In the annals of \u201cI don\u2019t really know what is going on in my own church\u201d I think I\u2019ve reached a new low. I\u2019ve been told that at least in some dioceses, by custom, the Christmas collection goes to the pastor. Not to the parish, but to the pastor personally.<\/p>\n
When I heard this, I must admit, it shocked me. It\u2019s not that I think pastors are undeserving of bonuses at Christmas time. The point is that the collection at Mass isn\u2019t for that purpose. It\u2019s a ritual way of giving support for the needy and for the church as a whole. \u201cSpecial\u201d collections are always identified as such, so that you know\u2014at least in a general way\u2014where the money goes.<\/p>\n
If I knew that what I put in the basket at Christmastime was going directly into the pastor\u2019s pocket, rather than keeping the lights on or caring for the church\u2019s mission, I would evaluate the Christmas collection entirely differently. Now I am wondering what actually happens in my own diocese. Is it possible this has been going on for generations and I never knew about it?<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong. People want to be generous at Christmas and that\u2019s great. If there were a common gift to the pastor, I think that most people would give to it cheerfully. I simply think that the collection at Mass should never go to a single individual. If folks give to the church at Christmas, especially those once-a-year attenders, it should be clear that it\u2019s going toward the common good or to outreach and service, not paying for a cruise for father.<\/p>\n
Does anyone have any further information about this practice? How it started? Whether it is widely followed? Would it make a difference to how much you gave at Christmas if you knew it was going directly to the pastor rather than to the parish?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Where does the money in the Christmas collection go?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,187],"tags":[2673],"class_list":["post-22316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ordained-ministry","category-social-justice","tag-christmas-collection"],"yoast_head":"\n