Parishioners at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church can load up the collection plate Sunday with confidence their money will support the charities and program for which it is intended.Stung by financial scandals, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond has distributed tamper-proof money bags to Blessed Sacrament and other parishes throughout the sprawling diocese to ensure donations go where they are intended.
The security measure follows accusations that a retired priest in central Virginia embezzled more than $600,000 from two parishes and the arrest of a church secretary in Richmond shown on video allegedly slipping Sunday offerings into her purse.
John Barrett, the diocesan finance director, said he recommended the safeguards for all parishes following those two incidents. He wants every parish in the diocese to hold money collected during Mass in the tamper-proof bags until the money can be counted and recorded.
The counting, Barrett said, should be done by teams that include at least two unrelated people. Then, after the money is banked, a bookkeeper should compare the deposit slip with the total tallied by the counters, he said. "It's just another safeguard to protect against someone putting their hand in the collection," Barrett said.
The checks and balances may also protect volunteers who handle parish money from false accusations of theft, he said. The Rev. Joseph H. Metzger III said he ordered the security bags for Blessed Sacrament parish even before Barrett's recommendations. "We want to be above reproach; we've had no problems," he said. "It's just good stewardship."
At St. Luke Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, deacon Lawrence Illy said collection money is held in a safe before and after it is counted. "We know who has the money at all times," he said. "If there's any missing money between one point and another, we can quickly figure that out."
At St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, Thomas McAndrews said members of the counting teams are changed weekly. McAndrews, the chairman of St. Gregory's finance council, said that as soon as each collection is counted, it is deposited in a credit union ATM on the church's campus.
"Human beings are human beings," McAndrews said. "Temptations are out there; we do our best to reduce the amount of temptations."
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