Author Topic: SSPX Bingo nights (Read 2632 times)

Marlelar · « **on:** February 05, 2017, 03:55:01 PM »

Does your SSPX chapel have Bingo? Our church (Phx) is trying to start it for a fundraiser to pay down the (very large) building debt, but even in a parish our size we can not get enough volunteers to run the game.

I personally think Bingo is a poor idea no matter how you slice it, but if we can't get enough people to run the game who the heck is actually going to come and play? If I had a spare 10 bucks to gamble with on a Saturday night I'd just go and put it in the collection basket on Sunday and skip the gambling.

Nadir · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2017, 04:10:18 PM »

From my memory, in the old days when there was less entertainment on tap, Bingo was attended by non-church goers, so maybe advertise in your local paper. :rolleyes:

Ekim · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2017, 10:37:34 PM »

Back in the 80's my NO parish was packed with Bingo players. Most were non-parishioners

mw2016 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2017, 11:08:19 PM »

Quote from: Marlelar

Does your SSPX chapel have Bingo? Our church (Phx) is trying to start it for a fundraiser to pay down the (very large) building debt, but even in a parish our size we can not get enough volunteers to run the game.

Once again, they are doing it for the wrong reasons: money. The parish needs to stop making everything about money, because the people are tired of it and tapped out.

If anything, the parish would be better served simply by the social aspect of the bingo nights. The parish life in PHX is essentially dead. Anything to help revive the comraderie and joie de vivre there would help a lot.

Last Tradhican · « **Reply #4 on:** February 06, 2017, 06:30:11 AM »

If a parish does not have the donations to pay for their "house", it is a sign that they never had the parishioner base to substantiate the expense, they never should have built the structure as large as they did. = poor management.

From my experience, it is the result of one or two big donors giving the money to build something that the parishioners can't afford to maintain or complete. Once the big donor is gone, the pastor knows nothing else but to go after the parishioners for money which they never had.

It is like a person winning a Hatteras yacht, like $500,000, the person is at first all thrilled, till he realizes the exorbitant cost of the maintenance, which he can't even begin to afford.

That is likely the problem at your chapel.

mw2016 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 06, 2017, 09:46:02 AM »

Quote from: Last Tradhican

If a parish does not have the donations to pay for their "house", it is a sign that they never had the parishioner base to substantiate the expense, they never should have built the structure as large as they did. = poor management.

It is like a person winning a Hatteras yacht, like $500,000, the person is at first all thrilled, till he realizes the exorbitant cost of the maintenance, which he can't even begin to afford.

That is likely the problem at your chapel.

This is precisely the problem in Phoenix.

Marlelar · « **Reply #6 on:** February 06, 2017, 01:41:10 PM »

Quote from: mw2016

Quote from: Marlelar
Does your SSPX chapel have Bingo? Our church (Phx) is trying to start it for a fundraiser to pay down the (very large) building debt, but even in a parish our size we can not get enough volunteers to run the game.

Once again, they are doing it for the wrong reasons: money. The parish needs to stop making everything about money, because the people are tired of it and tapped out.

If anything, the parish would be better served simply by the social aspect of the bingo nights. The parish life in PHX is essentially dead. Anything to help revive the comraderie and joie de vivre there would help a lot.

I agree completely. Maybe they could look for ways to cut regular expenses rather than raising money. I would think we could get enough volunteers to come in once or twice a month and take over the more mundane landscape work like pulling weeds and trimming bushes to reduce the landscape fees. I think that giving people something to "do" brings them together more than providing them with some sort of "entertainment".

Lunatik · « **Reply #7 on:** February 06, 2017, 06:23:42 PM »

Marlelar I am not sure where you got your information but we had sign-ups on Sunday and more than twice signed up to help out then was needed for the bingo!

Bingo originated in Italy and started in Catholic Churches to raise monies to pay for various bills. It came to the US in the 1940s. In fact there are a fair amount around Phoenix that do just this. The idea is to raise money from the outside instead of the parish community. However it does provide a social setting also for parish members to come and met others along with having outsiders come.

