Shut Up and Pay Up

It was announced in a parish today at Mass that the priest had been consulting a committee and they had decided on plans to improve the parish.  It would cost money of course and the parishioners would be expected to improve their financial contributions.   Sounds familiar.   Over the past forty years almost every major decision has been made behind closed doors by the favoured few so there is nothing new here.  Here is another familiar gimmick.   The parishioners will  be phoned and asked how much they can contribute.   Do you remember Living Your Faith and the objections by many people in the diocese over these calls.    Well the particular priest does not.   Of course we got money back from this fund though its main purpose had been to save the diocese from becoming bankrupt.  Unfortunately the money was ring fenced and could not be transferred to Diocesan Funds.    Many professionals lost their jobs in the Diocese where the wage account amounted to over £2million.   But we all know what is behind this new claim for funds, it is an attempt to hire professional people to run the parish the way the Diocese was run by professionals.   O yes, it looks good but if the money was used to buy catechisms and teach the children the Catholic Faith that would be good.   Sorry I am drifting back to my status as a stupid backward Catholic who must keep his mouth shut and pay up when intelligent people are running the Church.    I wonder why Christ chose fishermen?

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