Weekly Donations

[JimTobin]

This flyer was published by the KofC as a guide to confession. My concern is with the total lack of accountability I have witnessed in several parishes I have belonged to. To see monies going to pay for corrupt clergy is senseless. The only way to get the attention Bishops is the collection box. My pastor has bent more sermons on fund raising then he has on Gospel principles. I never hear about the evils of abortion, homosexuality, etc.

 

[angel12]

Those who CAN. Not all are able to contribute financially, and they should not be made to feel bad for that.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

This flyer was published by the KofC as a guide to confession.

So did the Bishop even have anything to do with this other than letting them publish it, or was this written by some guy in the K of C?

And if you’ve decided you don’t want to give money because of “corrupt clergy”, are you giving in some other way instead?
Donating to the Catholic food bank?
Buying pizza for the youth group?
Volunteering to help clean the church or lead a Bible study group?

So far all we’re hearing on here is all the stuff you don’t want to do. The precepts of the Church require you to “Contribute” in some way, so what are you doing instead?

Also, if you don’t like your priest’s homilies, have you tried some other parishes that you might like better?

I’m sorry but all of your posts are just coming off as very whiny and not like somebody who is thoughtfully trying to find a way to support the Church without feeding corruption.

 

[IdaCatholic]

Again, please provide the wording and context. Why wont you do that!?

 

[angel12]

I just wanted to clarify, because your post specifically said “financially.”

 

[JimTobin]

I must not have made my question specific. I am questioning the giving of money to the Church so that then can pay off their sins of immorality. I am not questioning the giving of time or providing services in the Church. The Church has tooooo long resisted lay oversite in the finances of the Church. I have witnessed many inappropriate use of funds. The lavish lifestyle of priests and Bishops is appalling. All the while schools are closing. I drive by my Catholic Elementary School and tear up at the rem-shackled abandoned building it is now. I tire of hearing about the abuse nuns metted out to their charges. I attended eight years of Catholic school and found out by experience the significant difference in the education of Catholic versus Public Schools.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

We’ve already had quite a few threads on this. Some Catholics (some of them have posted in this thread) agree with the idea of not giving money. They usually give something else instead, such as volunteering or giving that money to some charity. So if you want to do that, fine. Not everybody is going to agree with you, some of us still give money to the Church, recognizing that our parish has to keep the utilities turned on and fix the roof, etc.

Your personal thoughts on giving your money or not giving your money is a bit of a different topic from the original post which suggested that a bishop had told his flock it was a mortal sin to not contribute. Then later you said it was the K of C who said that. And there’s a lot of background missing.

If this thread is really about what you think about giving money to the Church, then you’re entitled to your opinion. I’m not really interested in arguing that and can’t say that I care. Also if you think priests are living a “lavish lifestyle” you and I obviously aren’t hanging out with the same priests.

 

[TheLittleLady]

The Church has tooooo long resisted lay oversite in the finances of the Church.

While there are unscrupulous people who bend and break rules, these are the exception.

Canon 537 requires a finance council in every parish, all around the world, big or small, rich or poor.

Canon Law and Parish Councils

Q1: Can a parish council ever vote to overrule a decision made by the pastor of the parish? If not, then what’s the point of having a parish council in the first place? –Stephanie Q2: Is it obliga…

canonlawmadeeasy.com

The USCCB provides a guide for Dioceses

https://www.usccb.org/about/financial-reporting/upload/Diocesan-Financial-Issues-Manual.pdf

And your Diocese has further guidelines for the parish.

The lavish lifestyle of priests and Bishops is appalling.

My bishop drives a little car, lives in an apartment. The priests I know drive used cars, my own pastor’s car is so old it does not even have a “remote lock” or GPS. The rectory is far from lavish.

Times I know when priests have nicer cars or rectories, these have been gifts from wealthy parishioners.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Times I know when priests have nicer cars or rectories, these have been gifts from wealthy parishioners.

I know of one priest who was able to go on a pilgrimage trip last year because an elderly parishioner who is friendly with him paid his way. If not for that, he couldn’t have gone.

The handful of priests I know who have stuff like a condominium or house of their own to retire to generally had money in their family and received some via inheritance.

 

[Convert3]

The handful of priests I know who have stuff like a condominium or house of their own to retire to generally had money in their family and received some via inheritance.

This is the case of one of our priests. He has a nice beach house on the beach in a nice part of New Jersey. He inherited from his father and rents it just enough to pay for its taxes. He lets other priests use it on their vacation days too.

