restitution question

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angell1

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was given restitution to make after confession a while ago.

unfortunately the thing in question cannot be paid back directly so the priest said to donate to charity.

my question is, does giving to fundraisers count? you are technically getting something else for you money aren’t you? or should it be a strict donation?
 
angell1 said** : I "was given [as part of my Penance] restitution to make after confession a while ago.
…the priest said to donate to charity.
my question is, does giving to fundraisers count? … or should it be a strict donation? **

Well, right off of the Top, I would assume that a Donation … means what it says, which is, make a Donation to an actual Charity.

If I was the one, I would attempt to strictly comply with the Penance, as given by my Confessor.
Obviously you “Stole” money (in some way) … and in lieu of paying back the ENTITY that you stole from, the Confessor is giving you the opportunity to pay back that money to a non-Profit Company.
I would NOT be looking around for “technical” ways to Comply with my Restitution Sin forgiveness.

In addition, the way you wrote your Question, seems to leave room for you to “GIVE” to this Fundraiser, in a way that you might get Something Back (as in a Raffle, or some such thing).
THIS would REALLY be against what your Confessor gave you for Penance.

But, if you REALLY want to know, just contact your Confessor, and discover the REAL Answer.
 
I agree. Being told to give to a charity, means just that. Give to a charity. Which one might be up for question. There are several questions to think about. For one, don’t give to Planned Parenthood. That would be an obvious one. But ask yourself, does this charity support Catholic beliefs? Does this charity use most of it’s income in support of what they say they support? Some charities don’t give that much to what they say they support. I hate to admit it, but the US Humane society doesn’t do much for local shelters. So, find a shelter and give directly. That’s just an example, by the way. If in doubt, ask your priest.
 
angell1 said:
was given restitution to make after confession a while ago.

unfortunately the thing in question cannot be paid back directly so the priest said to donate to charity.

my question is, does giving to fundraisers count? you are technically getting something else for you money aren’t you? or should it be a strict donation?
Click to expand...
Why not just give to your parish?
 
Pietro Paolo said : "Why not just give to your parish?"

HUH?
A Church is NOT a Charity.
 
angell1 said:
was given restitution to make after confession a while ago.

unfortunately the thing in question cannot be paid back directly so the priest said to donate to charity.

my question is, does giving to fundraisers count? you are technically getting something else for you money aren’t you? or should it be a strict donation?
Click to expand...
i would suppose that would depend on what the fundraiser was for. Many funraisers are for charities or for non-profit or civic groups. I mean a fundraiser to buy a coffeemaker for your office is not the same thing as a fundraiser for a cancer charity or a family who had a house fire.

Use your judgment and don’t be scrupulous.
 
Pietro Paolo said :** “ACTUALLY the CHURCH is the BIGGEST charity in the WORLD.”**

Garbage.

It seems like you are trying to lead the OP into violating her Penance.
 
4love2God said:
Pietro Paolo said :** “ACTUALLY the CHURCH is the BIGGEST charity in the WORLD.”**

Garbage.

It seems like you are trying to lead the OP into violating her Penance.
Click to expand...
How do you define a “charity” that the Church wouldn’t count as one?
 
I think a fundraiser could be a charity, but it depends on what the fundraiser is for. Is there a real need there. If the fundraiser was for high school students to go to a foreign country and help out in a disaster area, I would consider that charity. If it was a fundraiser for students to go on a trip to New York, I would consider that more of a want than a real need, not charity. If you want to be safe, especially since this is for your penance, just donate the money to Catholic Relief Services. They are the charity branch of the Church, at least in the USA. The Church itself does do charity, but a larger portion of your money will go to charity if you donate to CRS instead of a diocese or single church location.
 
Type in “Catholic” at charitynavigator.org and see what comes up.

I would take Jared2914’s (name removed by moderator)ut over saying you’re trying to do an end run around a penance.

My only addition would be to not to claim the donation on your taxes, as although it would be perfectly legal, it would not be ethical as you are making a restitution.

My old parish had a Pastor’s Fund that was used to help parishioners in charitable fashion. At the priest’s discretion, the fund would help a family with mortgage, rebuilding after a fire/flood, groceries, medical bills, etc. You may want to ask your parish secretary if there us one at yours parish. If not, call around. It’s not universal, but it’s possible.

I apologize if you’ve felt there was a contentious, judgmental tone on this thread. It has been my experience that the majority of CAF-ers would never never intentionally portray themselves, fellow Catholics, or any participant on CAF in that manner.
 
Miserissima said:
Type in “Catholic” at charitynavigator.org and see what comes up.

I would take Jared2914’s (name removed by moderator)ut over saying you’re trying to do an end run around a penance.

My only addition would be to not to claim the donation on your taxes, as although it would be perfectly legal, it would not be ethical as you are making a restitution.

My old parish had a Pastor’s Fund that was used to help parishioners in charitable fashion. At the priest’s discretion, the fund would help a family with mortgage, rebuilding after a fire/flood, groceries, medical bills, etc. You may want to ask your parish secretary if there us one at yours parish. If not, call around. It’s not universal, but it’s possible.

I apologize if you’ve felt there was a contentious, judgmental tone on this thread. It has been my experience that the majority of CAF-ers would never never intentionally portray themselves, fellow Catholics, or any participant on CAF in that manner.
Click to expand...
thank you, it is appreciated

i definitely was not trying to find ways to get out of it, i just wanted to make sure i was doing it properly. all suggestions have been helpful. there is a donation page on the archdiocese website; only problem is, i don’t have a credit card. but i’m sure i can just write a check or something
 
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