www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/pray-and-pay-the-catholic-church-and-the-collection-plate-1.2906022
Led by Dr Sarah Roddy at the University of Manchester, Visible Divinity is a project which looks to explore two historical problems. Firstly, how did the church fund church-building projects between 1850 and 1921? Who were the people that donated the money? How much was donated? And how did the role of the Irish diaspora feed into all this? Secondly, the project explores how money played, and continues to play, a key role in the way people understand their religion. People’s faith is often mediated through the handing over of cash.