New Online “Offertory Collection” Donation Facility – First and foremost, a big Thank You to all who support our parish financially. Without your ongoing generosity, the parish of Straide would not be viable. The generosity of parishioners has always been exceptional and second to none. A special thanks is due to those who made every effort to keep returning their weekly Offertory Envelopes during the height of the pandemic, when public Masses were not celebrated for 16 weeks.

During the course of those 16 weeks, many parishioners asked how they could continue to contribute to the Church. The advice given then was that health and safety took priority over venturing out unnecessarily. In addition, it was evident that the economy was ‘on hold’ and, as a result, many jobs were being lost. Understandably, those with reduced incomes were not in a position to be as generous to the Church as they had been heretofore.

The introduction of a webcam to the Church during shut down proved to be very popular and beneficial. Judging by the number of viewers, it continues to be very useful today – especially for those who are not yet comfortable returning to weekend or daily Masses. The fact that the maximum number of parishioners who can attend a Mass is currently limited to 50, means that it is not possible to accommodate the numbers who previously attended. Thus, by necessity, many parishioners will have no option but to continue to stay at home and watch our Masses online.

With a view to offering convenience and security for their parishioners, several neighbouring parishes and dioceses have introduced a simple, safe, secure and convenient online donations method for “Offertory Collections”. Where it has been introduced, the feedback has been extremely positive.

The system proved especially popular and convenient for those who could not attend Church on a regular basis and for those living outside their parish who wished to contribute. For others, it proved to be a more convenient alternative to using the existing Offertory Envelope system.

Straide Parish has, through its website (www.straideparish.com), recently launched a similar simple and secure online “Offertory Collection” donation service. Parishioners can now choose to make a once-off donation, or a weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual contribution to the parish. It is also possible to donate, equally securely, to all other parish collections that take place over the course of the year. There are no additional processing fees involved for the donor. All donations go directly into the parish bank account and are not handled by a third party.

Why not check out this new facility and see if it suits your needs? You may well be surprised at its simplicity, convenience and security. Visit www.straideparish.com and hit the “Donate” button on the top right hand corner.

We greatly appreciate your continued support and generosity.