Weekly Giving

The Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG) Program enables parishioners to have their regular Sunday offerings transferred directly from their bank account to the parish on a monthly basis. It has many beneficial aspects for both the parishioners and the parish.

Benefits to Parishioners

  • Eliminates the need of ensuring you have the correct amount of cash for envelopes or of having to write a cheque (with possible banking fee).
  • Monthly contributions from PAG are deducted from your bank account on or about the 20th of each month. This allows you more control over your own budget.
  • No more need to remember taking envelope to Church during the “scramble” to get to mass on time.

Simple and easy set up – one form and void cheque is all it takes. PAG allows you to feel good about knowing that your contribution to the Parish is always taken care of.

Benefits to the Parish

  • Steady cash flow which allows for a much more reliable budget of expenses and will help to eliminate the difficulties caused by low offerings due to summer and winter vacation times when attendance is lower than normal.
  • Whatever amount and/or way you wish to make your Sunday offering (weekly or PAG), please know that your support of the parish is greatly appreciated.

Steps to subscribe to PAG

  • Determine monthly amount as outlined in PAG Donation Guide (below)
  • Complete the Pre-authorized Giving Form
  • Submit a voided cheque with the Authorization Form to the Parish office.
  • First withdrawal will come on the 20th of the month following month of PAG submission to parish office.

Your PAG Subscription

Authorization Form – if you wish to participate, print the form and submit it with a voided cheque to the parish office or put in the weekly collection basket.

With notice in writing to reach parish office by the last day of month prior to the month of change or withdrawal, your contribution amount can be adjusted at any time (up or down) or cancelled if circumstances change.

PAG Donation Guide

If you are in the habit of contributing to the parish only monthly, then shifting to monthly pre-authorized giving is not a problem. The amount you gave in your envelope each month is the same amount that you give through pre-authorized giving. But if you have been normally giving each week then it is a little more complicated. The temptation is to think that your monthly contribution would simply be four times your weekly contribution. However, there are several months in which there are five weeks. Therefore, in order to continue to give at least the same offering to the parish on a monthly basis as you would if you continued to give on a weekly basis, you need to figure in those months that have five weeks.
To assist you with this, we have prepared the following chart which we hope might be helpful to you. Instead of multiplying your weekly donation by four, you actually multiply it by 52 to determine how much you give per year and then you divide that figure by 12 to determine how much you need to give each month to maintain your current level of offering.

Weekly
Donations of
Equals Annual
Donations of
Equals Monthly
Donations of
5.00 260.00 21.67
15.00 780.00 65.00
25.00 1,300.00 108.33
40.00 2,080.00 173.33
60.00 3,120.00 260.00
80.00 4,160.00 346.67
100.00 5,200.00 433.33
125.00 6,500.00 541.67

Remember that PAG covers only the regular Sunday offering – it is not meant to cover other special occasions like Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, quarterly Maintenance fund collections and Diocesan special collections such as ShareLife, etc. Each PAG participant will annually receive a box of envelopes which includes Initial Offering, Good Friday, Easter, Christmas and four Maintenance offerings. These are in addition to the monthly PAG amount. Envelopes for Special Collections that are taken up across the Archdiocese for various purposes will be available in the pews on the Sunday one week before the actual Special Collection.

Envelopes

Should you wish to use envelopes to make your donation to the parish, you may obtain them by contacting the parish office either by phone (416-221-8866) or by e-mail at office@stgabrielsparish.ca. Envelopes will then be issued in your name and you can arrange to pick them up at the parish office during the week or on Saturday or Sunday when you come to church. For those who are contributing by way of envelopes, envelopes for the subsequent year are prepared and available towards the beginning of December of each year. The envelopes will be placed in the Gathering Space of the church for you to pick up.

The box of envelopes includes envelopes for each Sunday of the year as well as Maintenance and envelopes for Christmas, Good Friday, Easter and the Initial offering. Envelopes for Special Collections that are taken up across the Archdiocese for various purposes will be available in the pews on the Sunday one week before the actual Special Collection.

Each time you use an envelope, please put your name on the envelope and write on it the amount of money that is included. This ensures that the parish office is able to correctly credit you with your actual donation for income tax receipt purposes.

INCOME TAX RECEIPTS

Each year in February, income tax receipts will be issued to all those who donate $25.00 or more to the parish in the preceding year. For those who give less, income tax receipts will be issued upon request.