INTRODUCTION
Charities have their place in society. They often substitute for the state, which is unable to provide social care for all its citizens. This concerns not only social benefits on which a citizen must subsist, but also a range of other social services that a citizen cannot secure on their own. There may be various economic and social causes. Even charities themselves do not have sufficient financial resources to provide the aforementioned services 100%. This may involve not only economic factors, such as lower wages for their employees, but also their overall shortage across the entire social field. New possibilities that can at least partially eliminate these undesirable factors are parish charities. They are an extended arm of the central charity and the parish itself. They are composed of volunteers who are willing to serve in their home parish. They partially alleviate poverty. In addition to material assistance, their work also extends to other areas of social work, pastoral care, etc.
Codes of the Catholic Church
In the Slovak Republic, two Catholic Churches legally exist and carry out their activities – the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Catholic Church. These churches are in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church, whose supreme authority is the Roman Pope. "The terms Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic Church denote two of the twenty-two sui iuris churches that today constitute the communio of the Catholic Church." 1 These churches are governed by civil law no. 308/1991 Coll. on freedom of religious belief and the status of churches and religious societies. "The Catholic Church in Slovakia lives in two ritual communities. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Catholic Metropolitan Church sui iuris." 2 The designation sui iuris (of its own law) for the Church represents
The Roman Catholic Church in Slovakia is governed by the church code Codex iuris canonici (hereinafter CIC), which was promulgated in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. The Greek Catholic Church sui iuris in Slovakia is governed by the church code designated: Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (hereinafter CCEO), which was also promulgated in 1990 by St. Pope John Paul II. "The Roman Catholic Church is called the Latin Church in both canonical codes. It denotes the largest community of the Catholic Church, which differs from the others by using the Latin rite. The Greek Catholic Church, on the other hand, is one of the twenty-one Eastern Catholic Churches and is characterized by using the Constantinople-Carpathian rite." 3 In practice, the mutual interweaving of both church legal codes is not uncommon, especially when one Church of the Eastern rite and one separate Church of the Western rite are located in the same territory, which is also the case of the Slovak Republic. These codes are divided into books, parts, titles, canons (hereinafter can.) and paragraphs.
Both church legal codes CIC and CCEO grant the right of association to all their members. Believers in Christ have the right to freely establish and direct associations for purposes of charitable love or piety or for fostering the Christian vocation in the world, and to gather together to pursue these goals jointly. Members have the right to freely establish associations and to associate. The purpose of such associations shall be piety, the fostering of Christian vocations in the world, and charity. Associations are unlawful if they are directed against the church hierarchy. Associations may not be established anew, i.e., duplicating the activity and mission of existing organizations. When lay persons have joined a church-approved organization, it is also recommended that they adopt a characteristic form of spiritual life (can. 215 CIC, can. 18 CCEO).
Association of the Faithful in the Social Field according to CIC and CCEO
According to Can. 298 - - § 1. In the Church there exist associations distinct from institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, in which the faithful, clerics or laity, or clerics and laity together, strive by common effort to cultivate a more perfect life, or to promote public worship or Christian teaching, or other works of the apostolate or undertakings of evangelization, or to perform works of piety or charitable love and to animate the temporal order with the Christian spirit. Similarly, the possibility for the faithful to associate within legal persons in the Greek Catholic Church is granted under CCEO, can. 573 – § 1. Associations established by competent ecclesiastical authority, or approved by its decree, are legal persons in the Church and are called public associations. These associations may be established by the competent authority, which is usually the respective diocesan or eparchial bishop, the administrator of the aforementioned higher jurisdictional territorial units of the Church within the territory of the state, or the Apostolic See. According to both church legal codes, these associations must determine their name, purpose, seat, governance, and the conditions required for the registration of members, along with a definition of their method of activity. The competent authority shall supervise that the integrity of faith and morals is preserved, and that abuses do not creep into church discipline. 4 Such associations, legal persons in the social field established according to the church codes, also include parish charities, established in smaller church territorial units, namely parishes. "A parish charity is a public association of the faithful within the meaning of can. 573 § 1 CCEO, who serve their neighbors in the spirit of the Gospel. The aim of a parish charity is to fulfill the charitable mission of the Church, to work for the alleviation and elimination of material, mental and spiritual poverty, and to perform acts of charitable love. The leadership of a parish charity consists of a chairman – the parish priest – and three lay persons – a leader, a deputy, and an treasurer, who are volunteers. Legally and economically, the parish charity belongs to the parish; in terms of coordination and methodology, it falls under the Greek Catholic Charity Prešov." 5 It becomes part of the Greek Catholic Church sui iuris in Slovakia, the Greek Catholic Charity Prešov, and the respective parish. The same applies to the Roman Catholic Church.
