Letter from Bishop John: 11 May 2020

Parish Income Drive during Covid-19

During this time of lockdown, as you know, we have been without our usual income from your weekly collections, which you so faithfully and generously give through the weeks and months of the year.  A number of you have been in touch concerned about your parish finances and asking how you can make contributions to help your parish priests pay the bills that are still coming in.   I want to let you know that this has been a big comfort and support to us.
 
As you can imagine, your own concern to help has been replicated by your fellow Catholics across the diocese.  Our Diocesan Office has been working to set up some processes to assist you in making contributions where you can. 
 
Obviously, lockdown and furlough measures have brought ongoing financial uncertainty to many of you.  It means that some of you are not in a position to make your contributions in the same way as before.  That is quite understandable and we hope and pray that more secure times soon return for you and your families.
 
That said, we thought that those of you who can and want to contribute would welcome your weekly Gift Aid Envelopes for 2020/21 to make your donations in the usual way.  You can send them by post or deliver them to the parish house until your church re -opens.
 
We also thought others might want to make regular donations by Standing Order directly from your bank accounts, and you can do so with the enclosed form.  Again, you can post it or deliver it to the parish house and they will pass it to your bank.
 
Through a brand-new facility we have introduced, you can now also make easy on-line donations to your parishes through our Online Parish Offertory portal which you can find on the Homepage of our Diocesan website (https://www.rcdop.org.uk/).  This is an easy, swift and safe method of payment.  It allows you to make one off or recurring donations, and if you are a taxpayer to Gift Aid your contributions making it worth 25% more at no extra cost.  All your donations will be paid weekly to your parishes.

I want to thank you for all your support in so many ways during these unprecedented times in which you have shown just what your faith, your parish and your diocese mean to you.  In the big, black cloud of Coronavirus this has been a precious silver lining.
 
To keep up to date with your parish and diocesan life and ministry online please visit your parish website and the Diocesan website at http://www.rcdop.org.uk for regular updates.
 
With every blessing and my assurance of daily prayers, 
God bless,
+John

To read the full text of Bishop John's Easter Letter, click on the link:   
    /documents/2020/5/Bishops%20Ltr%20Parish%20Income%20Drive%20110520-2.pdf