The biblical roots of the tithe
The word tithe simply means a tenth. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were required to give a tenth of their produce to the Lord. Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem (Genesis 14:20). Jacob promised that of all God gave him, he would surely give a tenth (Genesis 28:22). The Mosaic Law set out the tithe as a structured offering supporting the Levites, who served the Temple, and the poor. The tithe was not optional. It was the baseline of how the people of God recognised that everything they had came from Him.
By the time of Jesus, the tithe was being kept faithfully by some, including the Pharisees. Christ did not abolish it. He warned, however, that observing the tithe while neglecting "the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness" was hollow. "You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former" (Matthew 23:23). The tithe is good. The tithe without love is not.
What the Catholic Church actually teaches
The Catholic Church does not impose a fixed 10 per cent tithe on the faithful. The Catechism, in setting out the precepts of the Church, says that the faithful are required "to provide for the material needs of the Church, each according to his abilities" (CCC 2043). The phrase "according to his abilities" is key. The Church teaches proportionate giving, not a flat rate.
This is the teaching that runs through the Diocese of Shrewsbury. There is no diocesan rule that says you must give 10 per cent. There is, however, a deep expectation that every Catholic will give in proportion to what they have. A pensioner on a small fixed income who gives £5 a week may well be giving more, in real terms, than a high earner who gives £50 a month and never feels it.
Why proportion is the right measure
Proportion makes giving fair across very different lives. A working family with three children at school cannot reasonably be asked for the same as a retired couple with no mortgage. A young person on a first salary cannot match someone in their fifties at the top of their career. Proportion takes account of what is left after the rent, the food, the bills, and the duties of state. It asks what fraction of that remaining capacity goes back to God.
It also keeps giving honest. A fixed amount looks generous when income rises and may look impossible when income falls. A percentage moves with circumstances and stays roughly the same in real terms. This is why most Catholics who give proportionately think in terms of percentage of net income, not pounds and pence.
How to discern your figure
There is no formula, but there is a useful method. Sit down with your last three months of bank statements. Note your total net income. Note what you currently give to the parish, the diocese, and any other charity. Convert that into a percentage of net income. Most Catholics, when they do this honestly for the first time, find their giving is somewhere between 0.5 and 2 per cent.
Then ask three questions:
- Does my giving cost me anything I notice?
- Is it the first call on my income, or the last?
- If my income rose by 20 per cent, would my giving rise too, or would it stay where it is?
If the answer to the first two questions is no, the figure is probably below your real proportion. If the answer to the third is "stay where it is", the figure has stopped being proportionate at all.
Growing into a tithe over time
Some Catholics in the diocese do work towards the full biblical tithe of 10 per cent. They usually arrive there by stages. They begin at one or two per cent, hold it for a year, then add another half per cent each January until they reach a figure that feels right before God. The annual review at the start of each tax year is a good rhythm. It also lines up neatly with Gift Aid declarations and the diocesan financial year.
Where the tithe goes
Some Catholics tithe the full ten per cent to the Catholic Church alone. Others split the figure between the parish, the diocese, and other Catholic causes such as missionary orders, religious communities, or pro-life work. The Catechism's words "the material needs of the Church" point first to the parish and diocese as the primary objects of giving, because these are the bodies that keep the Mass available. Other Catholic giving is good and meritorious, but the parish and diocese have the first call.
The witness of 175 years
The Diocese of Shrewsbury has been built on the proportionate giving of ordinary Catholics for 175 years. Bishop Davies, in his Advent Pastoral Letter on the 175th anniversary, recalled that the first generation worked through "a want of means", and that the Mass came to be within everyone's reach because each generation made every sacrifice. None of them tithed because a rule said so. They gave because they understood that the Church was theirs and that her costs were theirs to carry.
A practical next step
If you would like a confidential conversation about proportionate giving, the right person to write to is Carol Lawrence, Financial Secretary at the Diocese of Shrewsbury (Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust, registered charity number 234025). Email carol.lawrence@dioceseofshrewsbury.org or phone 0151 652 9855. Ask for a Standing Order form and a Gift Aid declaration. Choose a percentage you are willing to defend before God, and review it each January.
