Should we have assumed?

[thabelsangelmommy]

So, we’ve been attending the Catholic parish and have been in rcia for about two months. For the past several weeks, they have announced the Thanksgiving dinner and signing up to bring items. There was never any mention of a cost, and we assumed it was free. Well, we showed up today, and there was a cost of $14 per person! That’s huge for our family, as my husband had to leave his job as a senior pastor of a Protestant church in order for us to become Catholic, and this is more than we have ever spent per kid to take our kids to eat. We didn’t stay.

My question is: was this just a lack of communication at our local parish or is it customary for this type of event to have a cost? Should we just assume that parish events usually have a cost?

I was really disappointed because we’ve been looking forward to a community building type event. It’s been hard to make friends so far, and i hoped to talk to people.

 

[Lee1]

Sounds like a lack of communication. We have a dinner now and then and they are not free.

 

[Mtatum1958]

Sounds like incomplete or lack of communication if it wasn’t announced or printed in a bulletin. We have picnics, pot lucks, and dinners like you mentioned. The cost is usually spelled out; if the parish is supplying a main course, that is announced with a request of what attendees should bring.

 

[Dlee]

Sorry this happened to you. The cost should have been part of the sign-up procedure. Our parish has breakfasts, etc. and there is always an individual price and then a price for families of 5 or such. Also, children prices. In the spirit of love, it’s a shame they let you walk away.

 

[thabelsangelmommy]

We left before we got to the front of the line, so no one was rude or anything. Thank you though.

 

[thabelsangelmommy]

It sounds as though we should assume that most of these dinners cost money, unless stated otherwise. In the Protestant world, it was the opposite. We’ll keep it in mind. Thanks everyone.