Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Around the Diocese
Southern Cross, Page 11
Parish collections are mixed during pandemic
#FaithIs
AlwaysOpen
LEARN MORE
diosav.org/faith
By Donnelll Suggs
espite the current
working-from-home trend
sweeping the diocese,
Judi Gast comes into the office
on Mondays to get the books
straight for the week to come.
Gast, the interim secretary at
Corpus Christi Church, Port
Wentworth, is a volunteer and
one of many throughout the
diocese that are helping keep
things as close to normal as
humanly possible. “The church
still has to maintain the bills,”
said Gast by phone. “Ours is a
new church, and we still have to
pay our loans, utility bills, and
the like. It is so important for
people to continue to give to the
church.”
Diocese Director of
Stewardship and Development
Maureen Coates agrees. “In a
time when we feel more iso
lated and alone, we need to
remember that we never walk
alone. One way to feel less iso
lated is to show our brothers
and sisters how we have made
room for Christ in our homes.”
Over the past month, church
es all over the country, of all
religious faiths and of all sizes,
have had to refrain from hav
ing public services due to the
impact of COVID-19. With that
loss of foot traffic has come
the concern that weekly and
monthly collections might also
have to suffer a new normal.
The good news is that Mass
has been “attended” by millions
of parishioners both online
and via social media, as has
been the case throughout the
Charities from page 10
we can continue to supply items
they need,” Beall said.
The center’s greatest challenge
during COVID-19 has been
getting items clients need, espe
cially wipes, some diaper sizes,
and some types of formula. If
you’re interested in supporting
The Kolbe Center, Beall said
that financial contributions of
any size are a major help. The
center will need supplies read
ily available in-house for when
they’re able to see clients again.
Monetary and in-kind dona
tions can be sent to: The Kolbe
Center, 833 Walnut Street,
Macon, GA 31201 - the center’s
new address as of July 2019
after supporters successful
ly stopped an abortion clinic
from opening on the same site.
Diocese of Savannah. Along
with that, steady virtual atten
dance has come strong efforts
to continue financially giving
to the parishes.
The many reasons why those
efforts are as important than
ever before are both basic and,
at times, personal according
to Father Daniel F. Firmin,
VG. “The bills keep coming
and sometimes there are bills
that arise during times like
this.” The diocese has had
to purchase equipment like
cameras and video production
cables that they never need
ed before five weeks ago. “In
order to continue our religious
education we have to pay for
certain [application] subscrip
tions while we are also doing
our best to keep paying our
employees,” said Firmin.
In regards to giving to local
parishes Firmin believes a
continued effort is what’s best
for the diocese and its many
parishes and parish employees.
“We want to keep doing what’s
Support from local churches has
helped the Kolbe Center grow
from a mere handful of clients
in its early years to 64 families
served in the month of March.
“I am so pleased to see the
ecumenical spirit in our com
munity that has grown through
our fight against the abortion
clinic and now continues to grow
during this pandemic,” Beall
said. “I can hear my late moth
er’s voice in my head reminding
me that ‘this too shall pass.”’
Sarah Routh is a frequent freelance
CONTRIBUTOR TO THE SOUTHERN CROSS. SHE
AND HER HUSBAND, LEHMAN, ARE MEMBERS OF
Immaculate Conception Church in Dublin.
just and best for our people, so
by continuing to give online
or by mail is important,” said
Firmin. “We give, not neces
sarily for need, but we give
because of what God has given
to us.”
“We have gone down a little
bit, but I can’t complain, the
parishioners here love the
church,” said Father Martino
Nguyen of St. Boniface Church,
Springfield. “The people have
been amazing. The collections
at St. Boniface have been
steady if not better than aver
age, in particular during Holy
Week according to Nguyen.
“This past week [the week
before Easter], we have had
the highest [weekly] collection
than during any week since I
have been pastor here,” said
Nguyen, who has served the
parish the past five years. He
added that collections have
been almost double what they
average at times and joked
that he told parishioners via
social media that if this was
how they were going to contin
ue supporting the church, they
might want to stay home and
keep worshipping via the par
ish’s streamed Masses.
Over at St. Michael Church,
Tybee Island things are also
going well with parishioners
both paying online and the
old-fashioned way via their
weekly envelopes. “Some peo
ple pay online, and others still
drop [them] off, just placing
them through the mail slot at
the church,” said Father Jerry
Ragan, pastor. “I think we’re
doing pretty good.”
Father Ragan also reaches
out to parishioners with a
weekly email on Tuesdays. He
feels his parish’s close-knit
community makes for a smooth
transition to giving back to the
church despite not gathering
together. “We are staying
in touch,” said Ragan about
the numerous live streaming
Masses the church offers. “This
is a little village, so there’s
a wonderful sense of commu
nity here. People are being
extraordinarily generous. We’re
surviving.”
For other parishes surviv
al may be the best way to
describe their current fiscal
situation. “We are using our
radio station, emails, and text
messages to inform our parish
ioners,” said Father Rafael
Estrada of St. Francis of Rome,
Alma. “We have let everyone
know they can also mail their
offerings in as well.”
Despite the numerous ways
the parish has gotten the word
out the church has taken in
much less than they usually
would, in particular during
Holy Week and Easter Sunday.
“The collections have come
in but not as usual,” says
Estrada whose parish is major
ity Hispanic. “I believe maybe
20% are contributing at the
moment, and I do not believe it
is because they do not want to
give, some people are just not
used to giving any other way
but with cash.”
Informing parishioners how
they can continue to give to
their parishes during this
unprecedented time is some
thing the entire diocese is
getting familiar with. “I think
[they] are waiting to learn how
to contribute,” added Estrada.
The Diocese of Savannah
has recently launched the
#FaithIsAlwaysOpen campaign.
The movement offers parish
ioners a way to give to their
parish or any other parish they
are willing to support via week
ly offertory commitments that
begin as low as $10. Those that
are interested can visit the
diocesan website at diosav.org
for further details.
Firmin believes if parishio
ners stay the course, and that
includes continuing to support
their parishes both financially
and spiritually, the other side
of this new normal will be
“amazing and edifying.”
“That’s the attitude of thanks
giving that the Lord needs us
to have,” added Firmin. “As we
stay together, we will emerge
stronger at the end, and I’m
looking forward to it.”