Parish Tithing

Catholic Charities, Inc. recently received generous donations from two parishes and their pastors: Fr. Larry Richards and his
parishioners from St. Joseph/Bread of Life Community Parish and Fr. John Detisch and his parishioners at St. Jude Parish. Each community chose to tithe their fundraising proceeds as a way to support the good work that is done by Catholic Charities in
and around our 13 counties of the Diocese of Erie.

Fr. Richards strongly believes that tithing is a way to “give to God what belongs to God first,” and he shows that by taking care of those in need through their food pantry and clothing store as well as their involvement with the overflow shelter. Additionally, the top 10 percent of all their fundraising proceeds is automatically donated to a single charity or a group of charities, regardless of faith. Fr. Richards often asks himself and others, “If your parish were to close today, would anyone notice besides your parishioners? If not, then have you truly done your job?” Accountability to these words helps drive his commitment to tithing.

So, what is tithing? Tithing means setting aside a certain amount of one’s income for God, as shown in the first book of the Bible. In Genesis, Adam and Eve’s children brought portions of their flocks and first crops to the Lord in order to thank him for a successful harvest. The parishioners at St. Jude the Apostle Parish along with their pastor, Fr. John Detisch, also embrace tithing as a way to thank God for their own successful “harvest.” They did so by graciously donating a portion of their annual car raffle proceeds to Catholic Charities, Inc. Inspired by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, Fr. Detisch and his parishioners truly felt the call to give back. Fr. Detisch says, “Catholic Charites is the arm and bloodline to the people in need in and around our community.” Since early in his priesthood, Fr. Detisch remembers always thinking of Catholic Charities as the place to go or to refer people who reached out to him for help. He is honored “to aid the countless, nameless people that Catholic Charities provides services to each and every day.”