To be in dilemma how much to pay to the priest?

[Brokensoul]

My two DD's are getting baptised in RC church. We are at the moment in a bit thight place with the money and I know priest is expecting monetary donation.
I am in dilemma how much is appropriate. Please can someone advice me?! Thank you so much.

whatever you can afford. If you can only afford a few quid because you're broke I'm sure the priest would understand.

Some churches have a list of fees that are charged for various ceremonies. You could look this up and give that amount.

How much can you afford? £20 per child would be plenty.

Hi when my DC were baptised the priest just left a collection plate which we and others were invited to donate to so he would have had no idea how much we gave. Hopefully it will be similar for you.

I think we gave £50 and this was just over 11 years ago when all 3 DC were baptised at once and at the time that was all we could afford. My parents probably gave more.

We gave £50 for each of ours. It's tricky as there is no guidance anywhere but I think you give what you feel you can afford.

Thank you for reply. One of the parishioners told me it should be in between £100-150 for two kids :-/
I don't have that money.... I am really getting all worked out about it.
It's in two weeks and I genuinely don't have it. We had such a bad year eapecially last few months. Lost lots of money and I feel almost guilty for not being able to pay that amount...

I'm shocked at £150!

It's a church, they're supposed to welcome everyone. Surely it's not on,y for those that can afford it?

£100-£150 would be on the very generous side of what is normal! Honestly. I've been to a few christenings this year and know for a fact that the priest was given nothing near that amount. 50 euro is the standard amount in Ireland.

Call the church office. There will be a standard fee; if there's any negotiation to be done it'll be far less embarrassing to have done it in advance of the actual ceremony.

Give what you can afford , that's what everyone in my parish does. £100 to £150 not the norm.

Don't worry. We've had our son baptised and gave £50 but seriously don't stress about it. Just pop it in a card with a personal message of thanks and I'm sure the priest will be fine.

Besides the money is an envelope, the priest isn't going to make you wait while he opens and counts it. Honestly, times are tough, you give what you're comfortable giving.

A quick google says the donation should cover the running costs of he church for the event so his time, heating,music etc.

We gave £50 when DS was baptised a few years back.

Are your kids the only ones being christened? Often what happens is that the church sets aside one Saturday a month to carry out christenings, so there might be a few babies being christened at the same time. It's not like you're booking the church for a wedding.

Is the baptism a private service, or will it be during the normal Sunday Mass? If the latter then there are not really any extra costs being incurred, so the info HMo1 found wouldn't apply...

As far as I know, there are charges for marriages and funerals but NEVER for baptism. Our Church (not RC) wouldn't dream of charging for this. When we had our DCs christened we did put more than usual in the collection, but only because we chose to, it certainly wasn't expected.

I'm presuming there are charges for weddings and funerals because (a) there is a certain amount of official paperwork which has to be done and (b) the church has to be opened up just for those ceremonies, whereas christenings are part of the Sunday service.
I would check that you've got it right, I really can't imagine a church charging for a christening.

You are all so kind with such a quick and commforting replies.
I think I can afford £30- £40 but not more.
I will buy nice card with a thank you note and pop the money in... But I will ask priest after mass in the morning if he is going to be free. Thank you so much.

Seriously, £40 is plenty!

There shouldn't be a charge for a christening! That's why it's a donation.

I agree that you should talk to the priest. You could always donate what you're able to afford and then if you're able to provide a bit extra in a few months time you could always pop a little extra in the collection plate.

Any priest worth his salt would prefer you to donate nothing than go into debt to pay for the christening!

Its the cost of a family meal out.

Both of mine were baptised in a RC church. Both times it was a donation in a sealed envelope which my priest clearly told me was to be a donation that we could afford, which I think is the bit to concentrate on. There will also be a collection plate at the back if any of the guests would like to give a donation as well however there is no obligation for them to. Give what you feel comfortable with that won't break the bank and enjoy your day.

We're currently arranging an RC baptism and our church suggests £25. Call the parish office and ask - you won't be the first!

We will give our priest £50 although it is a donation so give what you want. The admin was £5 which was just a contribution towards tea, biscuits, stationary etc.

Not sure about your man but ours is advancing in years and is frail, I will add a nice food gift and maybe take around some stew in the winter.

And invite them to the 'do' afterwards if you can.

They don't always come but in my experience 2 out of three times they did !
I do remember them saying how much appreciated being asked.