 

[Horton]

The lavish lifestyle of priests and Bishops is appalling.

What is a “lavish lifestyle” to you? In our parish, our priests live in a beautiful historic home in the historic neighborhood where our 100+ year old church stands. The home is simple inside and while beautiful, it’s beauty is because of it’s history, not because the priests have filled it with lavish furniture and belongings. If this house was not part of the parish, I’m positive there would be a far simpler house for the rectory. Of course the house’s only costs are utilities and routine maintenance.

Our priests both drive simple vehicles they have purchased on their own from their salaries, just like you & I do.

I have yet to see a priest live a lavish lifestyle.

 

[IdaCatholic]

JimTobin:

The lavish lifestyle of priests and Bishops is appalling.

I have yet to see a priest live a lavish lifestyle.

I have a few college campuses tor you to visit.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I have a few college campuses tor you to visit.

The priest who runs the Newman Center at the state college near me lives in the modest parish rectory a mile up the road with three other priests (one’s retired “in residence”), and helps out with Masses there on the weekends.

 

[Zach]

If nobody gave money because some priests live in luxury or because some of the money wasn’t used honestly or morally then the Churches would cease to exist. They couldn’t support the staff or pay the bills.

 

[IdaCatholic]

If nobody gave money because some priests live in luxury or because some of the money wasn’t used honestly or morally then the Churches would cease to exist. They couldn’t support the staff or pay the bills.

I think this is false. The Church when at it most poor, it’s most persecuted is when it was the strongest. Somehow this contradiction to the way of the world is the essence of God. It is echoed in the King who was born in a stable, and died on a Cross. It is echoed in the missionary priests to the new world, and the saints of the poor. Our lady’s apparitions that converted millions. How rich was the Church in it’s first 300 years? And that is arguably it’s most prolific.

It is a backwards model to think we support the staff of the Church or pay the bills. The staff supports the Church, the bills are paid in souls.

 

[signit]

If nobody gave money because some priests live in luxury or because some of the money wasn’t used honestly or morally then the Churches would cease to exist. They couldn’t support the staff or pay the bills.

That’s right.

That’s why I do it.

I posted a few years ago that I didn’t agree with the Church using money to fund anti-gay ballot questions. Not trying to start a gay rights battle here but I think that should be secondary to supporting our priests and feeding the poor.

But I still give. Giving to other charities isn’t going to help my Church.

 

[angel12]

The lavish lifestyle of priests and Bishops is appalling.

You are making a massive over-statement and over-generalization here. Neither my bishop, nor any of the many priests I know, live anything close to a “lavish lifestyle.” That’s a terrible insult to the majority of our priests and bishops.

 

[Zach]

I understand what you’re saying. But even in the earliest days the Church needed financial support. Look at Paul’s collections during his journeys to support the struggling Jerusalem Church. I’m not talking about supporting a rich lifestyle. It’s more supporting basic functions. Parishes have and are shutting down or consolidating because of insufficient funds.

 

[IdaCatholic]

I don’t think anyone argues against the support of the Church From bread for consecration to water for baptism. But the idea that the Church disappears without donations is ludicrous. The Church thrives in the poorest areas,
Perhaps more than the wealthiest.

My parish in the northwest has AC. It is much appreciated. The parish is a spiritual desert.

A parish I used to belong to in a different area was hot in the summer. And humid. It had no AC and in the summer the latest Mass was held at 930 AM because if it were any later it would be unbearable. AC for the building is upwards of a million dollars. They wan’t it. It won’t happen. But that parish was an oasis of faith. A huge community of families who were incredibly faithful and vibrant.

 

[1ke]

This flyer was published by the KofC as a guide to confession.

Ah ha! So NOT a letter from your bishop at all. A private publication of the Knights of Columbus. (Although not inaccurate).

My concern is with the total lack of accountability I have witnessed in several parishes I have belonged to.

Canon law and diocesan law governs the financial stewardship of parishes. If you have factual information related to mismanagement of funds, contact your diocesan office.

To see monies going to pay for corrupt clergy is senseless.

This isn’t factual information, it’s a vague accusation without any facts to support it.

The only way to get the attention Bishops is the collection box

Or, you know, contacting him.

My pastor has bent more sermons on fund raising then he has on Gospel principles. I never hear about the evils of abortion, homosexuality, etc.

Perhaps you should talk directly to your pastor rather than posting here.