CONTENTS:

Notes for speaking Notes for Parish newsletters Liturgical Resources:o Ideas for helping focus on the meaning of Lento Prayers of the Faithful

Financial:o Instructions for counting Lent donations

(NB: These are intended only as a guide. Feel free to adapt to your own purposes and style.)  Thank you for the opportunity to speak for a few minutes today. [Introduce yourself]  Lent is a time of repentance, fasting, praying and almsgiving. The theme for Lent 2019 is “Living Our Lives with Love” – taken from Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate – Rejoice and Exult. This theme highlights the call to let love permeate all that we do.  Earlier last year Caritas met Nandoor, a South Sudanese woman working at a fish stall within an Internally Displaced Persons camp. Alongside 10 other family members, Nandoor fled her village after civil unrest erupted and walked for 2 months in the jungle until they reached safety within the camp. Caritas agencies have been supporting thousands of families within IDP camps like Nandoor’s, helping them to access basic needs such as food, water, healthcare and shelter.  During Lent, New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops invite us to provide for the needs of the poor through the work of Caritas. Money raised through the Bishops’ Lent Appeal helps to fund both development and emergency relief work around the world. You can donate to the Bishops’ Lent Appeal each week by using this pack of six envelopes [hold up envelopes]; or as a single donation for all of Lent, [hold up envelope].   These can be returned through your parish’s weekly collection or posted freepost directly to Caritas. Please do include your contact details, such as name, address and email details, so that we can send you a tax receipt. Alternatively, you can donate online by visiting www.caritas.org.nz and pay by credit card or make a direct transfer to Caritas’ bank account.  In order to pray with the Gospels, you, your parish or family may want to use the Caritas Lenten Reflection booklet [hold up LRP]. Your parish office will have received copies however they can also be downloaded free from the Caritas website www.caritas.org.nz or purchased as a hardcopy booklet from Caritas for around $2 each. Translations are also available to order in Te Reo Māori, Samoan, and Tongan.  If you haven’t already collected a set of Lent envelopes for your family, please make sure you do so before leaving Church today. Each weekly envelope features a Caritas project which you have made possible with your donations and a prayer for that week.   If you have any questions or comments, please come and see me after Mass and I’ll be happy to help you. Thank you for being part of the work of Caritas and journeying with us this Lent.  

  

  Keep it brief and simple.  Look for ideas from the Lent Appeal envelopes for the coming week in order to alert 

people to the theme for that week.  Get ideas from the Lent Reflection Programme booklet relating to the theme  You can use material from the Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Annual Report to identify

where donations were used.  Other information related to Caritas projects can be found at www.caritas.org.nz   .   

You could thank people for their generosity in recent years.  You may wish to mention the amount of donations collected from your parish in the \

previous week.  Suggested   parish   newsletter notices  for the 10th and 17th March 2019:  “Lenten Giving Envelope Packs have been distributed today at Mass. You can either use the weekly donation envelopes or use a single donation envelope. You may either return your donation envelopes during the parish offertory collection, or send them to Caritas directly. A freepost envelope is available for this option. NZ Post specifies that cash must not be sent through the post.     Donations received by Caritas in these envelopes by 31 March 2019 will be sent receipts for the 2018/2019 tax year. Donations received by Caritas after April 1st will be sent receipts for the 2019/2020 tax year. Thank you for your generous support.” 

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR SPEAKINGGUIDANCE NOTES FOR PARISH NEWSLETTERS

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As it is such a significant time in the liturgical calendar, we are aware that most parishes will have their own arrangements and traditions for liturgical celebrations during this time. 

As you plan for Lent, you may like to incorporate some of the following suggestions and ideas to continue to remind parishioners that Lent is a time when we reach beyond ourselves to assist people in need, particularly the most poor and vulnerable members of our local and global communities.

Suggestions:  PowerPoint – a Lent PowerPoint is available on the Caritas website.  Some parishes use this as a background for quiet reflection before or after Mass, and others use it as a reflection after Communion, accompanied by quiet music. Individual slides from the PowerPoint can also be incorporated into your own parish PowerPoints, to help highlight the links between the Lenten Gospels and the selected programmes which feature in this year’s Lent Appeal envelopes and Lenten Reflection Programme.  

Sacred space – some parishes create a sacred space in the Church during Lent to highlight our concern for people in need, there is an opportunity to light a candle and offer prayers for our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Others might prefer to dedicate a special space on the parish notice board or in the Church foyer that highlights information about how the parish’s donations are being used to support Caritas projects and programmes.

