Going rate (if there is such a thing!) for donation for funeral mass card?

Re: donation for mass

Yes but you seemed to make it sound like daltonr had said "the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd" without prefacing it with "I think". Anyway, doesn't really matter.
 
The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

After all, at a wedding, for example, people don't seem to have any problem in paying large sums to hotel, dressmakers, limo driver, photographer, florist, singers etc. If they want to give a modest donation to the priest for conducting the ceremony, surely there is nothing wrong with them doing so.
Click to expand...

Excellent post, Tommy - I agree completely. (Never thought I'd find myself saying that!!) People have strange priorities.........

If you don't value the Mass, then don't bother getting one celebrated. If you do, then be prepared to offer a fair price. And a fair price would be about one hours wage for a priest. Who is a 3rd level educated qualified professional. What would a one hour dental procedure cost you? A one hour GP consultation? An hour of a solicitor's time. An accountant? A plasterer/plumber/electrician? A babysitter? Does a priest deserve any less? Let's face it - the national minimum wage is €7/hr - to offer €5/€3 is an insult from those who can afford to pay more - and no priest I know would ever refuse to celebrate Mass for those who GENUINELY cannot afford to pay.
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

I wonder what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought of all of this... :\
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

I wonder what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought of all of this...
Click to expand...

It's my opinion that what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought and/or what he did has very little to do with the Catholic Church :(
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

Did This post will be deleted if not edited immediately do carpentry work for free?
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

Yes but you seemed to make it sound like daltonr had said "the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd" without prefacing it with "I think". Anyway, doesn't really matter.
Click to expand...


0,

What's your problem?

The following is the exact text of the comment I quoted from daltonr in

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click to expand...
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

Sorry - I was just going a bit mad there...
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

No problem :) I don't think I would be a total stranger to that sort of territory myself ;)
 
Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................

Actually I was just agreeing with Rainyday, so he's the real cause of all this. :) He thought Paying for mass was absurd.
I agreed with him but pointed out that I believed having Mass said was absurd in itself, so obviously I'd agree with his point about payment.

The point I tried to make in a ham fisted way is that if you are the type of person who believes in this, then the nominal "cost" shouldn't be an issue.

I suspect that some of the people who complain about paying €5 to sign a card, are people who's heart really isn't in it. They are getting the card signed because that's the tradition. They also get married in a church with no intention of darkening it's door again until the christening, and then a few years later the communion.

I don't mean the above to be offensive to anyone, I just think there's a big chunk of society who have in their heart turned their back on the church, but who feel compelled by guilt or tradition to keep up the practices. I think it's a bit sad.

Those who get comfort from the church, and who believe strongly in it, are perfectly right to have mass said, and I doubt they ever complain about the few quid it costs.

-Rd
 
re: Mass cards donations

I think that people seem to love to bash the catholic church nowadays for any reason.
If you believe that a Mass being said for someone's soul is worth doing then you should give a donation that is fitting to what you can afford - i would have thought at least a 10euro note. No one is forcing you to get a mass said in the first place so if you don't believe then don't do it!!! People of different religions get a lot more asked of them if they believe in that religion than the RC asks of its followers. There is no one putting a gun to anyone's head to believe or practice the RC faith.
I hate hearing people giving out about the priests having cars and houses....a car is as important to a priest being able to carry out his job as a car is to a doctor to carry out his! If a prist is called out to a dying person or needs to visit someone who is housebound should they still use a pony and trap?!!!
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

I hate hearing people giving out about the priests having cars and houses....
Click to expand...

You would swear that the people doing the complaining are themselves going around without an This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language in their trousers. Ditto I expect that the people who expect priests to work for free are themselves holding down a job for the good of their health...
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

"You would swear that the people doing the complaining are themselves going around without an This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language in their trousers. Ditto I expect that the people who expect priests to work for free are themselves holding down a job for the good of their health... "

Do they also expect the state to pick up 87.3% of the tab for any compensation they may have to pay?
Seems to me the argument that a fair price for a service provided is a sound one, as is the argument that you do not have to avail of the service if you do not want to. IT does not sit well, however, with the situation where the chruch shirks its liabilities and everyone in the country is forced to pay whether they like it or not.
www.rte.ie/news/2003/0930/abuse.html
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

The actions of the Church hierarchy to abuse settlements is totally irrelevant to the subject being discussed here. Ordinary priests have absolutely no voice when it comes to dictating Church positions on this and similar issues - the vow of obedience means that priests cannot challenge their "superiors" on any such point.
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

I thought the discussion had moved on from the initial mass card issue.
fobs post moved the discussion to people "bashing" the catholic church for no reason and the impositions other religions put on their followers.
You followed it up by suggesting that people that complained about priests having cars etc. were applying double standards, one for themselves and another for members of the RC church.
In this context the abuse settlement issue is a valid one. If people should not expect different standards from members of the church in accepting payments, they should not be required to accept different standards when it comes to making them either.
As for separating "ordinary priests" from the rest of the church, it was your post above that asked "Did This post will be deleted if not edited immediately do carpentry work for free?". Either you are dealing with the chruch, right to the top, as one entity or you are not.
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

My reference to This post will be deleted if not edited immediately' carpentry was in response to someone else who had asked what would This post will be deleted if not edited immediately have made of the mass card phenomenon. It was not meant as any sort of analogy to those in the Church hierarchy nowadays.

I never mentioned double standards on anyone's part, but I did point out that anyone who wants to should be free to pay a decent rate to a priest for services done if they so wish. Those who don't want to pay for these services are equally entitled not to bother with them, again if they so wish.

I have no idea whatsoever what you mean by "If people should not expect different standards from members of the church in accepting payments, they should not be required to accept different standards when it comes to making them either." Can you please clarify?
 
Re: re: Mass cards donations

I'm amazed.... One of the most selfless vocations/career's being attacked. I too am shocked by all that has unfolded in recent times re the 'scandal's' but the priesthood is one of the most altruistic paths anyone can follow.

As an anecdote, was in the local the other week. A unknown skanger walked in & sat in a corner seat. A priest walked in and sat down with him. He was loud (so we heard all) he was just out of the joy, was obviously a heroin addict & finding it hard but this priest spent an hour giving him his options and advice. The receiver appreciated the time taken by the priest and I don't think anyone else would have given him this time/attention now he was out of the system. To me that is an example of what priests do well that no-one else will touch.
 
My mother says that in her day, the appropriate donation to a priest for a signed Mass card, was an amount sufficient to keep him for one day. Even the €10 which our locals ask, expect, and get, seems to fall a long way short of a days upkeep!
 
Re: donation for mass card signature

The Benedictines in Dublin asks only a donation 2.50 for Mass and card.
The Priest there is Fr.Dennis O.S.B.
Address is Benedictine Community O.S.B.
P.O.Box 9385
Dublin 17. you send the name and donation to him and he send you the card and the date and time of the mass.
 
Re: donation for mass card signature

In a church in Bray, a few years back, there was a priest who came back from the missions in south america (the experience turned him into an anti-capitalist anti american). He refused to take money for signing mass cards. He said that the idea was for the person to attend mass in remembrance (or whatever) of the deceased person. If you attended mass, he would sign the card for free. The idea being it was your prayers not your money he wanted. (everyone had to go off and buy the presigned cards then because they didn;t want to go to mass).

I know of another church in Crumlin where the PP had a minimum scale of fees for masses depending when they were for. If the envelope didn't have the correct fee, the card was returned unsigned.
 
Re: donation for mass card signature

God bless the Celtic Tiger. Sealed bids for a mass. Next stop eBay!!! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top