FINANCES
PARISH FINANCES
DONATING TO ST. CRONAN'S PARISH
Would you like to donate to the running costs of St. Cronan's Parish?
We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Payzone Ireland to provide our parish with the facility to accept card payments from their website. This partnership is a big step forward in combating the decline in Mass collections and we would urge all parishes to get involved.
This new facility will allow our parishioners to contribute both on an adhoc basis or on a fixed automated payment schedule. Our parishes will also have the added benefit of being able to use their websites to take payments for other events such as fundraising activities.
As the use of cash declines in society, the Church needs to embrace new technologies, and this is our first step to that end. We have worked closely with Payzone to develop a solution to meet our collective needs and have negotiated the most favourable rates on the market. Please contact the Parish Office for more information.
You can donate to the Family Offering of Parish of St. Cronan by clicking on the link above. This will bring you to Easy Payments Plus website where you can choose how you would like to contribute to our parish.
A receipt will be emailed to you following your transaction.
Many thanks for your support to the parish.
Online Payments Process
You can now contribute to the First & Second weekend collections, to the Family Offering fund, to the Christmas & Easter dues and donate to specific fundraising events such as New Church Furniture, using the Parish online payments facility.
(1) Simply go to the Parish website. www.brackenstown-parish.com and then click on the “Donate” button at the top of the page.
(2) Select the donation which you wish to make. If, for example, you wish to donate to Easter Dues, then select “Easter Dues Once Off Payment” and enter the amount of your donation.
(3) You will need to have both your credit card/debit card and your mobile phone to hand. Your mobile phone is needed because a confirmation pin number will be texted to it.
(4) If this is your first online payment to the Parish you will be asked to register your details (Name, address, phone number, email address, debit/credit card details, password)
Thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated.
Paddy O’Byrne, Parish Finance Committee
INTRODUCTION OF AN ENVELOPE SYSTEM FOR
THE FIRST & SECOND COLLECTIONS
Thank you to those who have returned forms to sign up for the Envelope System in the Parish. As mentioned, there are substantial benefits to the Parish to be gained using an Envelope System for the First and Second Collection at no extra cost to anyone. Information sheets on how this scheme works are available from the Parish Office. Thank you for your generous support of our Parish.
Some questions that have been asked:
Q. What if I don't come to Mass in St. Cronan's Church every week?
A. That is okay, you can place your envelope in the First & Second Collections the weeks you are here. If you go to Mass elsewhere then you can support the First & Second Collection in that Parish the usual way.
Q. But if I don't contribute here each week then my total for the First & Second Collection for the year won't reach €250.
A. That may not matter either as the total of €250 includes Christmas & Easter Dues and Family Offering.
For example: If someone contributed the following in 2017
Christmas Dues €50
Easter Dues €50
Family Offering €100
Then their total for the year would be €200 and we cannot reclaim the tax on this. However, if we now add in the First and Second Collection for 10 weeks at €5 per week then their total reaches €250 and so we can now claim the tax back.
Paddy O'Byrne, Parish Finance Committee.
What 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, on-going 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.
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.
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.)
How can we contribute to the Family Offering Collection?
There are three ways to contribute: 1. Standing Order 2. Envelope 3. Yearly/Half-Yearly contribution
1. Standing Order
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 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.
Click here to download Standing Order Form
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.
3.Yearly/half-yearly contribution
You may make a direct payment to the Family Offering fund on an annual or half-yearly basis.
How much should we give?
Minimum Contribution: €250 per annum or €21 per month
As you may be aware, tax relief exists whereby those who contribute €250 or more to a charity in any tax year can allow the charity to draw down an additional sum (equal to almost 45% of the donation) from the Revenue Commissioners, which is sent directly to the parish. It is important to say that there is no loss or cost incurred by any taxpayer who is willing to be part of this system and that confidentiality will be assured in all aspects of this process.
For a person who contributes exactly €250 in any tax year – it is possible for the Parish to receive an additional €112.32 from the Revenue Commissioners. If the amount donated to the Church is more than €250, then this figure will increase
accordingly.
If you are eligible for the scheme, the Parish Office will send you a form to be completed and signed. We thank all those who already participate in this scheme. It makes a huge difference to the Parish.
