At this time of year, it is customary to review the membership contributions from the previous year. Membership contributions are the Church’s most important source of income. They consist of monthly membership fees paid to the respective parish, collections gathered during Masses, and financial donations received by the Church.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, collection revenues plummeted, reaching their lowest point in 2021. However, in 2022, collection revenues began to rise again, and in 2023, total membership contributions exceeded the one-million-euro mark for the first time. Unfortunately, last year, the strong growth in membership contributions came to a halt—hopefully only temporarily. As seen in Figure 1, revenue from membership fees paid by parishioners even slightly decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year. Fortunately, both collection revenues and financial donations increased, and overall, membership contributions in 2024 were a few thousand euros higher than in 2023.
In 2023, MobilePay was introduced in most parishes as an alternative way to pay collections instead of cash. In the first year, 7% of collections were paid via MobilePay or bank transfer, while 93% were still paid in cash (Figure 2). However, last year, electronic payments of collections doubled compared to the previous year, and overall collection revenues increased, even though the number of collections paid in cash declined.
In recent years, the use of cash as a payment method has significantly decreased in Finland. The same trend can be seen in church collections, where MobilePay can become more widely used rather than just being considered an alternative in the absence of cash. Paying the collection via mobile phone during Mass is both easy and discreet—it can be done, for example, at the same time as the traditional collection is gathered during the offertory. Additionally, for those who follow Mass remotely from home due to illness, making a collection payment via MobilePay is also possible.
Before spring arrives, new, more visible signs and instructions for MobilePay collections will be placed in all parish churches. The number or QR code on the signs will direct the payment directly to the parish’s collection account. The MobilePay collection payment details for the parishes are also included in this issue of Fides.
Diocesan Financial Office
Tommi Reinikainen
Diocesan Financial Administrator
MobilePay Simplifies Collection Payments
These days, all parishes have implemented MobilePay short numbers and QR codes. With these, parishioners who do not have cash to place in the collection basket or who follow Sunday Mass via live broadcast on the internet can also participate in the collection using the MobilePay app.
The use of such “mobile money” has increased widely in society, and in some parishes, a growing portion of collection payments already come via mobile payments. Naturally, using this payment method requires downloading and activating the MobilePay app on one’s smartphone.
When the collection time arrives, parishioners can scan the parish’s QR code with their phone’s camera or open the MobilePay app and use the parish’s short number. Each person then decides the appropriate amount to contribute. The short number remains saved in the app, making it even easier to find for future use.
[The short codes for St. Ursula’s and St. Joseph’s parishes were not ready in time for this issue but will be available soon.]
KATT