Prayers of the Faithful – please consider including a prayer for the project or programme featured on the Lent Appeal envelopes within your Prayers of the Faithful each week. A list of prayers is attached as a starting point – please feel free to adapt and rewrite these to match your own parish expectations and guidelines.

Symbols – you may wish to display different images, objects and symbols that reflect a theme of the Gospel reading for each week of Lent. For example, some parishes may have a bowl of sand on a table in the first week of Lent to symbolise the wilderness and desert.

Opportunity to respond – during prayer, have an opportunity for parishioners to respond to the theme of Lent each week, e.g. light a candle to symbolise the igniting of our hearts and turning again and again to the voice of God.

Music – include relevant hymns and music during prayer and reflection time.

LITURGICAL RESOURCES:IDEAS FOR HELPING FOCUS ON THE MEANING OF LENT

Please consider including a prayer for the Caritas project featured in the Bishops’ Lenten Appeal materials within your Prayers of the Faithful each week during Lent. You may wish to consider incorporating the following prayers, which are based on the prayers used on the Lent Appeal envelopes. Please feel free to adapt or rewrite according to your parish’s own guidelines and expectations:  Week 1: Bethlehem University: An Oasis in the Wilderness E te Atua, God of the journey, we pray that you teach us to listen to the Spirit as Jesus listened. May we discern your presence in our daily life and be filled with the Spirit.   E te Ariki.Whakarongo mai ki a mātou. 

Week 2: Papua New Guinea: Transformation in the Mountains  E te Atua, God of encounter, awaken us to your presence in our midst. May we hear your voice in our sharing, and in our listening to the scriptures. E te Ariki.Whakarongo mai ki a mātou. 

Week 3: Cambodia: Working for Communal Lands E te Atua, o te Atawhai, God of compassion, we gather together in your presence. Help us to open our minds and hearts as we listen to your word and each other.  E te Ariki. Whakarongo mai ki a mātou. 

Week 4: Parihaka: He Puanga Haeata E te Atua, God of mercy, as we continue our Lenten journey, may we extend your hospitality to each other. May we listen deeply to each other and be open to change.  E te Ariki. Whakarongo mai ki a mātou. 

Week 5: Kiribati: Becoming Health Champions E te Atua, God of mercy, we gather as your people on this Lenten journey. May we listen to each other with openness and acceptance.  E te Ariki. Whakarongo mai ki a mātou. 

Week 6: The Passion of Christ E te Ariki, Lord, we remember that Jesus showed mercy and forgiveness to others even as he was dying on the cross. Open our hearts so that we might follow his example and live our lives with love.  E te Ariki.Whakarongo mai ki a mātou.  

LITURGICAL RESOURCES:PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

NOTE: Lent packs are being sent to the parish office, which means that if your office has responsibility for any other mass centres then donation envelopes will need to be distributed across the parish. 

For amalgamated parishes, the batch header number corresponds to all Mass centres within your parish. 

   Thank you so much for supporting the 2019 Bishops’ Lenten Appeal. 

If you need any help, please feel free to contact us on:

   Phone:  04 496 1742 or 0800 22 10 22    Email:  caritas@caritas.org.nz 

It is important to note, in 2019 Lent covers two separate tax years – 2018-19 and 2019 -20.

If funds (and donor coupon information) are not received at Caritas before 31 March 2019 then in general, we cannot provide a tax receipt related to the 2018-19 year – even if parishioners made their donation into the Parish before 31 March 2019. 

The forms are for your parish which our data entry staff also use. There is one form per week during Lent. The sooner donations and coupons are forwarded to Caritas the sooner we can issue tax receipts. 

Donations received to the parish office after Easter Sunday should be submitted to Caritas using the Week 7+ form.

Please ensure named donations have a completed Lent Receipt Coupon so that we may provide donors with receipts for tax purposes.

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

NOTE: Included in your pack are seven banking forms to be used for either parish cheque or direct deposit. 

The parish cheque process is when your parish deposits donations into the parish bank account and sends Caritas a parish cheque each week regardless of the weekly amount collected.

Direct deposit is for collecting the donations each week, then using a Caritas deposit book you will use to deposit the donations directly into the Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Lent bank account 03 0518 0211216 03. Please include the unique Parish ID number (4 digits) and some of the parish name in the particulars of the bank transaction. Please deposit your donations into the account each week as we wish to provide receipts to donors as soon as possible.

