Lay Catholics want input in financial decisions

By MARY L. GAUTIER

American Catholics want more say in the financial decisions of the church, at least at the parish level. While the desire to have a say in parish financial decisions has been strong all along (eight in 10 agreed with the statement in 1987), in 2005 almost nine in 10 (89 percent) agree that Catholic laity should have the right to participate in deciding how parish income should be spent (see Figure 4).

In fact, frequent Mass attenders feel more strongly about this than do less regular attenders. Weekly Mass attenders are more likely than those who attend less often to agree that Catholic laity should have the right to participate in deciding how parish income should be spent. More than nine in 10 weekly Mass attenders, compared to 78 percent of Catholics who attend two to three times a month, think that laity should have the right to participate in parish financial decisions.

This broad statement of opinion demonstrates how Catholics’ feelings about participating in parish financial decisions have increased over time, but it says nothing about the type of participation that lay Catholics feel is appropriate. For that, we asked another question.

Laity’s role in parish finances

When asked more specifically about the role of Catholic laity in determining parish spending priorities, nearly two-thirds say that parishioners should have input in determining the budget, with the priest having the final say. One in five says that parishioners should have general oversight, with the priest alone responsible for parish finances but reporting to parishioners. Just one in seven thinks that parishioners should have the final say over all aspects of parish finances, but only 3 percent say that parishioners should have no role — all parish financial decisions should be made independently by the priest (see Figure 2).

Interestingly, Catholics who are highly committed to the church have the same attitudes as less committed Catholics about parishioners’ role in financial decisions. Regardless of their level of commitment to the church, just under two-thirds say that parishioners should have input in determining the budget and one in seven say that parishioners should have the final say. Registered parishioners feel the same way as Catholics who are not registered in a parish; regular attenders are no different from infrequent attenders; men and women are in agreement on this item; and Hispanics and non-Hispanics show no difference, either.

On the other hand, generation and income divide Catholics’ attitude on this item. Older Catholics, those who have a memory of the church before Vatican II, are more likely than younger, post-Vatican II Catholics to feel that parishioners should have the final say over all aspects of parish finances.

Younger Catholics, though, are more likely than older Catholics to say that parishioners should have input into determining the budget, with the priest having the final say (see Table 18).

Likewise, Catholics earning more than $75,000 are more likely than those earning less to agree that parishioners should have input into determining the budget, with the priest having the final say. They believe, more than others, that parishioners should have input but the priest should have the final say.

Laity’s role in diocesan finances

American Catholics think that laity should have the right to participate in deciding how diocesan income should be spent. More than eight in 10 (84 percent) agree with that statement. The agreement holds across generations, income levels, gender, ethnicity and level of commitment to the church. However, less frequent Mass attenders express the strongest opinion in favor of laity having the right to participate in diocesan spending priorities. More than nine in 10 monthly Mass attenders (93 percent) say that laity should have the right to participate in deciding how diocesan income should be spent. In contrast, 78 percent of Catholics who attend Mass two or three times a month and 81 percent of weekly Mass attenders agree that lay Catholics should have a say in diocesan financial decisions.

While agreement that lay Catholics should participate in church financial decisions has increased over time, lay Catholics’ attitudes about the importance of financial stewardship in parish life have remained constant. Catholics’ understanding of their obligation to donate time or money to help the parish has changed very little since we first asked the question 12 years ago. When they were asked, “Can a person be a good Catholic without donating time or money to help the parish?” 57 percent in 1993 said yes, you can be a good Catholic without supporting the parish; 60 percent in 1999, and 59 percent in 2005.

Conclusions

The trend data in our study demonstrate that lay Catholics continue to affirm their right to participate in how parish income is spent. At the same time over the course of the last 12 years, roughly six in 10 Catholics have said that you can be a good Catholic without donating time or money to help the parish.

What has changed, though, is lay Catholics’ attitudes about who should have a say in deciding how those parish donations should be spent. Nine in 10 lay Catholics now say that laity should have the right to participate in parish spending priorities. Very few think that all parish financial decisions should be made by the priest alone. Most feel that parishioners should at least have general oversight in parish finances or input into determining the budget. The data clearly demonstrate that lay Catholics want more input in deciding how parish dollars should be spent, even if they do not see themselves as having the obligation to donate time or money to the parish.

National Catholic Reporter, September 30, 2005