Taking the Collection

[JaMc]

Just curious (I'll attempt to post a poll with this) - I've noticed that, in many Parishes, rather than following the traditional practice of having the ushers take the collection using the baskets on the poles, they "pass the basket," as in the Protestant churches. My parish uses the old method, while the parish 10 miles away, with the same pastor, passes the baskets (likely due to the fact that it's one of those newer buildings, where everything is "horizontal"). What is the practice in your parish?

[Bob1]

Originally Posted by JaMc

Just curious (I'll attempt to post a poll with this) - I've noticed that, in many Parishes, rather than following the traditional practice of having the ushers take the collection using the baskets on the poles, they "pass the basket," as in the Protestant churches. My parish uses the old method, while the parish 10 miles away, with the same pastor, passes the baskets (likely due to the fact that it's one of those newer buildings, where everything is "horizontal"). What is the practice in your parish?

Pole (health and safety) and all that, might poke someones eye out!
just joking but it wouldn't surprise me.

I have been to many many churches in my life time in many different countries about 99% pass the basket/container if pew lengths not too long then the usher keeps hold of it.

[JaMc]

Originally Posted by Bob1

Pole (health and safety) and all that, might poke someones eye out!
just joking but it wouldn't surprise me.

I have been to many many churches in my life time in many different countries about 99% pass the basket/container if pew lengths not too long then the usher keeps hold of it.

I've noticed that most other Parishes pass the basket, as well. The only other one I've seen do it the way we do is the EF chapel about 45 miles away, which tells me that is the "older" practice, and they take it up exactly the same way we do here: Walk up the centre aisle, genuflect, take the collection up the side aisles; walk up the centre aise again, genuflect, then take the collection up on the centre aisle. The baskets are on poles/handles about 3 feet long.

[Joe Kelley]

Our pews are much too long to reach the length with a basket on a pole.

[Allyson]

I voted for ushers, and this is how it is done at the parish I go to now and the one I grew up in. The one I grew up in was a modern building with rows of pews, which grew longer as you went back away from the alter. I now go to a Byzantine parish, and to be more traditional, you would need to get rid of the pews. I went to a local traitional rite parish once, and I cannot recall which method was used, but I believe they passed the baskets. The pews were quite wide, and this may have been a more efficient method.
God Bless,
Rosemary

[Mary1973]

The NO parish I just left has the baskets near the sanctuary. Everyone walks up and puts their offerings in. I found it to be just one more thing to break up the reverence. My soon to be new parish does it the traditional way of ushers and poled baskets.

[thistle]

Originally Posted by JaMc

Just curious (I'll attempt to post a poll with this) - I've noticed that, in many Parishes, rather than following the traditional practice of having the ushers take the collection using the baskets on the poles, they "pass the basket," as in the Protestant churches. My parish uses the old method, while the parish 10 miles away, with the same pastor, passes the baskets (likely due to the fact that it's one of those newer buildings, where everything is "horizontal"). What is the practice in your parish?

We have both.

[PatrickJT914]

My parish has both ways utilizing the ushers. Then again I don't know about all 10 Masses (7 Spanish and 3 English). I only know of a few. The 5:30PM Saturday Vigil (English) the ushers use "basket on a stick" (My words) The poles are longer than 3ft, much longer. I'm really surprised nobody has been decked with this type of collection. I'm think sometimes at the 10:30AM Sunday Mass (English) they have used the poles, then it went to the passing the baskets. The 4:15PM Sunday Life Teen mass (English) uses teen ushers passing the baskets as they move from pew to pew until reaching the back of the church. Where they put the collections into a larger basket to be brought up with the gifts of bread and wine. They have followed the English Masses. Whereas the difference between the Eng. & Sp is this, they have an usher holding the bigger basket trailing the 2 center aisle ushers. Those ushers drop the money from the smaller baskets into the larger basket. Until they reach the back of the church. After that the same procedure applies regarding the gifts.

I have been a drafted on the spot as a replacement usher mostly for the 10:30AM Mass. Until we started Life Teen in our parish (Oct 2001) Then I became the head usher and trainer of the LT ushers.(I tried a little bit to get a regular adult senior usher to train them properly) Then I handed over the reins to the teens. We have a regular central core of senior teen ushers. They do the training and supervision of newer ushers. Although I or the Youth Minister will sometimes check up on them once in awhile. Unless Father sees something that needs to be addressed ASAP. Most of them can step up to do regular Masses.
Sorry I got a little carried away.

