November 27, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
Giving by Americans to the Roman Catholic Church rose last year despite a clergy sexual-abuse scandal that rocked its congregations, according to a new study.
Giving at church services and other general collections grew 4.9 percent, or $273-million, to $5.8-billion last year for the country’s 194 Catholic dioceses, the study estimated. The increase was higher than in 2001, when contributions rose 3.5 percent over the previous year.
The findings are based on an analysis of data from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, in Washington, which studies the finances of the country’s Catholic dioceses. Joseph Claude Harris, an independent researcher in Seattle, analyzed the center’s most recent information to examine giving trends to the Catholic Church.
Mr. Harris found that while parish collections rose, donations in response to special appeals by bishops and other church officials declined 2.3 percent, to $635-million. These appeals, which pay for such activities as social-service programs and living expenses for retired priests, may have been affected by the economic downturn or by the backlash over the sex scandal, the study said.
“Members of a parish know their pastor and want to fund the cost of a parish sacramental program and education for their children,” Mr. Harris said.
Copies of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate’s report, “Diocesan Profile 2003,” are available for $15 each from the the center by calling (202) 687-8086 or through its Web site at http://cara.georgetown.edu. Copies of Mr. Harris’s report, “Did Catholic Giving to Parishes or Dioceses Decline in 2002?,” are available online at http://www.josephclaudeharris.com. The cost is $9.95 for an electronic version and $14.95 for a mailed copy.
