Giving to the Church.
The Diocese of Westminster recommends that Planned Giving awareness campaigns be repeated every 3 years because new people arrive in the parish and others leave every year. They also recommend that Offertory collections should increase by around three per cent each year. Many people assume that the Church is well off and that the parishes get money from the Diocese but this does not happen. 30% of parish income goes to help pay for the running of the Diocese. Therefore we have to exist on what our parishioners contribute. However, it is up to every person whether to give to the church or not. Some can afford to give and some can’t. If you feel you have a few more pounds to give to the Church and are happy to do so, that’s fine. If you don’t, then you can ignore campaigns such as this.
How much to give.
For those who accept that they have a responsibility to contribute to the church, it is useful to decide what is an appropriate amount. Several years ago, Cardinal Basil Hume suggested that every Catholic should offer one hour’s pay each week. As a quick guide, dividing your annual income by 2,000 would give you this weekly figure. So an annual income of £20,000 would be equivalent to £10 per week. Another way of looking at it is to think about what you give to the Church each week and compare that with other things that would cost you the same amount of money (for example a glass of beer or wine, a cup of coffee, a packet of cigarettes, etc). Then ask yourself whether the Church and all these other things are as important to you as each other – or whether your Faith is worth more. If you are really comfortable with your priorities, that’s fine; if not then you can change them. Last year, the average weekly donation per person was £1.48. If you are able to give a bit more then it would make a real difference to parish finances. These figures don’t really apply to incomes like the minimum wage or the basic State Pension. If you feel unable to give, then we do not expect you to.
The Financial results for our parish are on the noticeboard so please have a look.
How to give.
We would like a regular commitment because the costs of running the parish continue week after week whether you are here or not. A regular weekly contribution helps both you and us to keep track of the amount. There are two ways to do this:
- You can use the Planned Giving envelopes, dated for each week of the year. You put your donation in the envelope and put that into the collection basket at Mass.
- Or if you prefer, you can donate by setting up a regular Standing Order Donation. For this option, you need to instruct your bank to make regular payments directly from your account to our account monthly, quarterly or whatever is convenient for you. Please note this is a standing order not direct debit.
Both of these methods provide a record of what you have given.
If you sign up to Gift Aid your donations as well, the parish can claim back from the Government the tax that you have already paid. Gift Aid) is very valuable to us. We expect to receive approx. £10,000 from it each year. Agreeing to Gift Aid your donations costs nothing extra to you and is easy to do.
If you would like to join the Weekly Envelope Scheme, set up a Standing Order or Gift Aid your donations, this can be done by completing the form below. Once complete, please return your form to the parish office.
Gift Aid and Standing Order Form ( July 2020)