Why do we have to pay for everything?

[Loud-living-dogma]

Part of me wonders the same thing as the OP: if I want a Mass said for someone, it costs money, does it not? How is that not buying prayers? Especially if the priest is going to celebrate 9:30 am Mass anyway – it’s not even like he’s taking extra time or anything for the intention, right?

 

[Babaganoush]

Not as much as people think. What you give at church isn’t funneled to the Vatican. Most of the Vatican’s wealth is in art, which only has a monetary value because secular society places a monetary value on art rather than a spiritual value. What they bring in goes out whether for upkeep or for feeding the poor or for other things.

 

[Lane]

It is buying prayers, masses aren’t free and they won’t give them for free

 

[halogirl]

Not true (at least in the UK). You have an envelope to put your request in and a space to fill out your optional donation

 

[1ke]

But I have some “issues” with having to pay for things like masses, candles, mothers day and fathers day mass cards.

You don’t pay for masses. You offer a stipend to the priest for the mass intention, which is part of his wages and is in consideration for the service he is doing for you. Stipends for mass intentions are customary, but not mandatory.

As for candles and cards, those are items that cost the church money to procure. I’m not sure why you would have a problem paying for a candle or a card, after all they aren’t free. The church has purchased them and made them available to you. If you want one, you pay for it. If you don’t want one, don’t buy one.

It’s not like the catholic church is running low on funds .Lol.

Lane, you don’t seem to be very well educated on the local, national, or universal church when it comes to the funds they have and how they use them.

I suggest you talk to your local pastor and review the parish budget. Most run a deficit. Ours breaks even.

The mass stipend money doesn’t go to the parish, it goes to the priest as part of wages.

 

[Peeps]

my church hardly does anything

Really?

If I were you, I would check out your church bulletin (which, by the way, is “something”–a bulletin is a useful way for people who don’t use a lot of online media to check out what’s happening in the parish during the week).

I’ll bet the bulletin is filled with activities and opportunities for service, although maybe not so much in the summer time. Choir, Bible studies, missionary projects with funding and volunteer needs, religious education for the kidlets, RCIA for the adults, youth group activities and projects, volunteer opportunities (e.g., our parish does several gardening days per year to get the church yard in shape, clear weeds, plant new flowers, etc.), MOMS (a group for mothers of pre-schoolers), Altar and Rosary Society, Theology on Tap, upcoming pilgrimages to shrines in your area of the country, the parish mission, pro-life activities, women’s group activities, men’s group activities, the parish golf outing, the parish picnic, the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfasts, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, various charitable needs (e.g., a family that has lost their home to a fire), etc. etc…

All these things cost some money.

 

[Babaganoush]

You should look at their budget and see how they spend the money.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

You don’t “have to pay” for them. In fact we never “pay for” a Mass. The Mass stipend is a contribution, a gift, not “payment for a Mass”.

If you need a Mass said, you can request one and tell them you don’t have the money for it and it should still be said for you.
You can also attend Mass yourself and offer the Mass you attend, FOR FREE, any time.

As for cards and candles, it makes sense that you have to pay a little money for the physical item. Cards and candles have to be manufactured and purchased. You don’t just get them for free.

There are also about 1 million forms of prayer you yourself can do, from Rosaries, to asking for a prayer intention to be included with the parish intentions (My parishes have little note cards you fill out for this and they sit on the altar at one place all year), to adding your intention mentally during the General Intercessions, to asking the priest to pray for you when you see him at church, to going to Adoration, etc. that COST NOTHING…you could even start a prayer thread right on here for free.

So, I don’t think you have grounds to complain.

 

[Dougbro1]

masses aren’t free and they won’t give them for free

Not necessarily. On the occasion no one puts money in the collection basket on Sunday, it’s not like the priest would stop the mass right there. As for other, optional masses, it is customary to give the parish priest a stipend, on the principles that the laborer is worth his hire (Luke 10:7) and that those who preside at the altar share the altar’s offerings (1 Cor. 9:13–14).

