Question about weekly (Sunday) donations and the Catholic Church?

lonelyplanet · #1 Sep 18, '11, 8:12 am

Since I am not a Catholic and am not permitted to receive the Eucharist, or go to confession until after I have been baptized next Easter, should I feel pressurized or compelled to donate to a church that I am regarded as not being a member of?

Catholic church members keep reinforcing the fact that I cannot take communion until I am a Catholic. I know this very well and have never tried to receive the Eucharist so am uncertain why I am being told this so many times (and I have never ever alluded to the fact that I want to receive it as a non Catholic) , yet, they tell me I should make weekly donations during the Sunday collection of at least $15 a week. Admittedly, it feels as if I am only a useful congregation member if I donate? I am sure this is probably the same with other denominations but I am speaking of the Catholic faith as this is the only faith I have been involved with over the past five months. Before this time, I never attended church at all.
I do not resent donating, but it is just very peculiar to me that I am being told time and again that I am not a Catholic but then all of this becomes irrelevant when it comes to donating money to my local church....money which they say is needed for the upkeep of the church itself - bills, repairs, etc

**puzzleannie** · #2 Sep 18, '11, 8:39 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyplanet

) , yet, they tell me I should make weekly donations during the Sunday collection of at least $15 a week.

I don't know who is "they" who are telling you this, but there is no Catholic law about how much you must give, only that Catholics (not those preparing to become Catholic) must contribute something of their time, talent and/or treasure to the support of the Church and God's poor.

why not ask, since the period you are in now is called "inquiry" about what you have heard?

no you do not have to register for the parish, nor is there a fee for sacraments, although they may charge a fee for the books and expense associated with your class.

Corki · #3 Sep 18, '11, 9:45 am

I have never been in a parish that told anyone the minimum they should contribute. Nor have I ever been in a parish that expected non-Catholic visitors to contribute to the collection. Either the person who told you that was mistaken or you misunderstood.

HonoraDominum · #4 Sep 18, '11, 10:06 am

Once you enter RCIA, you will probably be led out of the church right after the homily, and will not even be in church during the offertory, so the pressure should be immediately off. If the church is pressuring all of its members to contribute more financially, then you should talk to your RCIA director about your feelings about the situation within the church and the effect it is having on your spirituality (and comfort, as a catechumen).

LovingMass · #5 Sep 18, '11, 10:27 am

I agree with what the others have posted; however, please consider whether or not you can contribute a bit to help offset the overhead costs naturally incurred by any facility or organization with which you are involved, even if you are not yet a member.

HonoraDominum · #6 Sep 18, '11, 10:29 am

I should probably add: in our parish, after the Mass of the Catechumens, our RCIA class was taken by our RCIA director to a classroom and we talked about the scripture reading and the homily, and our thoughts about it. He even took the big shiny breviary used for the readings (they had a separate smaller one for the consecration, I imagine) for us to reread and talk about. In our RCIA classes, we talked about being Catholic and Christ and the sacraments, and during our classes during mass, we talked about scriptures and learned how to get the most out of the readings and homilies.

SuscipeMeDomine · #7 Sep 18, '11, 10:50 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyplanet

Since I am not a Catholic and am not permitted to receive the Eucharist, or go to confession until after I have been baptized next Easter, should I feel pressurized or compelled to donate to a church that I am regarded as not being a member of?

I won't comment on the rest of your post, but regarding this first statement, you are working from a faulty assumption.

Once you go through the Rite of Acceptance you are a catechumen and thus part of the Church. You are not yet baptized and cannot yet receive other sacraments, but you belong to the Church.

lonelyplanet · #8 Sep 25, '11, 4:13 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corki

I have never been in a parish that told anyone the minimum they should contribute. Nor have I ever been in a parish that expected non-Catholic visitors to contribute to the collection. Either the person who told you that was mistaken or you misunderstood.

No, I did not misunderstand, I was given weekly donations envelopes and also a direct debit form to complete. That more or less made it clear to me. ~Also as stated before, I was told how much to donate in the envelopes and then told how much i should also donate on a monthly basis. This is the truth.

lonelyplanet · #9 Sep 25, '11, 4:14 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuscipeMeDomine

I won't comment on the rest of your post, but regarding this first statement, you are working from a faulty assumption.

Once you go through the Rite of Acceptance you are a catechumen and thus part of the Church. You are not yet baptized and cannot yet receive other sacraments, but you belong to the Church.

I was asked to donate within two weeks of attending the church and was hardly a catechumen at that point. In fact that RCIA classes only started last week!

**LilyM** · #10 Sep 25, '11, 7:12 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyplanet

No, I did not misunderstand, I was given weekly donations envelopes and also a direct debit form to complete. That more or less made it clear to me. ~Also as stated before, I was told how much to donate in the envelopes and then told how much i should also donate on a monthly basis. This is the truth.

That's awful. As a lifelong Catholic I have never in my life been pressured to donate a particular dollar amount at any point. Nor do I personally know anyone who has. So please don't feel that it is either required or standard practice for Catholic parishes to do so.

Given what you've put under your 'religion' heading, I hope this hasn't had an effect on your decision to join the Church. Remember even among the Apostles there was one, Judas, who was excessively concerned about money. The poor behaviour of some in our parishes in regard to financial matters should not dissuade us from the Church any more than the behaviour of Judas.

**puzzleannie** · #11 Sep 25, '11, 7:15 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyplanet

No,, I was told how much to donate in the envelopes and then told how much i should also donate on a monthly basis. .

I don't doubt you, but missing info: who told you this? it may be that, since many people in your position do wish to register with and support the parish even at this early stage, the person in charge assumed you, too, wanted envelopes and to fill out a pledge card. Some parishes, a minority, do have some kind of tithing program but I am sure the amount is a suggestion or guideline, not a demand. speak to the pastor directly about your concerns if you sense there is too much pressure, and let him know your reaction--very legitimate--to what you were told.