[Torroidial]

There is actually some individual(s) who hide the baskets with long handles at my parish. Gotta wonder about the mental health of some people...

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by JaMc

Just curious (I'll attempt to post a poll with this) - I've noticed that, in many Parishes, rather than following the traditional practice of having the ushers take the collection using the baskets on the poles, they "pass the basket," as in the Protestant churches. My parish uses the old method, while the parish 10 miles away, with the same pastor, passes the baskets (likely due to the fact that it's one of those newer buildings, where everything is "horizontal"). What is the practice in your parish?

I've read some wild opinions on this forum as to what some people consider to be a traditional practice and this is one of the wildest! Back in the 1950's and 60's and I was growing up, my home parish always passed the basket for the collection. The ushers would hand the basket to the first person in the pew, who would then pass it on to the next and so on until it came to the last one in that row of pews. That person would hand the basket to another usher who would start the process again with the next row but going in the opposite direction. The parish which our family attended during the summer used the baskets on a pole since it was a much smaller church and the length of the pews short enough to allow for the collection to be taken this way. Other churches that I attended back then used either way, usually depending on the legth of the pews. There was no set way of doing it. In my home parish now, the ushers take up the collection using baskets on poles. It is an OF parish.

[Sir Anthony]

I think it also depends on whether the age and size of the Church, my experience has the larger and older congregation tend to use the pole and basket. While the younger and smaller congregation uses the basket (they may not have found it necessary to buy the pole basket yet). I wonder if there is a difference with collection between the two. I have a funny story that an old friend told me, I am not sure whether it was in a catholic or protestant church, but he told that his pastor changed the collection basket to have a metal bottom, so anytime someone dropped change it would be hear, and the idea being that the person wouldn't be putting coins in the basket, but dollars.

[CB Catholic]

I remember one time I was visiting a church where they passed the basket and the priest said something about being generous with the collection, but if you needed some money, you could take it out. I can't remember the exact words, but I didn't see anyone taking any money OUT.

There's nothing "Protestant" about passing a basket. It's just a way to collect money. And it seems to be less annoying than having something shoved under your nose. One usher in my old church where they used long-handled baskets would stop it in front of me and shake it, as if saying,"put more in". He did it as a joke to people he knew, but I found it to be rather annoying.

[Brenda V.]

Originally Posted by Mary1973

The NO parish I just left has the baskets near the sanctuary. Everyone walks up and puts their offerings in. I found it to be just one more thing to break up the reverence. My soon to be new parish does it the traditional way of ushers and poled baskets.

What an interesting way to think about it. At the Mother Parish there are boxes set out near each entrance where you drop your collection. The reason being you have more time to pray and be reverent than if you are waiting for the basket (which were not on poles, the pews were far too long for that). The taking up of the collection was seen as an unnecessary distraction and the collections have not gone down as a result of it. It also makes giving a little more anonymous, unless you are watching the boxes (and you shouldn't be, you should be in prayer preparing yourself for Mass) you won't know if anyone put anything in the boxes.

Brenda V.

[puzzleannie]

in 60 years as a Catholic I have seen both practices in use at both very traditional and very liberal parishes, there seems to be no correlation. The deciding factor seems to be number of ushers, and length of the pews, some in new larger churches are just to long for baskets with handles. I have also seen collection baskets or lockboxes at the entrances, individual baskets for each pew which are then each brought to the altar by a "sitter" in that pew during the offertory, I have seen monthly mailer and on-line contributions and move away from "envelopes" and every possible option in between.

Traditional to my dad meant taking a percentage of cash out of yoru pay packet when you got it, putting it in the pocket of your church suit, and dropping it in a basket at the entrance. When "envelopes" and long handled baskets were introduced in the 50s he practically had a stroke at what he considered a Protestant innovation. You should have seen him when "missalettes were introduced a decade later.

[Phemie]

We use the "basket on a pole" method and I have to admit that's what I've seen in most of the parishes of which I've been a member. I haven't been in huge parishes with very long pews though.