Here are three comments I heard recently, and my responses.
"YOU PRIESTS TALK ABOUT MONEY ALL THE TIME!"
(Sorry about the all caps. This one is usually shouted at me.) Three years ago I heard this when the Diocese of Pittsburgh conducted Our Campaign for the Church Alive. The goal for the entire diocese was $150 million. Over $233 million was pledged. Our goal for the four parishes in New Castle was $2.7 million, which we reached with the help of less than 15% of our total census population.
I also heard this thrown at me several times in the past few weeks, as our four parishes conducted "Together in Faith, Sharing our Gifts," our gentle effort to promote Christian Stewardship and to suggest increasing Offertory donations.
I have to say, this saying hurts. When this is thrown at me, the accuser also says I don't preach the Gospel of Christ, and implies that I (and all priests) are greedy. Here's the fact: Priests never ask for money for themselves. They only ask for contributions for the church and its ministries.
Sometimes I push back by responding, "OK, when was the last time you heard the priest at Sunday Mass actually talk about money." "Well, when I was a kid the priest always talked about money." "How old are you?" "76."
It's also true that Jesus talked about money--a lot--more than love, heaven and hell. Eleven of 39 parables deal with money. Once scholar reports that one of every seven verses in the Gospel of Luke speaks of money. In the bible as a whole, depending on your definition of money and possessions, somewhere between 800 and 2,000 verses address this subject.
I know that I (and my brother bishops, priests and deacons) do not "talk money" every Sunday. We take our preaching topics from the biblical readings in the lectionary, or the feastday, or the saint. If we do talk about money, however, it is to to ask the same question Jesus asks: What is in your heart? Money (and possessions) are means to an end, not the end itself. How we spend and use money, whether we are generous or selfish, reveals our character and our values. Jesus asked for wholehearted devotion to the Kingdom of God. This includes our time, talents and treasure. We express our devotion to God's will, and our desire to help our neighbor, through our time, talents--and money.
I do talk money once a year, on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which is the kickoff for the Parish Share Program in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. I do this to encourage ever faithful parishioners to make a pledge or gift to PSP. But the bigger reason I address Parish Share is to point out how our parishes in New Castle are in communion with the other 188 parishes in the diocese, and how we need each other to build up this local church. Parish Share is not just another collection. it is a tangible expression of our spiritual communion.
This was the answer I put in our bulletin yesterday. But upon reflection, I have to add that I have never heard this accusation said (or shouted) at me by someone who regularly gives to the church. Inevitably it is used by those who do not give, and do not understand the value and necessity of giving to their parish/church. Isn't that interesting?
"I don't need to be registered to be a Catholic."
No, you don't. But. On the positive side, being registered and in the census of a parish is each baptized Catholic's way of saying my faith is not just about me. It's also about us. Each of us is connected to one another in the Body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12), and particularly, with our sisters and brothers in the parish (and thereby, by extension, in the diocese).
Negatively, your parish doesn't know you unless you're registered (or an under 21-year-old is registered under her/his parents). This becomes a problem when someone who is not registered in one of our parishes is asked to be a godparent for baptism, or a sponsor for Confirmation. If you are not in our census, it makes it very difficult for the pastor to give you a "sponsor slip," an acknowledgement to another parish and pastor that you are baptized and confirmed, attending Mass, in a valid sacramental marriage (if married), and an active member of the parish.
Folks sometimes say, "But I was baptized at St. Vitus Parish!" Great! But being baptized in a parish, 20 or 40 o 60 years ago does not mean you are registered in the parish, particularly if you moved at any time in your life or you do not currently live in the great New Castle area.
Parish registration is easy. One can stop by the parish office, or call, or visit the parish website, to join. It only takes a few minutes of filling out basic information. If someone is in doubt whether she/he is registered, a short phone call can clear up the mystery. Like the old American Express commercial, "Membership has its privileges."
This question came up in the Q&A in a recent edition of Our Sunday Visitor. The priest answering said that parish registration is a peculiarly American practice. I didn't know that. But if the "world" of a parish was a small village in Italy or France, and the priest had been at the parish for a long time, sponsor slips and computerized census forms would not be necessary. He knew everyone. All the information needed would be in the parish priest's head. But that's not the case now, with our transient society and parishes of 10,000 souls or more.
"I don't believe Bishop Zubik when he says no decisions have been made in On Mission for the Church Alive."
To this remark I can only say, it is a fundamental Christian act to accept that people are telling the truth. St. Ignatius of Loyola taught that Christian charity leads us to a "presupposition" to put a good interpretation on another's statement, rather than condemn it. The first step in any relationship is compassion and understanding. Time may reveal that another is lying, but our first response is to take that person at his/her word. We have to take Bishop Zubik at his word, and accept that no decisions have been made by him or by the diocese for On Mission for the Church Alive. These decisions will come in the first quarter of 2018.
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