[Magdalen] Education.

[Roger Stokes]

On 05/12/2015 20:15, Cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
> In a message dated 12/5/2015 3:05:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> jguthrie at pipeline.com writes:
>
> But  all of them make clinking sounds when hitting the plate. What the RCs
> lack in giving, they make up in volume.>>>>>
>   
> Roman Catholics are notoriously poor financial stewards.  But as  for
> the multiplicity of Sunday offering envelopes, they simply divide up
> their gifts by whatever number of envelopes are provided.
>   
> The multiple envelopes are a poorly disguised attempt at extracting
> more money, but it fails.  I don't know why they just don't give  their
> weekly gift and let the parish authorities decide how to split it up.

The only RC churches where I have encountered this have been in England 
or Ireland.  There has only ever been one additional commection which 
has generally been linked to an appeal in the homily.  Father Fred from 
some particular missionary order has come to preach and the second 
collection happens to be for his order. Allow me to be somewhat 
sceptical as to the efficacy of such appeals as Father Fred has spoken 
many times abouit his order's work and his personal experience and he is 
bored with it, a boredom that conveys itserlf to the congregation.  (He 
may also, as I have witnessed in Ireland, speak for so long that the 
service goes on longer than intended - another disincentive to support 
his cause.)

I can understand why the trustees of the beneficiaries of the other 
collections want to keep them separate from the geberal offertory since 
it means what they get is not subject to the whums of the local parish 
priest or finance committee doling out a small amount in charitable 
giving at the end of the year.  That said it is not tax efficient.  In 
what I understand of the US system are the parishioners really going to 
tabulate in their tax returns how much they have given to what apeals 
during the course of the year and so get tax exemption for them? In the 
UK the system is different as the donations are from taxed income and 
the charity claims a refund to bring the donation up to what it 
represents before the deduction of basic rate tax.  This adds 25% to the 
value of the donation if the donor has signed a Gift Aid declaration.  
Are people really going to put name, address, date and sign a number of 
envelopes each Sunday? Of course you then need to factor in the cost of 
the envelopes.

Roger