Parish charities – new forms of association of the faithful under church law to help the needy Pope Benedict XVI, in the encyclical Deus caritas est, art. 28, highlights the indispensable need for love (caritas) in our society. According to his words, love is necessary even if we were to achieve the best possible society. He points out that challenging situations always arise in human existence, whether material need, loneliness, or suffering. The Pope emphasizes that in these difficult situations, love is essential as a means of providing comfort and help. "Caritas," as an expression of unconditional love and care for others, is a fundamental element that helps overcome difficult life situations. The Pope reminds us that whether we face poverty, loneliness, or suffering, love is the force that can bring comfort and hope into human lives. Love is not only a moral imperative but also an inseparable part of the human experience. Regardless of the state of society, human needs, suffering, and loneliness always exist, and it is love that provides the answer to these challenges. Pope Benedict XVI invites us to show love and care for others. 6 Parish charities also contribute to social dialogue between generations. "In today's times, it serves precisely to bridge the gap between generations. The present era focuses on the cult of the body, which means that older people have no place in our society; old people do not receive their due recognition in society." 7 Thanks to the Parish Charity, these intergenerational differences are minimized, as parish charities do not look at age but at people's willingness.
It is precisely parish charities that practice such love "Caritas" towards people whom society often forgets or who are on the margins of its interest. For a parish charity to be established, the following is required:
- there is a need for help in the parish
- there are at least 3 willing volunteers
- consent of the parish administrator
- registration with the respective diocese or eparchy. 8
The parish administrator is considered to be the competent cleric who has been appointed by a bishop's decree to serve in the respective parish. Registration is required at the respective bishop's office, which represents the main institution of the higher church territorial unit. This also applies to the Greek Catholic Church.
The mission of parish charities is derived from the main mission of the Church: to spread the message of salvation and to mediate it through concrete service to man in the spirit of Christ's love. The basic mission of a parish charity can be defined as building the parish community through acts of spiritual and corporal mercy, as well as any activities and services that contribute to the good of the individual and the entire parish. This mission is carried out in a community where relationships are deepened through common prayer, reading of Holy Scripture, catechesis, mutual support, and material assistance. 9 The Epistle of the Apostle James reminds us that if a brother or sister is in need and we have the means, they can turn to us. This emphasizes that everyone, not only members of the parish charity, has a duty to act with love towards brothers and sisters who are in need. This idea reflects the Christian commitment to providing material help and support to those who need it. The Epistle of James10 calls Christians to manifest their faith also through concrete acts of love and solidarity towards others, especially in their time of need. 11 The parish charity thus strives to fulfill its role in the spirit of solidarity and love for neighbor, thereby contributing to the building of a strong and united parish community.
The activity of a parish charity focuses on carrying out charitable and social activities aimed at eliminating or at least alleviating the need of people in the parish. 12 Assistance also concerns socially weaker families. These are often single-parent families. "Single parents, unlike two-parent families, are more often threatened by unemployment, insufficient access to adequate housing, social isolation, poverty, or social exclusion." 13 And this is another opportunity for parish charities to help, especially mothers with children. Parish charities may organize one-time activities, or they may organize systematic activities on a regular basis that are continually repeated. For a parish charity to remain active, it is very important that it prepares at least one activity per year at the nationwide, archieparchial, 14 and parish level. Parish charities carry out their activities in three basic areas that complement each other. Each of these areas contributes to different aspects of parish life and ensures a diversity of services that can often take on a broader dimension.
In the environmental area, parish charities are engaged in environmental protection. Activities in this area include beautifying the surroundings, cleaning springs in forests, and producing ecological products. In this way, they contribute to sustainability and ecological responsibility within the whole of society.
In the social-charitable area, the activities of these charities are focused on helping people in need. Parish charities help pensioners with shopping, or do their shopping for them. They also organize food collections and collections of hygiene products to support those in need. These activities are the heart of social care and solidarity within the parish.
