Religious Ed used to fund parish?

[TAS2000]

Here’s the situation. Our parish works closely w/another about 2mi. away that has a Catholic school. Many of our parish kids go there, and the CYE (confirmation) classes are combined. I just found out that the kids are required to complete three fundraisers (a pizza sale, kringle sale , and one other I can’t think of) in order to be confirmed. If the students do not sell their required amount, they must pay the difference (like $50). This is supposed to “teach” them stewardship somehow. While I find this practice doubtful enough, it gets worse. Apparently, the class last year raised around $7,000. The DRE can only account for about $2-3000 that is actually spent on the Religious Ed program. This was reported back to our Parish Council through our Christian Formation committee. Our parish has never been successful in getting any kind of financial records or reports from this other parish. (We also pay for our students attending their school, and share the cost of the DRE’s salary.) And yes, one young adult from our parish was almost denied confirmation last year because he refused to do the fundraisers. (A personal donation was made on his behalf by someone who wanted him confirmed.) I am looking for comments or direction on what should be done here. We really want to know where this money is going, and feel we have a right to know, even though it is technically the “books” for another parish. Some more background- this other parish currently does not have a permanent pastor, and we are supposed to be in the planning process for a possible future merger, or at least serious collaboration (including combining our parish councils), but they are dragging their feet with the process.

Any ideas?

 

[loyola_rambler]

In all my years on parish councils, I’ve never seen anything so blatantly bogus. The real place to start, since there is no permanent pastor, is with your diocese. There needs to be an audit of the program to determine what’s actually happened to the money and a clarification that we do not force candidates for Confirmation to become door-to-door salesmen as a requirement for the sacrament.

Also ask your own parish priest for (name removed by moderator)ut and guidance. It needs to be a holistic effort to make a sensible plan to addressing this. With the amount of money being raised, there is also a responsibility to account for its expenditures. If they’re charging more than needed, then the obvious question is “WHY?”

 

[La_Chiara]

My guess is that the difference is going to the Catholic school which notoriously operate at a deficit (because tuitions do not cover it). Parishes with parochial schools subsidize the schools heavily from Mass offerings and people whose kids don’t go to the parochial schools get hot and bothered by that fact. If your parishes merge, there is going to be a lot more of that subsidizing going on. Indeed, I bet your parish already contributes significantly to that parochial school or perhaps getting the kids from your school to do fundraising was a way to raise more money. The diocese will hear your complaint and will investigate. But the diocese is probably not obligated to tell you where the money goes, it only needs to confirm that the money was properly accounted for. I suspect that this is not as scandalous as you might think but rather is something that might not be advisable but not prohibited either.

 

[loyola_rambler]

There is a line drawn between Religious Ed and the operations of the schools that’s usually inviolatable. Because the kids in the Religious Ed program MUST raise this money, then under the current accounting practices handed down by the Church, that money must stay in the Religious Ed program. Further, since the kids involved are not all members of the parish, but rather it’s a combined program with another parish, then there is a reporting duty from parish A to parish B and the money has to be spent properly.

This is a big part of the current sex scandals. Monies from one organzation are not allowed to be shifted to another to cover deficiencies unless that intent is clearly disclosed before the money is raised. In this case, the kids aren’t being told where the money is going and it’s not being used on their program. So it’s already crossed the line and someone has to either refund the money to the kids or drop the “mandatory donations”.

 

[TAS2000]

The other parish does have a temporary priest assigned at the moment, but I understand that he is having a hard time getting acceptance. He has only been there for about 2-3 months. As we are supposed to be collaborating, I don’t want to jump right to worst case and involve the diocese. Our Pastor is well aware of the problem (now), but as often happens in our council meetings, things get discussed at length, and then we move on to the next topic without making any specific plans or assigning specific tasks. You know- somebody will look into it, but no one does, because everyone thought some else would do it…:banghead:

So should our council request an accounting from their council or should we have the priests talk to each other, or copy the diocese on any requests? Who would we copy at the diocese anyway?

:twocents: Just my ranting here- I have serious doubts about these guys ability to account for any money, as anytime in the collaboration talks that we ask about how they fund any of their programs we always get vague answers of the caliber “we just find the money somewhere”, or worse “we’ve never had a problem, we always get what we need”. I understand that their parish has been in the red for two years now, and I believe that the diocese won’t let that go too much longer without asking for a full accounting.

 

[puzzleannie]

they are violating every kind of rule for financial accountability and when their parish gets audited, heads will roll. If you have some heads you would like to get rid of now, make a detailed report, with facts and figures and be accurate and specific, to the chancery. The rules for fundraisers are extremely strict, and the rules for financial accountability by DREs and school principals even stricter.

Youth ministry of every type is notorious for abuses of good financial practices, and is the reason why so many worthwhile activities are banned, because some YM or DRE did not have their act together. I should know, just look at this bottle of exedrin on my desk.

Training in stewardship for Confirmation should be based on service of time and talent, recorded in a journal for reflection, and on requiring Mass attendance and offering envelopes which go into the regular parish collection along with proper catechesis on the rights and duties of the confirmed.

Denial of the sacraments on the basis of a financial contribution of any type is a very grave offense against canon law and must be reported immediately. Donations for sacraments, to cover the incidental expenses of certificates, candles, use of church etc. are routine, are usually nominal, and are voluntary donations, and should never be called “sacramental fees”.

 

[TAS2000]

Well, the problem is we just don’t know where the money is going. It could be sitting in a fund labeled “Religious Ed” somewhere not being touched, just like it should. We have no idea. So how do we get them to show us their books?

I never thought about the canon law aspect. I am not sure how they try to justify this fundraising thing as a requirement for sacremental prep. Who would one report something like this to, and would it matter that it was last year? And the guy did get confirmed, he was just threatened with the consequence. The kids do have to earn service hours too. How can that be different from requiring money? Maybe the justification is something like, the hours spent doing the fundraising are service hours, and the money required represnets an honest effort on their part to do the work? I’m not sure. I find the whole thing very fishy, to say the least. I am considering joining the Christain Formation commitee, even though I am already over extended, just so I can be present at these meetings and speak up.