STEP ONE:  FILLING IN THE DETAILS

Enter your name, contact number and the date, and circle which method you will be using to transfer your parish’s accumulated weekly donation – direct deposit or parish cheque.

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

THE CONTACT PHONE NUMBER IS REQUIRED SHOULD WE NEED TO ASK YOU ANY QUESTIONS DURING PROCESSING. 

STEP TWO:  CONFIRMING DONATION AMOUNT AND SORTING DONATIONS

A. Sort the donations into five piles - keeping receipt coupons or envelopes with them:1. Anonymous cash (coupon not filled out)2. Named cash (coupon filled out)3. Cheques made out to parish or cash4. Cheques made out to Caritas5. Direct deposit and credit card donations (please check every credit card slip for an expiry date and if 

missing try to obtain from parishioner before sending in, as this information is difficult for us to track)Note: All anonymous envelopes should be kept, with the amount given noted, so they can be included in the batch when sent to Caritas (see photo below).

B.

C. For every envelope, check that the amount stated on the Lent receipt coupon matches the donation inside.

Direct deposit & credit card

Cheques to Caritas

Cheques to parish/cashNamed CashAnonymous

Cash

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

D. Check that the parishioner has ticked the box indicating the type of donation e.g. cash, cheque, credit card or direct deposit. 

E. If there is more than one slip for the same person, staple them together and mark the total amount on the top copy.

F. If a parishioner gives by cheque and does not include a Lent receipt coupon, please write their name and address, if you know it, on the back of the cheque.

STEP THREE:  Filling out donations box section

Now that you have up to five (5) different piles of donations, complete the DONATION BOX section of the Banking and Data Entry Batch Header form:  

Count the NUMBER OF DONATIONS per pile (Box A-E)  Calculate the TOTAL NUMBER OF DONATIONS  Write the DOLLAR SUM OF DONATIONS of each pile in the corresponding box (1-3 and 5-6) Count all cash and cheques made out to your parish/cash and put the TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT 

in Box 4 Count all cheques made out to Caritas, direct deposits, and credit card donations (these should 

be sent to Caritas to be processed) F: Add Box 4-6 and enter the TOTAL $ OF DONATIONS

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

Deposit all cash and cheques made out to your parish/cash (amount from Box 4) into your parish bank account. Send this amount to Caritas via parish cheque or direct deposit

STEP FOUR: FILLING OUT CASH COUNTING BOX SECTION

To prepare for banking, double check the cash to ensure that the pledged amounts on the Lent Receipt Coupon balance with the cash.

A. Take all of the cash from the anonymous and named Lent Receipt Coupon and use the CASH COUNTING BOX to add it up.  

B. The TOTAL CASH FOR BANKING (Box 7) should equal Box 8.

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

STEP FIVE: CHECKING THE TOTALS

Does TOTAL A equal TOTAL B? Please circle Yes or No. 

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

If NO, you will need to investigate why and correct the totals. o Double check your entries, maths, and/or go through the Lent Receipt Coupon to find the 

error.

If the error is still undetectable, please call us on 0800 22 10 22 or write a short note explaining these details (e.g. no cash in envelope) and attach it to the Banking and Data Entry Batch Header form for return to Caritas.

STEP SIX: BANKING VIA PARISH ACCOUNT

Deposit into your parish account, using the Banking and Data Entry Batch Header form you have just prepared, the total amount of all cash and cheques made out to parish/cash (Box 4) donations for the week. Send this amount to Caritas via parish cheque or direct deposit into the Caritas bank account.

STEP SEVEN: WHAT TO RETURN TO CARITAS

NOTE:  ALL CHEQUES MADE OUT TO CARITAS AND CREDIT CARD DONATIONS MUST BE SENT TO OUR OFFICE IN WELLINGTON. IF YOU ARE USING A CHEQUE TO TRANSFER FUNDS FROM YOUR PARISH ACCOUNT TO CARITAS PLEASE INCLUDE THIS. 

Post the bundle of Lent Receipt Coupon to Caritas in one of the self-addressed envelopes provided as early in the week as is convenient

FINANCE:INSTRUCTIONS FOR COUNTING LENT DONATIONS

Checklist for posting to Caritas:o Completed Banking and Data Entry Batch Header form o All completed Lent Receipt Coupon for the batcho Your explanation note (if needed)o Cheque from your parish to Caritas covering dollar amount of donations banked into parish account 

that week (if using parish cheque)

Please note, the sooner we receive your completed Banking and Data Entry Batch Header form, the sooner we can process and receipt the donations from your parishioners.