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Bob_Aliano
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otjm
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otjm
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I have used the amount I earn in an hour at work, to determine the value of the time I volunteer. I use net, not gross. It seems about as valid as any other measure one can come up with.
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CB_Catholic
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In our parish the priest said the suggested 10% covers all giving to the Church, not just the parish. This includes the missions, charities, etc. We sign a pledge to indicate how much we will give to the parish (of our own determination). Even though they did not ask for the whole 10% to go directly to the parish, the collection significantly increased when they implemented the Stewardship program, as did the number of parishoners involved in various ministries, etc. And they only talk about money once a year, except for the short announcement about the Bishop’s Appeal, the Religious Retirement Fund, or the Missionary that comes every year.
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PAboy57
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i guess if we actually gave enough they wouldn’t have to talk about it. so many do nothing but show up once a week. he is trying to get through to them.
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stormy99
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dconklin
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I seem to remember hearing about families joining Protestant churches and when they met with the pastor they had to bring pay stubs.
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otjm
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I don’t think that occurs in any of what would be called the “mainline” churches, but may occur in some of the evangelical/fundamental churches. It for sure occurs in the LDS group. Yearly.I seem to remember hearing about families joining Protestant churches and when they met with the pastor they had to bring pay stubs.
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ConstantineTG
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I agree. In our archdiocese there is a fundraising program called Project Advance. Each parish is given a quota based no the number of parishioners they have registered. Any money above the quota goes back to the parish. Our parish is small and has about 300 families, and yet even with our total donations we give more than most other parishes with larger number of registered families. Even the participation percentage is huge. And you are not required to give a certain amount. Some people give thousands of dollars, others would be fifty dollars. Give what you can. But apparently many people don’t.
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ConstantineTG
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I heard that deductions are even made at the source. The money doesn’t even go to your bank account.I seem to remember hearing about families joining Protestant churches and when they met with the pastor they had to bring pay stubs.
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otjm
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jmcrae
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That’s a good point - and it may be tacky to talk about money, but if nobody knows that the parish is in trouble, they won’t take advantage of the opportunity to help out. But we should all be giving regularly, even if it’s just a small amount every week, to prevent the financial problems from occurring in the first place.
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paulp1002
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I’m recently coming back home to the Church and I was unaware that the financial talk was normal this time of year. I think what threw me off was how the Father approached the subject, I understand that money is never a easy thing to talk about; but he gave his 2 minute Homily, then said “that was my homily and now…” I agree what some one posted earlier, he could have addressed it differently. Maybe by finding a way to include it in the Homily or something, instead of it seeming like an attack.
I went to Church expecting a normal Mass because I was unaware that the financial talk was normal this time of year I thought it felt wrong that he was “attacking” the Parishiners for more money.
I understand that the Parish depends on the collection of it’s Parishiners. I believe that it is possible that people could give more, but I do like the fact that the Catholic Church does not require 10% of my monthly gross. My ex-wife was LDS and I remember her always deducting 10% of her pay every paycheck to pay tithing, no matter how much we were struggling financially. I remember getting a letter from the Bishopric at the end of the year with how much “we owe” and how much we gave. I never understood that me not giving 10% meant that I wasn’t a good enough person to participate in Church callings, Temple weddings etc… I felt like I was being punished. Luckily I found my way back home
I went to Church expecting a normal Mass because I was unaware that the financial talk was normal this time of year I thought it felt wrong that he was “attacking” the Parishiners for more money.
I understand that the Parish depends on the collection of it’s Parishiners. I believe that it is possible that people could give more, but I do like the fact that the Catholic Church does not require 10% of my monthly gross. My ex-wife was LDS and I remember her always deducting 10% of her pay every paycheck to pay tithing, no matter how much we were struggling financially. I remember getting a letter from the Bishopric at the end of the year with how much “we owe” and how much we gave. I never understood that me not giving 10% meant that I wasn’t a good enough person to participate in Church callings, Temple weddings etc… I felt like I was being punished. Luckily I found my way back home
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Cat
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I don’t get why people get uncomfortable with discussions of money.
One of the reasons I love the Catholic Church is that, unlike the evangelical Protestant churches that I grew up in, we don’t separate the spiritual and the corporal. E.g., the human body is of infinite value–it’s not just a temporary “shell” that houses our soul (which is basically what I was taught in the evangelical Protestant churches).
Money is not some kind of “profane” thing or meaningless material object that has no bearing on our Christian faith. Money is the way we exchange goods and services here in the U.S., and money is what God uses to keep our Church ministries going. The Bible has a lot to say about our money and spending, so it makes sense that the Church would say a lot. Christians need direction from the Church about our personal use of money and we need to be appraised of what our parish is doing and what they need.
Would you consider it profane if the priest made an announcement about bringing canned goods to the weekly donation box? Of course not–we would be glad to know about this opportunity to give to others. Same thing for money–we need to hear about the opportunity to do good right in our own parish.
Also, I agree that using the Mass to discuss the money issues of the parish is the most economic and efficient way to accomplish this necessary “family matter.” A mailed-out flier would cost a lot of money to mail–is this really the best use of the parish funds? And a special meeting would be a flop–no one would come, UNLESS the parish priest found some way to tie it in with going to heaven, and even then, a lot of people would skip it. In charity, I’ll admit that many people already have obligations scheduled during the week and can’t just drop these to be able to attend a financial meeting. Think of it this way–would YOU attend such a meeting? I probably wouldn’t–I would just trust that those in charge will fix things.
One of the reasons I love the Catholic Church is that, unlike the evangelical Protestant churches that I grew up in, we don’t separate the spiritual and the corporal. E.g., the human body is of infinite value–it’s not just a temporary “shell” that houses our soul (which is basically what I was taught in the evangelical Protestant churches).
Money is not some kind of “profane” thing or meaningless material object that has no bearing on our Christian faith. Money is the way we exchange goods and services here in the U.S., and money is what God uses to keep our Church ministries going. The Bible has a lot to say about our money and spending, so it makes sense that the Church would say a lot. Christians need direction from the Church about our personal use of money and we need to be appraised of what our parish is doing and what they need.
Would you consider it profane if the priest made an announcement about bringing canned goods to the weekly donation box? Of course not–we would be glad to know about this opportunity to give to others. Same thing for money–we need to hear about the opportunity to do good right in our own parish.
Also, I agree that using the Mass to discuss the money issues of the parish is the most economic and efficient way to accomplish this necessary “family matter.” A mailed-out flier would cost a lot of money to mail–is this really the best use of the parish funds? And a special meeting would be a flop–no one would come, UNLESS the parish priest found some way to tie it in with going to heaven, and even then, a lot of people would skip it. In charity, I’ll admit that many people already have obligations scheduled during the week and can’t just drop these to be able to attend a financial meeting. Think of it this way–would YOU attend such a meeting? I probably wouldn’t–I would just trust that those in charge will fix things.
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braidwood
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Dont have a problem with the priest discussing financial support for the parish during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Reminds me to consider afresh what sacrifices I am prepared to make to Jesus for what he did for me.
Reminds me to consider afresh what sacrifices I am prepared to make to Jesus for what he did for me.
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stormy99
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Cathryn
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As someone already pointed out, support of the Church is one of the Precepts of the Catholic Church for all of us. Old Testament tithing was required for the Jews, Jesus Christ in the New Covenant raised the bar. Sacrificial giving is more appropriate now. Think of the widow in the New Testament who gave her last penny. I pay my household bills online. For the last year or so, I started give my offering through my bank online. My bank sends a check every week to my parish.
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