NEW YORK
Staten Island Advance
By Diane C. Lore | lore@siadvance.com
on October 03, 2014
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Roman Catholics on Staten Island are being asked to dig deeper into their wallets to increase their financial support of their local parish churches, as well as to help support the Catholic school system.
Pastors say the borough’s Catholic churches are struggling to pay a hefty regional “schools tax” assessed to each parish by the New York Archdiocese, at the same time many parishes are struggling to make ends meet and pay off debts to the Archdiocese.
For some parishes it could mean cutting back services to parishioners, such as reducing the number of Sunday masses, or parish youth and sports programs, in order to pay the school tax, balance their books, and pay off debts to the Archdiocese.
Some Island pastors say they have no recourse but to ask mass-goers to increase their giving. Some parishes are even accepting online donations.
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