Woman keeps trying to steal from weekly collection!

[markadm]

Though I am not saying this in my professional capacity, I believe it would be opportune to have the authorities involved. Whilst this woman may be mentally disturbed, the only way to find this out and to therefore get her the help required is to get the police etc involved. Equally if there are no mitigating circumstances, then justice must be done. My 2c.

 

[kage_ar]

Engage one of the ushers or servers to stay with the collection until it is under lock and key.

 

[crenfro]

There is a woman that continually tries to steal money from our weekly collection. The pastor knows who she is, and we all do all we can to keep the money away from the woman. But what can we do that might make her stop trying to steal from us? She goes into the sacristy and disrupts the sanctuary in between masses and it’s disrespectful to the pastor, and God. I was wondering what might make a person steal from a church

If the pastor knows who she is, perhaps he could talk to her and address why she is taking the money and then help rectify the underlying problem.

Perhaps this sounds un-Christian, but after talking with the woman and if there is no change in behavior after the underlying behavior is addressed and rectified, call in the law, and provide several witnesses. Stealing is a crime.

This disruption of the Mass should NOT be tolerated. Are you sure everyone’s doing everything they can? Perhaps a board meeting needs to be called to decide on possible solutions that everyone in the parish can agree on?

No idea what could make a person steal from a church. Perhaps if the parish and the law worked together on this problem a solution could be found. And pray.

 

[TAS2000]

In our church the sacristy is in the back, and it would be very easy for anyone to walk in there during mass if the door was not locked. And often it isn’t locked in case someone has to run back there and get something (extra hosts, the key to the tabernacle that no one noticed was missing until the middle of mass…), adjust the lighting, or sound system, as all those things are also in that room. Not the greatest system I admit.

As for the cash, I don’t believe there is anything stating that the cash needs to be taken up at all, just the bread and wine. So one solution might be to just have the ushers gather the offering and immediately take it and lock it up somewhere. Then it isn’t sitting around at all.

 

[lizaanne]

As for the cash, I don’t believe there is anything stating that the cash needs to be taken up at all, just the bread and wine. So one solution might be to just have the ushers gather the offering and immediately take it and lock it up somewhere. Then it isn’t sitting around at all.

At our parish this is what we do. The ushers bring their little baskets to the front, an altar boy holds a fabric bag open for them to dump the contents in, and then the bag is immediately taken to the sacristy which is a locked room - I believe the priest may acknowledge it first, I can’t remember exactly. There is no reason to have a basket of cash sitting in the sanctuary - that is just inviting trouble if you ask me (especially given the location of our parish!!). IIRC, that is a new thing anyway - I don’t remember the basket of cash always being at the altar.

As for the lady in question - I say get the police involved. Even if she does need medical help, it’s not good that she is doing this in such a way that others might be able to see how easy it is to have sticky fingers at your parish.

~Liza

 

[LittleMother]

every church I ever attended or worked in has the outside door locked, and the only other entrance to the sacristy is from the altar, and it would be very obvious if anyone other than priest, servers, ministers etc. entered. that door is also usually locked between Masses.

If it’s the chapel of a cathedral it would be different. At our cathedral the sacristy is off the front left of the main church, but that puts it off the back right of the chapel where the daily Masses & the Sunday TLM are celebrated. It’s almost always unlocked from both parts.

 

[Kathrin]

To me it also sounds like she is mentally ill. Especially the disrupting the service part.

Does she look like she is homeless?

Does she respind to being talked to? Somebody asked if there was counselling available at the church. That would eb a good idea. I think she needs a social worker.

Kathrin

 

[TOP]

Has anyone yelled “hey lady, quite stealing the money”? Or are we only using S.W.A.T.?

 

[TexRose]

Hey all. I’m not too sure which thread i should have posted this under , but i thought that everyone here would be able to help most, because you all seem to have a pretty good sense of right / wrong, etc.

I am in charge of the Altar Servers and am the Choir Master & Music Director at my church. There is a woman that continually tries to steal money from our weekly collection. The pastor knows who she is, and we all do all we can to keep the money away from the woman. But what can we do that might make her stop trying to steal from us? She goes into the sacristy and disrupts the sanctuary in between masses and it’s disrespectful to the pastor, and God. I was wondering what might make a person steal from a church, and from the altar of God, and what we might be able to do to make her stop. Thanks for all your help. You guys are great!

I think getting the police involved is a good idea even if she is mentally ill.

 

[Kathrin]

I think getting the police involved is a good idea even if she is mentally ill.

Depends on whether the police officers are at least halfway compassionate about mental illness.

 

[markadm]

Depends on whether the police officers are at least halfway compassionate about mental illness.

Depends on the jurisdiction. Here they have a legal duty to be, and must get health and social work involved.

 

[zagjames]

I know in my church the ushers put the money into a cloth-like envolope that locks, its an old money bag they got from a bank. Only the priest and one usher have the key (that I know of) and the usher locks it at the back of the church. I know that this doesn’t keep someone from walking off with the whole collection, but it is certainly easier to keep track of. Another thought is to have one of the alter boys walk it to the sacristy during the mass and have him lock the door behind him as he returns to serve at the mass, but if theres only one alter boy don’t burdan him more (i know how much they have to get done around the liturgy of the Eucharist). I dunno, I wouldn’t go to the police until you have confronted the lady and told her to stop, if she tries again then a police call probably wouldnt be a bad idea.

 

[Kathrin]

The church where I usually go to in San Francisco also had a problem with money being stolen from the collection I think. I remember that they started having the usher (accompanied by another person from the church) would walk back to the sacristy during mass and lock the money there.