Collection baskets may soon become a thing of the past.
If you’ve ever had to awkwardly pass an empty collection basket on to the person beside you while sat in mass, you’ll know how uncomfortable it can be.
Being viewed by those around you as a cheapskate, when, in reality, you just didn’t remember to bring any change, can be a grim feeling.
Well, it could all be about to change with a new initiative in Dublin.
To counteract the decline in cash donations, a number of churches in Dublin are to introduce card machines in the back of the churches.
The scheme is being rolled out in an attempt to boost finances as the number of mass-goers decreases.
The Archdiocese of Dublin issued a statement to JOE, where they explained their reasoning behind the new scheme:
“Financial contributions to the Church in Dublin have been in decline for several years for a variety of reasons, including a decline in the number of people attending weekly Mass,” the statement read.
“Several initiatives over the past decade have been introduced to improve Diocesan finances such as the establishment of an office for Financial Development some years ago.
“Direct debit payments for the family offering (an envelope collection for parishes) has been in place for some time. Currently, we are piloting a new payment method, in a small number of Churches, with card machines in place at the back of the Church to allow parishioners to make a contactless contribution. This is done by a standalone machine
“Later this year we plan to roll out the ability for the majority of parishes to accept card-based payments using a Parish Payments System.
“This will cover many transactions such as offerings, pilgrimage payments and will enable parishioners to sign up for recurring contributions.
“This will not however, mean an end to the traditional basket collections at Masses which will remain in place for the foreseeable future.”
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