Newsgroups: bit.listserv.catholic
Date:         Wed, 30 Dec 1992 09:17:44 EST
From:         DICK HAROLD <ITNEWS@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU>
Subject:      Re: contributions

On Mon, 28 Dec 1992 19:07:02 GMT Fred Rump from home said:
>The results of a first survey of parish data were just announced. Data is from
>churches that have computers and pretty much back up what I've posted here
>previously. I said 20% of the people give 80% of the donations dollar wise.
>The actual survey showed that 19% gave 75%. It also indicates that the vast
>majority of Catholics give around $40 per year to their church. Less than a
>dollar per week. Presumably this is from their Christmas or Easter donation.
>
>A gentleman sitting next to me at Christmas mass proudly put a dollar bill
>into the basket. A commentary of our times?

Fred

I remember, years ago in the 50s when I got my first job away from home,
thinking one Sunday when I put in my "offering" of a dollar that it was
about time I squeezed a little more out of my pocket each Sunday.  I felt that
I could at least come up with an amount equal to what I spent each week on
beer and drinks.  While I make no claim of being a big contributor, a dollar
these days sounds a bit like a dime in the 50s.

When I was out of work for three years, sometime back, I was surprised
at how much help our family received from the church and its members.
Even the K of C paid my membership dues for me.  School tuition was
suspended for our five children, all at a cost to those who gave every
Sunday.  Now, when a request for money is made, I think long and hard
about how many dollars I should contribute.

It seems that the more money our family makes, the more places we find
to put it.  "I need" turns into "I want" and "I want" turns into "I owe
it to myself."  Sometime I just have to sit down and write a check that hurts,
one that tells me that I'm really giving back something.

Recently a neighboring parish lost the boiler for the school.  This parish
had once been in an upper middle class neighborhood.  Now it struggles to
keep those beautiful old doors open.  I took my youngest son, age 11 years,
to Mass there because we had been camping that weekend and this was our last
opportunity to attend services.  When the basket came around I was surprised
to see that Ben volunteerly put in some bills.  (I never asked him how much.)
He has a paper route of just 12 customers and has to help pay for things he
needs and wants, so his money has value to him.

When we left church I asked Ben about why he put something in the basket.
He said he remembered one day when his school room was cold and how all
the students had to put on their coats.  He said he wanted to help those
children so they could have heat in school. (I had put in my usual visitors
couple of bucks.)

When we got home I told my wife about what our son had done, about his giving
from the heart.  We talked it over and wrote a check.  An 11 year old boy said
more in one brief few seconds than I had heard in 20 minutes from the parish
priest.

|======================================================================|
|  DICK HAROLD    *   ITNEWS@INDYCMS.BITNET  *   IUPUI INDIANAPOLIS    |
|                *  ITNEWS@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU  *                        |
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