Should Churches Charge for Religious Education?

[whichwaytogo47]

In my area, it’s usually $500 to $700 for the ceremony depending on if there’s an organist for the Catholic Church and $200 to $275 for the marriage prep. Since every place charges for the ceremony (often over $1,000), I think it’s certainly reasonable for the church to charge unless of course by charging you are making it difficult for someone to complete the sacrament. I also think it’s okay to charge for the confirmation retreat, but I definitely think there should be a day-trip option.

For us, it was just $595 because one person refused compensation (otherwise, it would have still only been $645 or $845 total).

 

[whichwaytogo47]

Part of it also depends, unfortunately, on when the Church was built. If it was built in the 2000s era, the costs of the infrastructure is so much higher even in areas with the same cost of living.

If the church was built in the 1940s, as my childhood church was, the cost of attending CCD is much lower as the only cost is the utilities and books and directors salary if applicable. I looked it up and it was only $50 per child. That’s because they don’t have a mortgage to pay and the general costs for everything were lower. They may not have had HVAC systems thus no air conditioning. So it does depend on many factors. There’s a church that has a higher cost of living (40% higher) but is the same cost because the Catholic school was built in the 1950s and there’s not a separate fee for first communion and confirmation and there’s a very hefty discount on the 2nd (only $175) and 3+ children ($200). That seems really reasonable.

But I can see why a church may prefer to suggest $100 + a $250 fee for confirmation rather than to simply suggest $140/yr and require attendance so as to factor in the cost of the sacraments in with their tuition.

 

[Joe_5859]

I understand your feelings. I’m in charge of our parish religious education/faith formation/CCD/PSR/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. I would rather not charge people, particularly the extra charges for sacrament years.

Clare is right, of course, that the parish isn’t charging for the sacraments but just for the materials and program. Nonetheless, I understand how it can give the appearance of charging for the sacraments. I am very deliberate with my language. Nowhere do I ever call it a “Confirmation fee” or a “1st Communion fee.” Rather, it is a “photo/retreat fee”. And I itemize how much of the fee goes towards which thing. Even so, I know a lot of the parents aren’t really sensitive to that and will just say “How much do I owe you for the Confirmation fee?” and then write a check without batting an eye. But I know there are parents (like me) who are more sensitive to coming across as “charging” for the sacrament. I want to avoid giving that impression in any way that I can.

In my ideal world, the Church wouldn’t charge for anything. Catholics would give generously to their parish and everything would be covered. The youth group wants to go to a Steubenville Youth Conference? The parish has it covered. Faith formation? No charge. You want to send your kid to Catholic school? It’s completely free!

However, this is necessarily predicated on the “Catholics giving generously.” The fact is, Catholics (on average) are pretty abysmal when it comes to supporting the Church. On average (at least in the U.S.), Catholics give something around 1% or less of their income. Just think of what the Church could do if we increased it even to 2%.

So, we end up charging for some things. Note, I have never yet met a priest or DRE who won’t waive the fee in cases of need. I tell everyone that scholarships are always available for families to whom the fee is a hardship. And I’ve never turned down a scholarship application.

For the most part, though, religious education is generally a lot less expensive than other children’s activities. Think of how much parents pay for piano lessons, gymnastics, sports, etc. Not that the Church wants to nickel and dime parents or milk them for all the can. But it does cost money to run a program. And that money has to come from somewhere.

 

[whichwaytogo47]

What an incredible posts! It’s thoughtful and I appreciate your sensitivity. Sometimes I get so analytical that I forget what is practical.

I think a lot of the reason why people don’t give is that they don’t trust in God’s providence or they don’t adjust their budget to reflect their giving. In my ideal world, the average family would be able to give 2-5% off the top or 10% of the net to charity and alter their budget to reflect their new resources. And if a family is struggling to be able to give this much, they may have a budgeting, communication, debt, or income issue(s).

For the most part, though, religious education is generally a lot less expensive than other children’s activities. Think of how much parents pay for piano lessons, gymnastics, sports, etc. Not that the Church wants to nickel and dime parents or milk them for all the can. But it does cost money to run a program. And that money has to come from somewhere.

You’re so correct. You might argue what a person like me does with a $68,400 salary, but I couldn’t afford those activities for my kids, except maybe for some intramural activities if they’re a nominal fee, like CCD classes are.

Again thanks so much. Many hugs for your polite reply.