Donations

There are two ways in which people can give regularly to help with the running of this parish:-

The preferred method is with a standing order setup via a bankers order. This form is available for download [LINK] and after completion should be posted to the Parish Office where the required reference numbers will be added prior to sending on to your bank or building society.

If you pay tax in the UK please consider giving with Gift Aid. Gift Aid is a Government scheme that allows the parish to reclaim the tax that you have paid on your donation if you are a UK taxpayer. It works like this:-

  • If you are a taxpayer and give £10 to the church you will have paid tax on that amount.
  • The church can get £2.80 of it back with Gift Aid – so your donation of £10 would become worth £12.80 – and it wouldn’t cost you an extra penny!
  • Standard taxpayers need only sign a form which allows the money to be claimed.
  • Higher taxpayers should also claim on their annual tax returns as this amount can be added to their outgoings.

All you need to do is to tick the box for gift aid donations on the bankers order form.

The second method for planned giving is by using special envelopes provided by the Parish. To use this method please download and complete the form for envelopes [LINK]. Gift aid is also available with this method with the same advantages to the Parish please tick the box on the form and after completion give or send into the Parish Office.

When working out how much to give regularly please consider two key questions:

  • Does my giving reflect the importance of the parish in my life?
  • It is said that you can prove anything with statistics” but the fact of the matter is that many people in this Diocese give less that than £1 a week.
  • For some that is a sacrifice and they shouldn’t give more.
  • But for others it probably could be more. Does what you give reflect the importance of the Parish in your life and what you can afford?
  • So if you earn £10, 000 that’s about £5. It may sound a lot but it is less than one day’s congestion charge in central London. Nobody can tell you how much you should give it is a personal decision. However, Cardinal Hume once suggested that people who work should consider donating an hours pay per week.
  • While if you earn £20,000 it’s around £10. Equivalent to the price of a delivered large pizza.
  • Can you afford that amount every week or each month? If you do not work but receive an income the same rule can apply based on one-fortieth of your weekly income.

Remember: Any new or existing commitment you make can always be changed at any time.

What happens to the Parish when I am not here?

  • It is not always possible to come here to Mass every week. For example” you may be away on holiday or visiting, however, the costs of running the Parish continue to be incurred.
  • Please, therefore, consider committing to a regular amount each week to give even if you can’t come to Mass. This would enable the Parish to plan ahead knowing that your gift would be coming.

Remembering St Mary’s and St Albans Halifax in your Will

If you wish to consider leaving something to St Mary’s and St Albans Halifax in your will you may simply wish to state that the money is to be used for the general purposes of the Trust of St Mary’s and St Albans Halifax. You may wish to specify that you would like the gift to be used in some specific way; for instance for the benefit of the St Mary’s and St Albans Halifax Parish. If you would like to discuss this matter with the parish priest please do not hesitate to ask.

Other Donations

If you would like to make a donation to the parish for some specific purpose please contact the Parish Priest. Please remember that by signing a gift aid declaration form you will enable the value of your donation to be increased considerably.