Sad tale of $1 Catholics

THE EDITOR: There is a practice and culture committed by a vast number of Roman Catholics on a Sunday and other occasions at church attendance that I consider simply disgusting. I refer to the putting in the collection baskets or bags the sum of one dollar almost as a rule. The sad thing is that a vast majority of the persons who do this are in a position to do considerably better. Some of them have been placing this one-dollar as collection since the 20th century. The dollar’s worth has greatly depreciated over the years, but that fact has escaped them completely or they have not bothered to give the matter serious thought.

Catholics, please give the matter the deep thought and consideration it demands. Twenty to thirty years ago you paid a certain monetary figure to visit the doctor, to buy a tin of powdered milk or even condensed milk, to cut the grass around your house, to buy books for yourself or the children, to purchase a pound of flour etc. And I have not even mentioned that everyone’s salary or wages would have moved upwards over the years. As the years went by, the unit cost of these necessities in living increased annually or every few years, and you met the increased cost, at times, almost without a murmur, yet you have not seen the wisdom and the justification to update your level of collection at Church, a place and a relationship you can hardly do without. You can consider yourself fortunate (or are you?) that you are not required to tithe, as obtains in some other religions, but at the same time I appeal to your good and holy nature to earnestly try to do better at collection time.

I always felt that if Roman Catholics made more useful, honest and meaningful financial contributions at collection, the Church would be in a much better way to finance its obligations, commitments, demands and responsibilities etc. The need for our too frequent fundraising activities would also be tremendously diminished. In closing, I must attribute a fair amount of blame for this unsatisfactory state of affairs to our clergy. They go through pains to either “not rock the boat” in dealing with their parishioners or not to offend them. Our clergy have the ability to diplomatically or otherwise appeal to their flock to do better, but they usually shy away from it. Sorry to say, but the clergy’s approach in this matter is self-defeating.

The culture of a people must be taken into consideration. Our culture in very many matters, especially the one highlighted here is that we as a people, very often need to be encouraged, counselled, motivated, enlightened, coaxed, pushed, persuaded etc, to do what is right and good for us: therefore, the need for relevant and appropriate leadership to the congregation by the clergy is a necessary requirement. So my dear Catholic brothers and sisters, kindly pay heed to this appeal I venture to make on behalf of our Church, by so doing we would bring about tremendous benefits to ourselves apart from receiving God’s richest blessings in the process.

ALDWYN J W JOSEPH
St John’s Village