In the cultural-pastoral area, activities such as participation in the parish ball and baking Christmas wafers are aimed at building community and strengthening cultural and spiritual bonds within the parish. These activities add a joyful and social dimension to parish life, thereby strengthening mutual understanding and friendship among its members. Organizing such events not only helps raise funds to support those in need, but also builds community and raises awareness of charitable activities in the parish and in society. 15
Conclusion
Solidarity and subsidiarity on the part of volunteers often substitute for those who should be caring for the socially weaker. "In contemporary society, where individualism and concern for one's own benefit are the standard for many groups, social work based on humanistic forms of care for the individual is very well received; however, charitable care also has its traditional place and remains closely tied to Christian conviction." 16 Parish charities, composed of volunteers, represent an important and indispensable part of the Catholic Church. They create a space where people can manifest their love in a concrete way. This type of social work stems from Christian love. Parish charities play an important role in the parish. They are an inseparable part of it and are at the same time a means of strengthening and building the Christian community. One can observe in them the intertwining of pastoral care with social work, which are identical in many respects. They are not closed even to those in need who do not profess membership in the Catholic Church.
Authors: Mgr. JUDr. PhDr. Stanislav Bujda, PhD. St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work Mgr. Štefan Pacák Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Prešov in Prešov
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1ČITBAJ, F.: Canon Law. Theses for the state examination in the subject Practical Theology in the study program "CATHOLIC THEOLOGY" p. 4 2ČITBAJ, F.: Canon Law. Theses for the state examination in the subject Practical Theology in the study program "CATHOLIC THEOLOGY" p. 4 3ČITBAJ, F.: Canon Law. Theses for the state examination in the subject Practical Theology in the study program "CATHOLIC THEOLOGY" p. 3 4 Cf. Can. 298 – 311 CIC and can. 574 – 583 CCEO 5RAJŇÁKOVÁ, M – GNIPOVÁ, A.: Farské charity a dobrovoľníctvo v GKCH Prešov. In: TIRPÁK,P. – STRELCOVÁ, I.(ed.): Charita v službe Boha a človeka.: Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of PU in Prešov, 2022. 6 Cf. BENEDICT XVI.: Deus caritas est. < https://www.kbs.sk/obsah/sekcia/h/dokumenty-a-vyhlasenia/p/dokumenty-papezov/c/encyklika-deus-caritas-est-boh-je-laska>. art. 28.(20.11.2023). 7TIRPÁK, P.: The educational environment and its influence on intergenerational dialogue according to the documents of the Magisterium of the Church. In : TIRPÁK, P. – MICHANČOVÁ, S. (ed.) : Quality of life and human rights in a prosocial society. Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of PU in Prešov, 2011. p. 155 8 Cf. https://www.charitaza.sk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/zakl-info-o-vzniku-obnove-fch-plagatik.pdf 9SOKOLÍKOVÁ UHRIN, M.: Spájame sa pre pomoc núdznym. Žilina : Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Žilina, 2013. p. 22. 10 Part of the Christian biblical canon. 11(cf. Jas 2:14-18) 12 Cf. SOKOLÍKOVÁ UHRIN, M.: Spájame sa pre pomoc núdznym. Žilina : Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Žilina, 2013. pp. 26-28. 13BUJDOVÁ, N.: ŠIMKOVÁ, B. - Single-parent families - nothing exceptional in our society. In Colloquium of Case Studies. Proceedings of the international conference. Nowy Sącz, Poland : St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work, 2019. p. 19 14 Archdiocesan in Church Slavonic. 15 Cf. RAJŇÁKOVÁ, M – GNIPOVÁ, A.: Farské charity a dobrovoľníctvo v GKCH Prešov. In: TIRPÁK,P. – STRELCOVÁ, I.(ed.): Charita v službe Boha a človeka.: Greek Catholic Theological Faculty of PU in Prešov, 2022. pp. 118-122. 16 LEŠKOVÁ, L., MIČKOVÁ, K., SIVÁKOVÁ, N. Charity and its place in contemporary society. In: Charita v službe Boha a človeka: conference of charity on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the restoration of the activity of the Greek Catholic Charity Prešov. 1st ed. Prešov: University of Prešov in Prešov, Greek Catholic Theological Faculty, 2022. pp. 136-142.