Scottish Catholic Observer

Paisley diocese’s new campaign to try and bring their finances into line is worth studying. Of course, it is unfortunate that the diocese finds itself in this position. Many of us give generously at the collection plate and being asked to dig deep again can rankle.

But we are where we are and it’s worth considering the many services supplied by our dioceses.

Each of them operates in a wide range of areas, helping the poor, the young and the disabled, and this initiative which asks parishioners to become a ‘friend’ of a certain program like SPRED, for instance, or retired priests, is a worthy one.

By asking people to fund particular projects they will hopefully feel more invested in them, and more likely to volunteer and support them in other ways.

It’s also the case that just fundraising for general undefined causes can be uninspiring. Without knowing where the money is going, reluctance is understandable.

Yet we all know of wonderful people who are doing great work under the auspices of the Church—to have the chance to support them directly is a good thing.

So this model, if it works in Paisley, of having the people directly support Church projects, could well be successful across the country. There are always financial pressures and smart approaches like this should be studied closely.

One word of warning—some of the work done by the Church is not very exciting. Yet paperwork always needs doing, safeguarding protocols need to be checked off. Certain projects will always get the lion share of the attention, but less popular areas must not be forgotten about.