O
OldCAFMember
Guest
I foresee great difficulty ahead with this thread.
What does it take to get the Catholic church to pay for repairs to a church
- Status
C
Cor_ad_Cor
Guest
Does he know this or assume this? Many people assume the local Catholic Church has a lot of money, and they’re in error.
Church properties are not the property of the universal, worldwide Catholic Church. At best, they’re the property of the bishop/diocese or the parish themselves, and have to maintain those properties from parish and diocesan funds. In some cases (e.g., France), that may not even be true — Notre Dame, for instance, is government property.
This doesn’t mean we can’t help each other, but there’s no automatic entitlement or support debt that should be assumed.
Last edited:
A
acanonlawyer
Guest
It does not need permission to make “any” changes but if any financial transaction is in excess of a certain amount (which varies from place to place), then permission is needed. Also, the diocesan authorities are tasked with general oversight of entities “under” them, in terms of finances.
Besides the financial aspects, there also may be architectural “rules” that each parish has to follow. In the USA, for example, there is the “Built of Living Stones” document that bishops can use as a guideline for their own diocesan law.
Dan
V
Vico
Guest
That is a very good directory document, thank you for the correction.
T
TheLittleLady
Guest
That is why, in the US, Parishes have insurance policies.
I
Irishmom2
Guest
Exactly. I wonder if the parish in the OP has no insurance?
P
phil19034
Guest
What do you mean by “What does it take to get the Catholic church to pay for repairs to a church”?
Church construction and repair are (and always have been) the responsibility of the local parish. Unlike popular opinion, the Church does NOT pull money together and share it across the parishes.
The “tax” the dioceses receives doesn’t work that way. The parishes give the diocese only enough money to handle diocesan projects and initiatives. In other words, the vast majority of wealth the Catholic Church has belongs to the individual parishes.
For thousands of years, poor parishes were able to build beautiful Churches because the parishioners took upon themselves to do the construction themselves (in other words, everything was DIY)
Today, for a number of unfortunately reason, parishes tend to hire companies to perform the work instead of seeking volunteers to perform the work.
But Churches have also ALWAYS relied upon donations & volunteers to build and repair Churches. That’s how (for example) St. Peter’s in Rome was built and rebuilt. That’s also why there are so many grand Cathedrals which took decades or even centuries to finish building. The depended on donations & volunteers.
If a parish doesn’t have donations and/or volunteers; repairs are not going to happen if insurance doesn’t cover costs.
Church construction and repair are (and always have been) the responsibility of the local parish. Unlike popular opinion, the Church does NOT pull money together and share it across the parishes.
The “tax” the dioceses receives doesn’t work that way. The parishes give the diocese only enough money to handle diocesan projects and initiatives. In other words, the vast majority of wealth the Catholic Church has belongs to the individual parishes.
For thousands of years, poor parishes were able to build beautiful Churches because the parishioners took upon themselves to do the construction themselves (in other words, everything was DIY)
Today, for a number of unfortunately reason, parishes tend to hire companies to perform the work instead of seeking volunteers to perform the work.
But Churches have also ALWAYS relied upon donations & volunteers to build and repair Churches. That’s how (for example) St. Peter’s in Rome was built and rebuilt. That’s also why there are so many grand Cathedrals which took decades or even centuries to finish building. The depended on donations & volunteers.
If a parish doesn’t have donations and/or volunteers; repairs are not going to happen if insurance doesn’t cover costs.
M
Maximian
Guest
Is it a church with a heritage value? If so why not submit it to Europa Nostra for its annual “Seven Most Endangered” programme. The deadline is quite soon. It’s a good way to draw funds in.
K
Karen
Guest
The easiest way would be to donate to the fundraiser they have posted. If you need a mailing address to send a check instead of donating online, I can write back to the person holding the fundraiser and get it for you. Here is the link to the fundraiser. Fundraiser by Angela O Floinn : 300km in 30 days Charity Run for Church Roof
K
Karen
Guest
I hope I did not offend you by asking. I was not raised with religion and when I have read about religions I never was interested in the financial aspects. I visited Inis Mean several years ago and I saw they had a need. It would not have mattered to me if there need was related to religion or anything else. I am just trying to find out how to help out.
P
phil19034
Guest
No offense was taken. I was just trying to be a precise as possible.
As asked you to clarify what you meant because SOME people incorrectly think all money goes to the Vatican or to the Bishop to distribute money. But that’s not what happens.
- Status