This Catholic has rescinded all regularly scheduled tithing to my parish, and I’ve contacted the local soup kitchen with whom I’ve been volunteering for the last 10 years and told them that I will no longer be volunteering. I know for a fact that our Bishop is a regular volunteer during the weeks, and I’ve asked the kitchen head to pass on my displeasure with this decision. One other person has done the same.
I just ended up in a position where I’m dealing with bills and debts raising a family, and see no point in giving to an organization that is doing fine financially. This isn’t a rant about the wealth of the Vatican or anything like that; I’d simply rather pay my bills than give it to my parish which is doing fine. I have no savings to speak of, I’ll have college/higher education costs coming up, with nothing set aside for them; I live paycheck to paycheck, slowly paying down debt, driving old cars, and I trust God will understand.
Ever since I’ve had children and can’t afford the parish school, I’ve seen no reason to subsidize the Catholic education of others’ children in that school via the Sunday collection.