Tithing Parishes Help Support Diverse Ministries
by Christina Fadden

Tithing is an ancient practice. Israelite law (Lv 27:30) prescribed that one tenth of all produce, animals and plants be designated for the Lord God. This offering was given in praise and thanksgiving. It also served the practical purposes of supporting the synagogue and assisting the poor.

Today this ancient practice takes many forms, but the purpose is the same: to give praise and thanksgiving to God.

As a child I was taught to give a portion of all I received to the Church and to those whose needs were greater than my own. I don’t recall ever hearing the term tithing as I was growing up in the 1950s. Even now we are much more likely to hear about stewardship. But the idea of giving a defined portion of one’s income—as an individual or as a parish—is an idea that is growing in popularity among Catholics. (Tithing has long been an important concept in many Protestant churches.)

As an adult, I tithe because it’s the right thing to do. Sitting down each year to determine where to give my tithe makes me more aware of others’ needs. Even more than that, when I reach out through my tithe to help someone in need, it reminds me of how blessed I am.

Through my work at Glenmary. I have become aware of parishes that include Glenmary as a regular recipient of their tithes—on an annual, monthly or weekly basis. They believe this is a good way to reinforce their commitment to help build up the Catholic Church here in our country and to respond to the many spiritual and material needs of the impoverished communities served by Glenmary missions.

Through their tithes, these parishes help provide a Catholic presence in rural communities, a presence most of us take for granted. Their financial gifts keep mission doors open (paying the rent and utility bills) and keep missioners in the field (providing living stipends for priests and brothers, salaries for coworkers, and health insurance for all missioners).

Tithes can also assist special outreach programs, such as the food bank operated by our mission in Aberdeen, Miss., or the home building ministry of Brother Tom Sheehy in South Georgia, or the social services center started by our mission in Winfield, Ala.

The practice of tithing is one that blesses the giver as well as the receiver. If a parish is not already tithing, I urge it to begin. If a parish is already tithing, I urge it to consider adding the home missions as a regular recipient of that tithe.

I know that the parishes that tithe regularly to Glenmary and the home missions experience the fulfillment of God’s promise as described by Isaiah: “If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.” (Isa 58:10-11)

For more information, contact Christina Fadden, coordinator of Glenmary's Mission Office.