Is it acceptable to give the priest a monetary gift for our baptism & chrismation?

[Melista]

We would like to do something special for our priest for his time and effort receiving us tomorrow. We did give him a handmade Orthodox Cross for teaching our catechism classes and he seemed to like it. I don’t want to offend him if giving a thank you card with money is frowned upon. I’d appreciate any input on this.

 

[Der Alte]

@Mcortho
I copied this from an orthodox website.

It’s fine to give a priest a gift - sometimes this practice is called an honorarium when you’re giving a cash thank you for services rendered or house calls.

In America, where the priest’s paycheck is funded entirely from tithes, honorarium is less common though.

 

[Melista]

@Mcortho
I copied this from an orthodox website.

It’s fine to give a priest a gift - sometimes this practice is called an honorarium when you’re giving a cash thank you for services rendered or house calls.

In America, where the priest’s paycheck is funded entirely from tithes, honorarium is less common though.

Thank you! My husband and I also considered a gift card to a restaurant.

 

[ArmyMatt]

as a priest, I would say donate something to the Church, not the priest.

 

[Melista]

as a priest, I would say donate something to the Church, not the priest.

Thank you so much Father. I will follow your suggestion.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Thank you so much Father. I will follow your suggestion.

no problem. I say that since we clergy shouldn’t be getting gifts for doing the sacraments, if that makes sense. mostly because we are just what God uses, so any gift should go to Him.

 

[Tolworth John]

I'm not orthodox and am not commenting on beliefs etc.

I see nothing wrong in giving your priest a thank you gift whether it is an item or of cash.
What I would suggest is that you thank him publicly, so that your congragation can see that he is valued.

It might be worth talking to your church treasurer about any tax liabilities a cash gift might involve.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'm not orthodox and am not commenting on beliefs etc.

I see nothing wrong in giving your priest a thank you gift whether it is an item or of cash.
What I would suggest is that you thank him publicly, so that your congragation can see that he is valued.

It might be worth talking to your church treasurer about any tax liabilities a cash gift might involve.

this is St Basil’s subforum. please read our rules before posting.

 

[Melista]

@ArmyMatt, is a thank you card okay?

 

[ArmyMatt]

@ArmyMatt, is a thank you card okay?

you can give whatever you want. but it’s not the norm to give gifts for the priest performing the sacraments. that’s why I say give to the Church.

 

[Melista]

you can give whatever you want. but it’s not the norm to give gifts for the priest performing the sacraments. that’s why I say give to the Church.

Thank you.

 

[Melista]

you can give whatever you want. but it’s not the norm to give gifts for the priest performing the sacraments. that’s why I say give to the Church.

Father, please forgive my ignorance and thank you for helping me learn both currently and throughout the time I’ve been here as a catechumen.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Thank you.

no problem

 

[ArmyMatt]

Father, please forgive my ignorance and thank you for helping me learn both currently and throughout the time I’ve been here as a catechumen.

no worries, I was there back in 2006.

 

[ArmyMatt]

and, I will add, if your priest supports a particular Orthodox organization like IOCC, OCMC, OCF, etc. you can donate there as well.

 

[E.C.]

I'll second ArmyMatt's suggestion since he is actually clergy and we are not.


However, as one who grew up in an isolated area of the Pacific Northwest, it was customary to at least feed the priest and give a gas card for the long drive. I support the doing-away of the honorarium because there are some parishes where it becomes outright simony but, for those of us in more isolated areas we need to take care of our priests when they make those long drives.

 

[Melista]

I'll second ArmyMatt's suggestion since he is actually clergy and we are not.


However, as one who grew up in an isolated area of the Pacific Northwest, it was customary to at least feed the priest and give a gas card for the long drive. I support the doing-away of the honorarium because there are some parishes where it becomes outright simony but, for those of us in more isolated areas we need to take care of our priests when they make those long drives.

Thank you for the input! We ended up making a donation to the parish.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I'll second ArmyMatt's suggestion since he is actually clergy and we are not.


However, as one who grew up in an isolated area of the Pacific Northwest, it was customary to at least feed the priest and give a gas card for the long drive. I support the doing-away of the honorarium because there are some parishes where it becomes outright simony but, for those of us in more isolated areas we need to take care of our priests when they make those long drives.

yeah, I was talking about something that happens at the Church, not the priest driving out to someone’s home where it is custom to have food or drink for the journey.

 

[ArmyMatt]

We ended up making a donation to the parish.

good call.

 

[E.C.]

yeah, I was talking about something that happens at the Church, not the priest driving out to someone’s home where it is custom to have food or drink for the journey.

Ah, gotcha.


I think the only "service" that consistently has an actual charge across all jurisdictions is a wedding and even that is only really enforced in some of the major metropolitan areas due to hall rentals. Some parishes actually list a price or "suggested donation" on their websites for baptisms, chrismations, and the like; some jurisdictions have a greater reputation then others on this.