To be sure Marlelar the budget has been reviewed many times on ways to cut the bills. Maybe that is why I clean the bathrooms once a month among other things, as I am sure you give you time also.

Is this parish to small to support this large church? In my opinion no. We are meeting our bills and need to start taking a hunk out of the building debt which we are doing. We will have a drawing from a raffle this week and the monies will all go towards paying the debt down. Now we have bingo.

Nothing to do in this parish?

Well if you volunteer your time like I am sure you do, then you are busy.
However: We just had a play at the Performing Arts Center. We have active sports teams that I am sure would welcome your cheering them on. We have an active Mens' Club that meets once a month at a local brewery and it is growing. Soon we will reactivate the Holy Name Society. Father leads the Rosary every night at 6 p.m. A special Rosary to Our lady of Guadalupe is every 12th of the month at 6 pm. Benediction is almost every single week. We have constant retreats that you can attend. So much is here for everyone. Let us continue to look for the good and stop the pettiness that we are all tempted to get into sometimes.

Viva Cristo Rey · « **Reply #8 on:** February 06, 2017, 07:27:31 PM »

Men's club that meets a local brewery is a recipe for trouble and waste of money.

Growing up, my Father always was tired from work and looked forward to coming home to us.
My husband comes home to me after a long day of work.

Viva Cristo Rey · « **Reply #9 on:** February 06, 2017, 07:40:24 PM »

However, everything else sounds like the parish is trying to bond and work to pay off the debt while growing spiritually. Many of you are blessed to have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Confession, local retreats, daily Rosary and even Holy Name Society.

Pocketbook bingo is really popular in our area.

Marlelar · « **Reply #10 on:** February 07, 2017, 05:45:53 PM »

Quote from: Lunatik

Marlelar I am not sure where you got your information but we had sign-ups on Sunday and more than twice signed up to help out then was needed for the bingo!
...

Nothing to do in this parish?
...

However: We just had a play at the Performing Arts Center. We have active sports teams that I am sure would welcome your cheering them on. We have an active Mens' Club that meets once a month at a local brewery and it is growing. Soon we will reactivate the Holy Name Society. Father leads the Rosary every night at 6 p.m. A special Rosary to Our lady of Guadalupe is every 12th of the month at 6 pm. Benediction is almost every single week. We have constant retreats that you can attend. So much is here for everyone. Let us continue to look for the good and stop the pettiness that we are all tempted to get into sometimes.

I'm not sure if it was this past Sunday or the one before but Father Stafki said from the pulpit that there were not enough volunteers to staff the Bingo game.

As far as nothing to "do", I probably should have made myself more clear, I wasn't speaking of spiritual events, Father has done a find job in that respect, especially in arranging the visit of the Pilgrim Virgin statue. I meant "constructive" activities that would help minimize expenses, not socializing events, not entertainment events, not quaffing brews at a local watering hole.

Although with the SSPX on the slippery slope toward selling out to Rome, I'm not sure there is anything that will truly bring the parish together, too many people fear for the future of the Society.

Aleah · « **Reply #11 on:** February 09, 2017, 09:56:08 AM »

Quote from: Aleah

I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong about going to a brewery to socialize with like- minded Catholics. The conversations are on good subjects from what I have heard and creating a friendship with other parishioners instead of co-workers is wonderful.
With the drop in donations (and people on here admitting they are withholding funds) then the parish has to seek another way of obtaining new funds. The great thing about Bingo is that it will bring in outside funds and (hopefully) bring relief to the wallets of the parishioners.
Whether you like the SSPX or not- if you are attending this chapel then you are accepting them in one way or another. Either you move on or become a part of the parish and help as you are able and embrace the beautiful opportunities to earn graces.
Phoenix has numerous alternatives and so if you aren’t on board with the SSPX; seek out another parish. You have the opportunity while others don’t-make a decision and then you will no longer feel the need to complain.