For those of you who, fed up, are tempted to give to your local diocese your proverbial 2¢.
From my correspondent:
I wrote to you a bit ago about sending Cardinal Cupich my two cents. I did and received my thank you letter from him.
I am reminded of a priest friend who, when billed by the diocese to pay for his (horrid) seminary years (I won’t say ‘formation’), sent in something so small that it cost more to process the check than they got from it. They asked him to let it accrue and send a larger amount. Eventually, he taped their postage guaranteed envelop to a concrete block. They stopped sending bills.
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Father Malachi Martin once said that Rome loves when members of a Parish complain in writing. They especially like it when they put it in a nice folder. The show it to their fellow Priest and comment on what a “nice” presentation it is but never read it. They just file it with all the other ones which no one has read.
I can only wonder how much was spent on printing a letter and posting it … how many times more than 2¢.
This is a typical clueless bureaucratic response. It summarizes a whole lot that is wrong with the Church today.
What I have done is to increase my donations quite significantly to a few specific collections, such as the one for the priests’ retirement home, while donating nothing to the general diocesan appeal or Peter’s Pence. That sends two messages: I am quite willing to support the Church and legitimate works and ministries, but I’m also tired of throwing my money away writing blank checks to be squandered.
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Did I seriously see that?!
Let’s spend a buck or so thanking you for 2 cents?!
I wonder how many folks in Card. Cupich’s territory think like us? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get a few thousand people, if not a lot more, to pull this same stunt?
Meanwhile, a place like Cantius could receive support in the form of altar bread, sacramental wine, groceries for the clergy, a direct payment on the electric bill…
Scrooge pre-spirits visit for the Diocese, Scrooge post-ghost visits for the orthodox clergy.
God bless us everyone!
Be sure to save the letter for tax purposes.
After repeated complaints to my Jesuit-run University regarding their going off the rails morally in this incident or that, I sent the president a note (he had received others from me) severing all future ties to the place. I received such a form-letter thank you “for my continued support.”
Decades later they sent me an honorary 50th-anniversary diploma. I sent it back saying that the place I attended no longer existed. My original would suffice.
@publicsavant
That’s why Fr. said “proverbial”
And by all means save the 2 Cent letter for tax purposes.
Don’t give Sleepy Joe and his comrades a penny more than is required.
As a resident of Rhode Island, I am pleased to report that I am not fed up with my local diocese, and have decided to make the suggested donation in my case of 20% more than last year, to celebrate our 150th anniversary as a diocese.
It really helps to have a bishop who is a practicing Catholic, and a pastor who is a practicing Catholic who delivers sermons that are food for thought throughout the week.
Years ago a Catholic university that I attended got a new president. When I was a student there this guy when he was a popular political science professor there – I believe he was tenured. I was not very politically active as a student those days (I was also pretty much a one hour Catholic then) , but when I heard that Dr. X. became president of the university (and was the first secular president there (by the way this was not a Jesuit institution) I remembered what side of the fence he belonged. When the alumni association sent me letters asking for money I would put $0.00 in the box on the form and mailed it back. To make a long story short I didn’t receive much mail asking for money shortly afterward.
I understand the desire to use opportunities such as annual appeals to express disfavor towards the diocese, but at the end of the day, all the diocese has to do is increase the assessment percentage of the parochial collection basket to offset not getting what they ask for via the appeal
I am trying something new. Today was the parish’s “Bishop’s Appeal” day, and this year the money is going to the benefit of diocese parishes and schools that are foundering and cannot support themselves. I don’t know about the parishes, but I am confident that most of the schools are less than solid. Some are probably horrid – which might be why they are dying. But there is one school I know about (I know the principal) that is sound. So I am sending in a donation specifically earmarked for the school and nothing else – this is a “restricted donation”. I will include a letter explicitly saying all of the money must go to the school, in honor of the Bishop’s Appeal. I will also CC the letter and send the school a copy. I will wait to see how the diocese handles it.
As a “restricted donation”, as I understand it the diocese is legally required to use it for the purpose designated (if that is a charitable purpose within the context of their own established purpose – which obviously this would be), or they can decline the donation and return it. I will see if the diocese will properly use it that way, or not. If so, I will continue to send the diocese donations that way. If not, obviously they won’t get more of my money, but they might get a letter from an attorney. Or a court.