishop, can make all the difference in a congregation. And, it seems to be his right to do so. We have two parishes within a mile of each other, and they are vastly different. Obviously the same Bishop, but different pastors. Very different messages and homilies.

I don’t really know if it were appropriate to share an opinion like that with the congregation, but I don’t guess I see it as wrong. Maybe just in poor taste.

FWIW, I never feel obligated to put something in the second collection.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

This is how we figure it: We give 5% to the parish. We give 1% to the diocese. The remaining 4% is ours to charitably give as we choose. Some people may have different percentages and different numbers. This just always worked for us.

Our bishop/ diocese sends out an envelope that has choices on it. There are about 10 choices, including CHD. But we’re told to pray about, and give where we feel led- or even just let the bishop decide (there’s a check box for that, too). We always choose pro-life efforts within the diocese, and retired religious and clergy.