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Really? The Vatican has money.

Seriously Lane, please educate yourself a little bit more on how parishes support themselves and don’t post such silly things.

 

[kainosktisis]

I don’t know it just seems odd to pay a third party to get through to God.

I don’t view the Church as a 3rd party.

Christ established the New Covenant. What is a covenant?

A covenant is not a contract, which is an exchange of goods. A covenant is an oath that binds people to one another. In coming into the Church, we become members - spiritually adopted sons & daughters of God - thereby becoming part of God’s household - His family. (I still can’t wrap my head around that one - that God would love me so much (& you - & my other brothers & sisters) as to unite me (us) to Himself to make me (us) a member(s) of His family…It’s just so far above me…)

A heavenly family - like an earthly one - has basic needs that have to be tended to. All of these cost money. The members of the family share in the costs for the family in one way or another. They live to glorify God & edify the Church in accordance with the spiritual gifts were given.

I wanted to add that prayer is our way of being connected to God & our heavenly family. It transcends time, space, & matter. Anyone can do it. It’s free.

 

[whatistrue]

much could utilities be

That’s what I asked you. If you don’t know how much it actually takes to run the place then you have no standing to claim that money is being wasted or anything else.

Totally aside from the fact that utilities aren’t completely turned off when mass isn’t being said, nor should they be.

 

[Dougbro1]

brain wash people

I fail to see how.
“ Brainwashing means the inhuman methods that are used in totalitarian regimes to influence people and change their personalities.” - Cardinal Schonborn

 

[1ke]

It is buying prayers, masses aren’t free and they won’t give them for free

The mass offering is twofold:

one, it is part of the priest’s compensation
and two, it is a sacrificial offering on your part for the intention you have asked to be placed at the altar.

We no longer bring goats and chickens to church as an offering of praise and thanksgiving. In the 21st century, it is money.

Per canon law, a mass offering is optional, but customary, and the amount is set by the ecclesial province. Where i live that is $10.

Canons 946-951 govern mass offerings.

 

[Dougbro1]

“If you don’t give me money to pray your dead family is going to hell”

That’s not true. Masses are offered for those in Purgatory, not those who died and are on their way to Hell. Purgatory ultimately leads to Heaven. And stipends are actually optional, by the way. Customary, but optional.

 

[1ke]

“If you don’t give me money to pray your dead family is going to hell”

The Church doesn’t teach this and mass offerings have no bearing on the eternal destination of one’s soul.

I would suggest studying the treasury of merit vis-a-vis those from whom we offer prayer.

Whatever

Lane, are you a teenager? Your knowledge of the church and her teachings seems to be quite lacking.

 

[1ke]

how much could utilities be ?

Well, where we live, we use between 6,000 and 8,000 gallons of propane per winter heating season. You don’t heat buildings only when people are in them. You must maintain temperatures to prevent damage, pipes bursting, etc.

Our property and casualty/liability insurance is close to $10,000 a year.

There are many expenses involved in running a church campus, whether large or small. Our parish has under 80 families and we are in a rural area.

I suggest you talk to your pastor and ask for a budget if you aren’t sure how parish finances are spent. There are financial statements prepared every year.

 

[1ke]

NO, it is not paying for the mass. It is a voluntary offering on your part to have the priest say a special intention for you.

You can go to mass and pray for any intention want to, freely. You can go to mass, there is no charge for mass.

If you want the priest to offer the mass for your intention, it is customary to provide an offering to him. It is not obligatory.

 

[Loud-living-dogma]

Lane:

“If you don’t give me money to pray your dead family is going to hell”

That’s not true. Masses are offered for those in Purgatory, not those who died and are on their way to Hell. Purgatory ultimately leads to Heaven. And stipends are actually optional, by the way. Customary, but optional.

I can’t help but think that this seems like a customary exchange of money for prayers…

 

[Lane]

Thank you !