The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-04-04
CHURCH AFFAIRS.
A PlaiR Talk from Cleveland Priest
on Financial Problems.

d SpuefS VI Iuc pdSIoi . uCliN LUIS
which is little considered by Catholics,
was given in the sermon preached
last Sunday by the Rev. Gilbert p.
Jennings, pastor Of st. Agnes church,
Cleveland, in connection with the read
ing of his annual financial report
This statement showed that the total
Of receipts for the year. exclusive of
loans, was close to $4,000 Father
Jennings made some interesting state
ments relative to the work of the parish
during it's lifetime, the first decade
Of which is drawing to close Father
Jennings has been in charge of st.
Agnes since it's organization, nearly
ten years ago. The church is in
splendid condition, spiritually and
materially, and both are due to the
pastors management.
Father Jennings, after reading the
report, spoke of the irksomeness to
the priest of having ever to mention
the subject of money from his pulpit.
He said that no duty is harder to a
priest than to be compelled to appeal
to his people for sufficient funds to
carry on work that is their own. He
said that when he was assigned to the
pastorate of the new parish Of st.
Agnes he determined not to mention
money except once a year, on the day
the annual report was read. He also
determined not to maze any public
announcement of the sums received
from individual members of his con-
gregation, however large or small they
might be- He said his reason for this
was to make his people understand
that what they gave to the Church,
they gave to God, and that it was a
matter between themselves and God,
quie as much as are their private de-
votions or their confessions and COM
munions.
They did not ask or expect anyone
to witness the fact that they said
their morning or evening prayers or
went to the s;craments and there was
no reason for tlattering their vanity
by the public announcement of their
contributions to the Church.
There was no duty pastor has to
perform that was so dis;greeablc and
embarrassing as that of speaking
about the financial needs of mis- parish.
And vet, Father Jennings said, it
should not be so. generosity to the
Church is Il virtue. and it should be
not only the privilege but the duty of
a good pastor to urge his people to
the practice of it, just as he should
urge them to practice any other vir-
tue"
Some might be disposed, he said,
to ask why anything should be said
about money matters in a parish
where enough people We're doing their
duty generously enough to meet it's
obligations 1t would be just as rca-
sonable, he said, to expect pastor of
souls to stop urging his flock to say
their morning prayers because he
knew that some We're doing it, or to
be silent about the careless AMI indf-
ferent going to confession and COM
already crowded and the Table of the
Lord was filled with the faithful and
the fervent
"The only acceptable condition of
parish revenue was" lie sad, chat
which included every man, woman and
child in the duty of giving. No other
plan was as good. 1t was the only
one that made congregation feel ut
home, because it gave a sense of own
ership and the feeling that in entering
his parish church lie was in the place
he belonged to and that belonged to
him.
Father Jennings told his people
that if some one were to come and
offer him sufficient money every year
to carry on the work Of his church,
and thus relieve him and every other
member of the parish from further
financial responsibility and make the
gift perpetual, he would refuse the
offer, because such q principle and
practice would he dcadening in it's
effect 1t would soon send people
away from the church. he said, be-
cause where one does not contribute
to an organization. there is very little
interest therein. and he said that lie
wanted every man, woman and child |
within the boundaries of st. Agnes
parish to feel that they have an inter-
est in it's maintenance and progress.
He prophesied that the present struc-
ture is but temporary one, and will
one day be succeeded by magnificent
temple erected to the glory Of God
Gin this, the heart Of the residence
district of Cleveland, which God has
set apart for HIMSELF
OF the parish expenditures, $1,000
was for the salaries of Father Jen-
nings and his assistant Of this sum
the pastor received 500. Father Jen-
nings commented interestingly upon
this point.
"What makes it so disagreeable to
speak about money matters, when 1t
is plain duty, is because so many
are always associating priest with