Dear Tom:
I regret I have not given you more in the past. This latest issue about contributions has made me more grateful for the work you do. I will now send you a donation. We need you on the net more than ever. Go for It, Tom.
Fr. Brian Jeffries
St. Augustine Parish
Seymour, CT
Father, you administer the Sacraments and care for our souls and have therefore given very much. I really wasn't talking to you. (I will accept your donation, though!)
Thanks and God Bless You,
Tom Allen
Editor, CE
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Dear Catholic Exchange Staff:
Thank you so very much for your website; it has been one of my greatest strengths. As I pray for you, please say a prayer for my husband and me. I am a new Kindergarten teacher with only a part time assignment, and my husband is on long-term disability for bipolar disorder and a suicide attempt. My donation isn't much right now, but I think you need it more right now than I do. Maybe my donation is selfish, but if you keep going then I can too!
Again, thank you & God bless you,
Sincerely in Christ,
Jeannette B.
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Dear Tom:
I am shocked by the attitude and tone written by my fellow Catholics. I am ashamed to admit when it comes to financially supporting one another, our Protestant brethren put us to shame. They believe in and support the 10% tithing rule. They willing open their wallets and support their churches and causes. They gladly and joyfully live by the letter of the law and tithe 10%. As Catholics, shouldn't we know better? Shouldn't we as Catholics live by the spirit of the law? Shouldn't we tithe 10%-plus because we want to, not because we are required to?
I was among the first subscribers to your site. I gladly paid for the Bible studies, and I did this while on unemployment and going to school. Where else can you find a Catholic Bible study that even comes close to being Catholic? Where else can you find a Bible study that tries to incorporate Catholic tradition and teaching? Where else can you find a Bible study that makes mention of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, let alone the teaching of the Popes, the Doctors of the Church and the Saints?
I also admit that ever since the studies have been free, I have forgotten to donate. As of today I will correct this. Thank you for your excellent work and services. My prayers are with you.
God Bless,
Pete
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Dear Catholic Exchange,
Thanks for responding to the disgruntled users. We at St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church, Katy, TX used one of your studies last year and found it exceedingly useful. I believe the individuals in the Bible study—through the facilitator—sent a donation. It we didn't, we should have. We will use your studies again this year. I will be more conscious of my responsibility to support your efforts this time around.
It was good for me to be reminded of my personal responsibility to help this apostolate. I'm one of those who have not contributed, and I am ashamed to admit that. In spite of my negligence, I just recently signed on to your homepage and e-mail because it is garbage free and supports my Catholic faith. No one castigated me for not contributing. Yet, you accepted my family. I am going to begin contributing. After all, each of us has the splendid burden of furthering the gospel.
Thanks again for pricking my conscience! I needed it. May Our Lord continue to bless your apostolate abundantly.
Deacon Bill Wagner, DRE
Thank you very much for your kind words of support, Deacon Wagner.
Yours in Christ,
Tom Allen
Editor, CE
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Dear Editors of Catholic Exchange:
The recent letters regarding the cost of Bible Studies and other services offered at CatholicExchange.com reminds me of the comments I often heard while I was working as a Director of Religious Education.
Our parish charges for religious education for children, and occasionally charges for “extras” such as retreats for young people. (Allowances are always made for families in financial straits.) Frequently, I heard comments that questioned why charging for these services was necessary:
“The Church shouldn't force us to pay to learn.” “Jesus never charged anyone for His teachings.” “Money, money, money: that's all I hear our Church talk about.”
The pastor at the time used to simply say, “It costs money to turn the lights on.” Of course, it also costs money to pay for the teachers and speakers, to buy supplies, to heat the building, to pay the support staff, provide food for retreatants, etc. I've never been able to figure out why a person who clearly recognized when such an event took place in a business or school setting it would cost money, could turn around and ask us to take a loss on the same type of service, simply because we are a church community. These people expect the highest caliber of teaching and presentation, but they don't want to pay for it!? Such an action would be non-sensical for a school or business, in their minds, but not for the Church.
I simply wanted you to know I understand the balancing act your staff must accomplish—you must provide sound materials grounded in the truth of our faith, offer them at a reasonable fee, and still manage to keep the lights on.
Sincerely,
Elise J. G. Hilton
Thank you, Elise, for your understanding and solidarity. Very well put. Most Catholics simply don't get it. Imagine how much more influential our Church would be if Catholics shared the “tithe mentality” of our Protestant, Mormon and Jewish brethren! It's all about priorities and Catholics need to get theirs in better order. How important, after all, is the daily Starbucks, the weekly shop at the mall, the restaurant dinners, the frequent trips to the cinema, the cable TV, etc., etc.?
