The Czech Republic is often cited as one of the EU countries with the lowest church attendance. Since the fall of communism in 1989, the Czech Parliament passed a law to provide for the return of property historically belonging to churches, lump-sum financial compensation, and transitional state contributions. The process, which took effect in 2013, is running down towards 2030, and churches are having to look to other sources for funding to replace it.
The Archdiocese of Olomouc in the east of the Czech Republic has sought support for clergy salaries through an online crowdfunding platform, which now counts some 6100 donors. The platform, called Donátor, was first used in the Czech Diocese of Brno to finance various parish projects. After one year of operation in the Olomouc Archdiocese, it has become a key tool in the Church’s push for financial self-sufficiency.
Father Jan Berka, a parish priest in Valašské Meziříčí and member of the archdiocesan pastoral and priest councils, described the platform as “a simple and effective way” to contribute to priests’ salaries. “I was surprised how quickly a relatively large part of people got involved,” Berka said. “I feel support from parishioners for my ministry and I am grateful.”
Read the story on EWTN News here. View the Donátor platform here. NB The latter site is in Czech!