Suzanne Sataline reported in the November 23, 2007 Wall Street Journal.
At St. Al's, the suggested giving has been 10% of income, half to the parish, half to other Church causes. The parish's debt reduction campaign suggests we, in addition, match our regular donations to the parish. If the suggested regular donation to the parish is 5%, then that's another 5%.
The Archdiocese's upcoming Capital Campaign hopes to raise in three years an amount equal to what parishes receive in ordinary giving in one year. That doesn't say how the campaign's suggested donation will be described. If we assume 1 2/3% (5% over three years), we're at just under 17% of income as the total of suggested donations.
If there were a local backlash, it might be from the size of the lash. If there's no backlash, it indicates parishioners aren't paying any more attention to these percentages than the people who suggest them.
17%, eh?
ReplyDeleteBetween Fed, SS, State, and Church taxes, that comes to 50% of the gross.