Yours in Christ,
Tom Allen
Editor, CE
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Dear Catholic Exchange:
I simply wanted to share with you the fact that I, Astra, am ashamed on behalf of two men whose comments on Bible study I read today. I ,Astra, am guilty of not donating, but let me tell you why.
I live in a poor country; I have no credit card; I feed a family of four on what in dollars would be $120 per month. The only way to send $5 dollars would be by Western Union, which would charge 20 Lats(about $40) to send $5 dollars to the U.S. Please forgive me for not donating to you; each time I open up my internet explorer (you are my homepage), I feel guilty, but there is nothing I can do at this time in my life to help you—other than to send you my prayers, and cry instead of these shameless people who abuse your benevolence.
Each and every day, I get so very much from my visit to CE; and, yes, I agree, bigger websites do not offer the same quality of content that CE offers. Before I found you, I had another popular, large, Catholic site as my homepage. It took years to load; there were always some (smaller or larger) problems with the web based e-mail and so on and so on, etc.
Please, dear Mr. Allen, forgive these two rogues, for, as our Lord said, “they know not what they do.” Also, I shall like to add, while both claim to have been regularly using your Bible study, obviously neither were connected to the internet throughout the entire study of James, or else they would have read the part about taming the tongue, as well as feeding the brother who asks for bread instead of politely sending him away empty handed!!!! Again, please forgive me for never sending you any money, but I just cannot. Believe me, should God, in His infinite mercy, allow my finances to get better, the first 20 Lats I shall send shall be by Western Union to you!
May God richly bless you, your family, and the ten other staffers with families and bills to pay. May God, in His infinite wisdom, provide you some financial miracle!
Sincerely with Love,
Astra
My Dear Astra,
You are a treasure and the reason we work hard. Please do not feel any guilt because we sincerely do not want a donation from you. We live to serve you. And, do not hesitate to ask if there is anything we can do for you.
Yours in Christ,
Tom Allen
Editor, CE
Only 2% of CE Users Put Dollars in the Cup
Dear Tom Allen,
Greetings in Christ! I just read your response to some CSS users. First of all, thank you for Catholic Exchange. I understand your answers and I support you. All you have said in reply to the complaints of some users are all valid and true. I was, however, saddened by statements regarding the searching of the records to check up on contributions. For me, that action said: If I contribute a lot to CE and complain often, you will be kinder to me. I hope we will be more charitable to such people the next time something like this happens. We need to show these people how Christ would react to the situation. I hope it is OK with you that I don’t give my name as you might search the records and see I only contributed a little to CE.
However, your response made me realize I should give once again to CE since you need help to keep your apostolate going. I pray more people will continue to support CE. I am sorry if you are offended with what I’ve said. I just hope we (Catholics) can show the virtues of charity, patience and forbearance.
Thanks, again, Tom, and the staff of CE, for a great apostolate.
In Christ,
A Catholic Catechist
Dear Catholic Catechist,
Thank you for your note. If all you gave is one dollar, dear sir or madam, I am deeply appreciative. You took the time, made the effort and did what you could. As for how Jesus would respond, all I can say is that our Lord was quite tough on people—friends and foe alike—in a lot of situations. Many people seem to downplay this fact, or forget it entirely. Consider today's Gospel (Mat. 23:1-12) as a perfect example.
How do you suppose the little lady who runs the coffee and donuts table at your parish after Mass everyday would feel toward a person who came in each and every day, nicely dressed, and took a drink and a donut, got a refill, and did not say thank you and never put $.50 or a dollar in the
donation cup? Day after day, while everyone else was contributing a little bit. Perhaps that same person might run into the little lady on the supermarket line while she is waiting to purchase the coffee and donuts for the next Mass. How might she feel? I am simply reacting to the circumstance that has put our apostolate in a very difficult situation. Only about 2% of those who use our services are putting a few dollars in our cup. If everyone who uses CE just put in a single dollar each month, we could pay our bills and have money left over to strengthen our apostolate.
So, that's my reasoning. I am sorry it seems tough to you. In my opinion, those who contribute to CE—even if it is only a dollar—have a right to complain. The others do not. It would be like the coffee freeloader complaining that there is too much jelly in his donut.
All that said, I do sincerely appreciate your support and prayers.
In Christ,
Tom Allen
President, CE
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Please note that all email submitted to Catholic Exchange or its authors (regarding articles published at CE) become the property of Catholic Exchange and may be published in this space. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity. Names and cities of letter writers may also be published. Email addresses of viewers will not normally be published.
