Each one of us has been bestowed with many gifts from the Lord: the gifts of our unique talents, the gifts of our time here on earth, and material gifts as well.
We are called to be good stewards of these gifts – to use them to help build up His Kingdom on Earth and to provide for others who are less fortunate. As Christian stewards, we are asked to use our time and talents to advance the ministry of the Church and to use a portion of our treasure for the Lord’s work.
We all are invited to support our parish and our local community. There are many ways to do this: through weekly donations, special collections, crisis and disaster relief efforts, bequests, gifts of stock, and more.
Increasingly, people are choosing the convenience and security of giving online. The Diocese of London has partnered with Canada Helps to enable you to make online donations. The system is very flexible: you can make a one-time donation or you can set up a monthly recurring donation - it's up to you. You can also indicate where the funds are to be directed, and make your gift in memory of someone or a special occasion.
However and whenever you choose to give, you will promptly receive a donation tax receipt from CanadaHelps. You can also track your giving for the year and, in the case of recurring gifts (e.g. monthly) you can adjust your giving at any time.
Many parishes now offer the ability for you to pre-authorize your gifts. Pre-Authorized Debits are usually monthly, but can be at the interval of your choosing. Because your offering is pre-authorized, you don’t have to worry about having cash on hand or missing an envelope due to vacation or illness.
Instead of using weekly offertory envelopes, you can pre-authorize your gifts to the parish. For your convenience, you can also plan gifts to special annual collections that you don’t want to miss in the coming year. Your pledge enables the parish to plan the finances for your church and parish life programs. Reduced envelopes and staff time mean that you can reduce "overhead" and maximize your gifts.
Pre-authorized gifts are smaller individually, but add up over the year to add vitality to your parish. Whatever the amount, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re personally caring for the needs of your parish.
To set up your own pre-authorized giving, please contact your parish offer for details.