Online giving has kept parishes connected

While the financial ramifications to the 119 church parishes and missions in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are expected to be significant under the stay-at-home mandate, several pastors who have established an online giving portal through a church-management software database called ParishSOFT say it has proved amazingly successful, and not just as a fund-raising tool.

Benedictine Father Charles Benoit, pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Covington, said he was contemplating installing the ParishSOFT program later this year, but he jumped aboard in early March when it looked as though the COVID-19 spread would have a serious impact on parish life.
    

“To be honest, I was debating and toiling over it because I wasn’t sure I would have enough parishioners to do it,” Father Charles said. “It was on my radar. But when everything started to break about the coronavirus, we pulled the trigger and started doing it.”
 

Online giving took off
    

Starting from zero, St. Benedict, a parish of about 800 registered families, saw the number of parishioners signing up for online giving climb  to 56 over the last four weeks, with more added every day. In one month, the parish has realized approximately $6,000 from online giving alone.
    

At the same time, parishioners have been using the regular mail to send in their normal contributions to the parish, while others still have stopped by the parish office to drop off checks.
    

“Some of our parishioners have switched from having envelopes to giving online,” Father Charles said. “The only way you could have given four weeks ago was through the collection or having the bank send a paper check.”
    

Father Charles said Cory Howat, the executive director of The Catholic Community Foundation that has sponsored the online program in the majority of the archdiocese’s parishes, told him the church-management software was more than a way to raise money but also would help the parish stay in touch with parishioners and organize their ministry roles.
 

Two-way communication
    

That strengthened communication with parishioners has blossomed at St. Benedict.
    

Father Charles sends emails to parishioners three times a week, including a Saturday email that contains a worship aid for following the recorded Mass, including notes for children to follow along and learn more about the Sunday Mass readings. The Mass is placed on the parish’s Facebook page and website.
    

The parish also has launched a health care “heroes” project to lift the spirits of health care workers at St. Tammany Parish Hospital who happen to be either parishioners or friends of parishioners.
    

Parishioners also have been very generous in dropping by the open church during the day and placing money in the poor box. Another parishioner told Father Charles he had money to give to a needy family in case of emergency.
    

One of the keys has been staying in touch with families by phone, he said.
    

“Our deacons are calling everyone – every single person,” Father Charles said. “Actually, the problem is some people don’t want to say they need help. When I was a seminarian, my pastor was Father John Finn, who was a good friend of Msgr. (Henry) Bezou. I always remember Msgr. Bezou telling me, ‘If a pastor takes care of his people spiritually, they will always take care of him financially.’ I’ve seen the realization of that around here.”
 

Good reviews at Holy Rosary
    

At Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in New Orleans, Father Jonathan Hemelt, who has spent the last three years as pastor, said the online giving program he launched two years ago has been well-received and is helping the parish during these challenging times.
    

He had served as a parochial vicar at St. Pius X Parish in New Orleans and saw the good results there.
    

“There is a charge to use the service, but it’s a no-brainer,” Father Hemelt said. “The offertory giving you get consistently from recurring gifts far exceeds that cost.”
    

Our Lady of the Rosary has about 500 envelopes users and nearly 100 online donors, some of whom set up for weekly or monthly donations.
    

“I think it has helped stabilize things,” Father Hemelt said. “Our collection over the last four weeks has probably been down close to half, but I’m anticipating a big boost when people are able to come back to Mass.”
    

Father Hemelt agreed that staying in touch with parishioners has been critical.
    

“It’s very humbling to know that people engage that much with their parish, even though they’re not physically present,” he said. “They still want to be a part. It also shows me we’re doing something right in continue reaching out to them and remaining close to them spiritually.”
    

Peter Finney Jr. can be reached at [email protected].