Giving to your Parish
The people of this diocese, who come to worship in parishes from east to west have been blessed with churches and property that their forebears sacrificed to put in place. Many of them worked long and hard to give to us what we have today – a place to pray, to celebrate important moments in our lives (baptism, communions, confirmations, weddings and finally funerals.) Our parish church is where we come for strength in the ups and downs of life.
Almost everything that gets done in a parish, and all that enables it to get done (heating, electricity, etc.) is paid for by parishioners. Parishes pay to the diocese a certain portion to support poor parishes and the services of the Diocese.
Most of that financial support comes in the form of the Sunday Offering Envelopes in which parishioners place cash or a cheque every Sunday of the year, and when special collections are taken up as well. Perhaps at some point in the future that financial support will be able to come in the form of an automatic debit that will do away with the need of writing cheques or filling envelopes.
Financial support can be given as an act of thanksgiving, a memorial for someone who has passed away, and who we want to remember – or in times of joy, like the birth of a child, or a work promotion.
You can also remember your parish in your Will, designating the parish as a beneficiary in a specific way. You can designate your bequest for a specific purpose or leave it as a general gift for whatever is needed.
If the parish has a fund set up for special purposes, such as roof replacement, technological updates, grounds maintenance, you can specify your donation for such purposes. All contributions are eligible for an income tax receipt.
More Information:
Contact the pastor of your parish or mission.
(2 Corinthians 9:7)
May your resources not be less than your good will and may the realization of your excellent plans not be hindered by the lack of money! Contrary to the past, the public treasury no longer provides money for you, for the canons, for the seminaries, for the priests, or for the construction of churches. That leaves you only one resource: the charity of the people.
(Leo XIII)