We were pretty much told when we registered that the envelopes were to keep track of Mass attendance -- esp. for those with children in the parish school -- to help facilitate tuition reductions for active members. They told us that we didn't have to put anything in them, cash-wise, at all, if we couldn't or didn't want to. Or we could include prayer requests and intentions.
I never really thought about it in terms of tracking for school children. But that seems like a way to do it.
The primary reason is to help track donations so receipts can be prepared for tax reasons. And if computers and bar codes are used to facilitate this, I don't think it's a sign of the apocalypse.
We use all kinds of modern-day inventions in the Church today. We're not Amish. Are those who are stuned by the use of bar codes similarly stuned when they encounter a Church with a PA system or a furnace?
SD