McKenna Stewardship Ministry - Tithing the Tithe

TITHING THE TITHE

"Let each one give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or from compulsion, for 'God loves a cheerful giver.' "
St. Paul 2 Cor.9:7

Of all the effective and inspiring results of the practice, "tithing the tithe" may well be one of the most gratifying.

Occasionally a pastor will say he doesn't have tithing since his parish doesn't need the money. As one pastor of a tithing parish said in response to this, "Even if a pastor doesn't need the money, his people need to tithe!"

Late in 1990 a lovely story unfolded in the bulletins of St. Peter of Alcantara of Port Washington, NY. Rev. Msgr. Walter Simmons, V.F. wrote of the parish's decision to "tithe the tithe", and stated that "4% will be sent to St. Rocco's in Brooklyn whose average weekly collection reaches only $600. A second 4% will be sent to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch which services 66 needy families a day, operates a soup kitchen, has worked with the Town of Babylon in constructing...homes for needy families, and whose parish hall roof leaks badly. The other 2% is being placed in a Tithe Account to be used for the alleviation of suffering beyond our parish. The San Francisco earthquake and Hurricane Hugo would be dramatic examples."

In the next week's bulletin, the following letters appeared.

"Dear Msgr. Simmons,

"I can't begin to tell you how surprised I was at your recent letter regarding 'tithing the tithe.' I almost fell over when you shared with me the amount your parish is willing to share with us. I could not begin to tell you what a relief since, last Friday, I met with our accountant and he revealed our deficit . . . was about $32,000. Your gift has taken a tremendous amount of pressure off me and I will be able to focus on people not money for the coming year. Please let your Pastoral Council know how much it means to us and if any of the members would like to come here for a tour of what we're doing, I would be happy to have them stop by."

Rev. John I. Cervini, Pastor
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Wyandanch, NY

"Dear Msgr. Simmons,

"I was indeed astounded to receive your letter detailing the ...decision of your parish council to adopt St. Rocco's Church in Brooklyn. In Tithing the Tithe, your parishioners have responded most generously and unselfishly in aiding parishes which are having difficulty in meeting the expenses of a Catholic worshipping community. Your tithing of approximately $500 a week will bring us about $24,000 a year. How timely is your letter! This unexpected source of income will certainly ease the burden of our small and rapidly changing parish which is now mostly Hispanic. Please convey to your Council and parishioners how grateful we all are at St. Rocco's. They understand in a very concrete way that 'God loves a cheerful giver' and that when one gives to God and to those in need, he/she is rewarded a hundredfold. I will certainly remind our parishioners here to keep in their prayers the giving parishioners of St. Peter of Alcantara."

Rev. Michael R. Parisi, Pastor
St. Rocco's
Brooklyn, NY

Shortly after these letters appeared, warm, detailed letters of acknowledgement and appreciation from Catholic Charities in Oakland and San Francisco were published in the bulletin.

And a few weeks later, a parishioner wrote:

"I've been meaning to tell you that I think the idea of tithing the parish funds and sending it to Wyandanch plus another church is a super move! Makes me feel so good about being part of St. Peter's."

Some Other Parishes That Share

In Most Blessed Sacrament parish in Franklin Lakes, the parish where the first witness presentation was made, "tithing the tithe" is a normal part of life. A committee evaluates requests against established criteria. "We give to people and causes that are not much publicized," Msgr. Carl Hinrichsen says, "not the big groups." Initially, 5 percent of parish income was earmarked for those in need; today it's 10 percent. As of June 30, 1993, the people of Most Blessed Sacrament parish had shared $454,936.00 with the world beyond their boundaries.

A June 1987 report from then-pastor Father James Burke to the people of St. Paul's in Ramsey, NJ listed an impressive 50 individuals and organizations who benefitted from the parish's Tithing the Tithe program in that year alone. He said the Charity Committee distributed more than $220,000 from July 1982 to June 1987 "without regard to race, creed, or sex." Current Pastor Father Thomas Donato reports that contributions since that time total an additional $261,600.

In Rocky Point, NY, parishioners of St. Anthony's in the first years of tithing contributed $205,000 through the "tithing the tithe" program introduced there in 1983 under then-pastor Father Frank Gaeta. The spreading of their largesse continues under Father Joseph Coschignano. In fiscal year 92/93, Father Joe reports, St. Anthony's gave almost $86,000. to those in need.

In the business world, this is what is known as a "win-win" situation. Everybody gains. Nobody loses...

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