GIVING

As followers of Christ, it is natural to give generously and do acts of kindness. It is also very biblical to express our gratitude to God by giving a portion of our abundant blessings to sustain and grow church ministries by tithing to our parish.

We also support other worthwhile charities in our communities and many people support more than one parish if they live for parts of the year in different places.

There are many ways to advance the mission of the Church and give back to God through gifts of prayer, time, talent and treasure. The greatest gift we give to God is worship and praise at the Holy Mass which he instituted for us. It is there that he feeds the hungry and gives us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. We place our lives at the altar and offer ourselves with him at the altar to give glory to God. This in turn leads to generosity of spirit and works of charity. We encourage you to prayerfully consider what sacrificial gifts you want to make and how you wish to return to the Lord for His goodness to you.

You can make life better for others and pay it forward so that your life is a legacy of praise for the glory of God.

Parish Collections

Plate Collections on Sundays and Holy Days are used to pay our ordinary bills, such as utilities, payroll, and supplies. The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix places an assessments on ordinary parish income to support diocesan ministries.

Restricted Funds: We also collect money for restricted funds for memorial donations and capital campaigns. These are not assessed by the diocese. We can assure you that the restrictions which you choose to put on your donations will be followed. But, we must say that sometimes it is best to not restrict the funds in such a way that the parish is not able to advance its mission. It is always helpful to discuss your intentions with us before restricting your donation. Some donors may wish to give directly to a parish project and not go through the diocese, or may wish to use the diocese’ donor services but make donations that are restricted to, for example, the parish construction project.

Loan/Building Fund

We have been extremely blessed by our donors who have supported the building of our church. We made many pre-payments of our principal and thus saved a tremendous amount on interest payments. We will be able to move the payoff date to October 2021. We have renamed the “Loan Repayment Fund” previously shown in our Faith Direct online giving. It is now the “Loan/Building Fund.” Money in that account will now go toward the new activities center construction. For those who wish to make a pledge to the new construction and pay it off over a period of a few years, please do so through the special account set up with the Diocese of Phoenix “Together Go Forth Donor Services” shown below. You can help us advance the mission of Christ as we move forward on building our new Parish Activities Center.

Required Minimum Distributions (“RMD”)

You may be able to reduce income taxes by taking all or some of your Required Minimum Distributions as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (“QCD”.) In addition to benefiting Saint Clare Parish, a QCD can benefit you because it is excluded from taxable income. The distribution goes directly to Saint Clare Parish instead of to you and then to our parish. In addition to not having to pay taxes on the RMD, by reducing taxable income you may be able to derive additional credits or increase allowable deductions. As always, you should consult with your financial advisor for details.

Stock Transfers

Generally, when contributing capital gain property (stocks, bonds, real estate etc. held longer than 1 year,) the amount of the deduction is computed by using the fair market value. When this is done, the payment of capital gains tax can be avoided. Consult with your financial advisor if you wish to do this.

Our parish can receive stocks from you to help you and our parish. We manage stock transfers through the Diocese of Phoenix.

Include Us in Your Will or Trust

We very much appreciate when people include our parish in their estate planning. We suggest that when you set up your estate planning to divide your estate among your next of kin, you consider adding Saint Clare of Assisi Parish as one of your family members in your distribution.

Arizona Beneficiary Deeds

Arizona real property transferred by an Arizona Beneficiary Deed avoids the cost and delay of probate because the property is not part of the probate estate of the deceased owner. Avoiding probate can save a family $1,500 to $3,000 or more in legal fees. Read Arizona Revised Statutes 33-405.

Diocese of Phoenix

Charity and Development Appeal – CDA, Sanctity of Life Appeal: Our diocese has several giving opportunities. Some of these are managed by the Office of Mission Advancement.

Arizona Tax-Credits: Another great opportunity to help lower the cost of tuition for students in our Catholic schools is to take advantage of the annual tax-credit to redirect a portion of your income taxes to the Catholic school of your choice or to the general fund for Catholic Education - Catholic Education Arizona.

Seminarian Fund: Support the Catholic TV Mass and other links all on the Diocese’ Donation page.

National Collections

The Diocese of Phoenix parishes participate in national efforts to support domestic and foreign needs - USCCB National Collections.