LIKE everything else in life Catholicism doesn't come cheap.Since the age of indulgences - when the Church levied a fee on the abolishment of sins - people have literally paid their way into heaven.Every sacrament on the Catholic journey of life has a charge affixed.
From Baptism to matrimony to burial the issue of money is never far away. While it seems cold and unspiritual to put a price tag on faith it is a fact of life.
The Catholic Church in 2007 is an enormously wealthy institution. Its fiscal power has been built up over centuries of charging people for its services. Indeed many of its detractors label Catholicism a greedy religion that runs a lucrative, worldwide simony racket. Critics also suggest the Church sells Masses, indulgences and other graces for a price; then uses the money to gild its altars and fill Vatican coffers.
But most followers of the religion, even the al a-carte Catholics, are more than prepared to pay in search of the divine. So what exactly is the price of salvation for God fearing Catholics in the world today? And should the same Godfearing Catholics we speak of be pointing the costly finger of blame back on themselves?
The first big financial outlay most Catholics will make is toward the sacrament of Communion - the cost of which has risen exponentially in the last decade.Children today are demanding all the trimmings for their first Communions - and often the families who can least afford it are the ones most likely to splash out sums of up to €2,000 on the clothes and parties.
Some parents are paying as much as €500 for a dress and all the extras for a first communicant.
Boys too can be expensive - especially if you're opting for a hand-tailored, made-tomeasure suit which can cost as much as €250. On top of this, many families use first Communion - like Confirmation - as an excuse to tog out the whole family. Factor in the cost of a lunch in a hotel or restaurant or a party for relatives and friends and often families will find there is very little change out of €1,000.
There is a lot of evidence to show that it is the less welloff families who are splashing the cash for their First Communion.
Research conducted by Limerick's Paul Project in the early 1990s showed that low-income families making "special needs" social-welfare claims did so to raise money to cover Communion or Confirmation costs.
For one-third of the people surveyed, the payments - which ranged from €20 to €190 - were insufficient to meet the total costs of clothes. More than half of these were willing to go into debt to make up the shortfall.
Michael Wall, director of services at the society of St. Vincent De Paul, confirms that low-income families often prefer to buy new Communion clothes rather than take hand-me-downs for free.
He said: "People donate Communion dresses to us which often have cost hundreds of pounds."We offer them to people in need and sell the surplus in our shops to raise funds. "We find that people who seem short of money often prefer to buy their own dresses and that the people who buy the dresses in our shops are usually of reasonable means."
And in today's world of increasing Communion costs it's not only their own child that causes parents' expense. It's the child's friends as well as it has become the norm now to give some money to them as well.
Eileen McMahon, who saw her daughter make her Holy Communion last year, said: "I thought after forking out €300 for my daughter's dress and shoes and another €500 for a buffet for the family, I had got away reasonably well. But I was soon told I needed to factor in the cost of hair, gloves, a bag and handouts to most of my daughter's classmates. By the time I'd finally worked out all the costs I didn't see change from about €1,500."
With all the fuss about clothing and its costs it's little wonder that many of the clergy fear that in all the commotion the religious nature of the event is being overlooked.
Several dioceses of the Catholic Church have introduced measures to prevent commercialism from entering the sacraments. Yet the Church itself continues to levy a fee on church necessities.
If you want to get a Mass said for someone you have to first buy a Mass card and then pay the priest to get the card signed and offer up the Mass for your loved one. This is essentially the old practise of indulgences in a different form.
The traditional Irish Catholic Station Mass - which sees the priest call into local houses to say Mass - is another financial necessity that needs to be met. The priest needs to be paid and most families who host the Mass will take the opportunity to give their house a makeover.
The Church has also started to make pre-marriage courses compulsory for couples that wish to marry in a Catholic church. They generally cost around €100 but if you want the pleasure of a one-to-one course with your local priest the price can almost double up to €180.
It's necessary also to pay the priest to marry you and most couples generally give around €300.
And one can't forget the altar boys either as they generally want paying too.
The trend continues when the couple have their first child when they will be required to again pay the priest for the Baptism. And it's not just special occasions that you're bound to dig deep - every Sunday the baskets will go round and you will be asked to donate.
Money matters - even in church.
Matrimony is of course the gargantuan spend when it comes to being a Catholic. The average cost of an Irish wedding has doubled in the past 10 years to a whopping €30,000 - more than the deposit on a house.
So why have Irish weddings suddenly become such grandiose affairs?
Sunday Tribune fashion editor and editor of Confetti magazine Ciara Elliott says it's simply a reflection of a buoyant economy."Time was your wedding day meant donning your best dress, arranging sandwiches and tea for neighbours and strolling down to the local church to be 'handed over' from father to new husband," she says.
These days the bride wants the whole shooting gallery of fabulous dress, classy reception, stylish hen weekend away and honeymoon to die for. And why wouldn't they?
"With the rising economic tide, Ireland has taken a lot of its spending habits directly from America where weddings have been getting progressively more lavish since the 1980s."Four years ago Ireland had only four full-time wedding experts. Now there are 60.
Managing director of Co-Ordination Made Easy Kate Deegan started her operation in 2002. She said: "Our business is booming because couples want less stress and don't mind paying extra money to ensure the wedding day runs smoothly."Certainly, not all couples are opting to celebrate in such an excessive way but things have moved on from the era of the homemade dress and cakes and 'beef or salmon'.
But again this shouldn't be the fault of the Church according to London parishioner Daire Whelan. He said: "People are creating the very situation they are criticising."The Catholic Church I'm sure would be more than happy if people would concern themselves more with the actual religious significance of the sacraments than with all the various trappings that come with these ceremonies. I think it's crazy to criticise having to pay the priest. He gets no other form of payment and at the end of the day he's providing a service at the ceremony. People wouldn't think twice about paying €300 on flowers and thousands of pounds on a venue yet they expect the church to provide for nothing?
People should assess what it is that's important and then try to make an argument. I don't know anyone else who would get up at 3am in the morning to tend to the sick and lonely."
So what is the Catholic Church's response to the rising prices of the modern wedding?
Unsurprisingly it's very much out of touch with modern Ireland.
Fr Gerard Godley of the Diocese of Kerry advocates using charity shops for wedding clothes. He said: "It is a very good idea. It is for a good cause and takes away the money pressures that shouldn't be there in the first place."
But the price of being a Catholic doesn't end there.
Again when you are finally ready to meet your maker money and costs continue to come into the equation.
You can't get into heaven without a funeral by a priest - a send-off which can cost anything up to €3,000.
And if you haven't arranged things beforehand, your family will foot the bill.
It seems that being a Catholic in life is like everything else - all about the money.
But who is to blame?
You decide....
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