Back to topWhat is the Family Offering Collection for?
The Parish Family Offering Fund is the most important source of funding for the parish. The salaries of parish employees, the office expenses, ongoing repairs and improvements to the church, candles, bread, wine, missalettes, books and many other expenses are paid for totally from the Parish Family Offering Fund
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We give generously to the collections at Mass. Where do the Sunday Collections go?
The First Collection on Sunday is always for the support of the priests of the parish and indeed the priests of the Dublin Diocese. The First Collections from every parish in the diocese pay the salaries of all the priests of the diocese. At present, the basic salary of a priest of the Dublin Diocese is €29,000.00 per annum.
The Second Collection on Sunday usually goes to Share, the Diocesan Development Fund. Sometimes, the second collection is a special collection for a diocesan agency (Accord, CYC, Peter's Pence etc.)
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How can we contribute to the Family Offering Collection?
There are two ways to contribute: 1. Standing Order and 2. Envelope
If it's possible, we sincerely ask you to contribute by way of Standing Order. Standing Order gives the Parish Finance Committee the ability to plan the expenditure of the parish. Knowing the income that will come in every month helps us to make sound financial decisions.
Standing Order is also good for the contributor, who only has to fill out one form (click here to download) to begin making contributions. You will not need to remember to bring an envelope to Mass on Sunday or wait for a collector to call to the door.
And remember, with Standing Order, you are in complete control. You can stop the payment at any time, with a letter or phone call to your bank or to the Parish Office. Standing Order is our preferred way to receive contributions to the Parish Family Offering Fund.2. Envelope
Alternatively, contributions may be made by envelope. On request, the Parish Office will supply you with a set of envelopes with a unique identifying number. Simply return your regular contribution to the church in this envelope every week/month/year etc.
When requesting your envelopes, please specify if you wish to contribute on a yearly, half-yearly, monthly or weekly basis.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How Much Should We Give?
That, of course, is up to you. However, if it is possible for you to give €250 or more, the parish may benefit from the Charity Tax Refund Scheme. See next section for details.
The Charity Tax Refund Scheme: A benefit to the parish at no extra cost to youMinimum Contribution: €250 per annum or €21 per month
If you pay all of your tax through PAYE ( i.e. if you have no self-assessed income), and if you contribute more than €250 in a calendar year, the parish can claim a tax refund from the Revenue Commissioners on foot of your donation. This does not cost you, the contributor, anything extra.
Therefore we make a special appeal, if circumstances allow, for households to contribute at least €250 per year, or €21 per month, to the Parish Family Offering Fund.Examples:
1. If you pay PAYE Tax at the standard rate, and if you contribute €250 in the current year to the Parish Family Offering Fund the parish can claim an additional €62.50 in a tax refund from the Revenue Commissioners on foot of your contribution.
This means that your contribution cost you €250, but the parish received €312.50 in total.
2. If you pay PAYE Tax at the top rate, and if you contribute €250 in the current year to the Parish Family Offering Fund, the parish can claim an additional €181.00 in a tax refund from the Revenue Commissioners on foot of your contribution.
This means that your contribution cost you €250, but the parish received €431.00 in total.
And if more than €250 is contributed by the PAYE taxpayer, the parish can claim even more because of the Tax Refund Scheme. You can see that the Charity Tax Refund Scheme can be a substantial benefit to the parish while costing the contributor nothing extra.
If you are eligible for the scheme, the Parish Office will send you a form to be completed and signed. The form can also be completed online and printed at the following address: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/forms/chy2cert-charity.pdf
