Dear Bob:

Do not worry. There is nothing wrong in donating to a non-Catholic church fundraising effort. Charity is charity. Even if this group were a cult, you and your mother did nothing wrong, though one should try to avoid donating to cults or non-legit groups—you were in a hurry and your hearts were in the right place.

You and your mother did nothing wrong.

Be not afraid.

As for what you should have done: there are con artists and pan handlers who lie about who they are and who they are raising money for. Take a look at the literature the person is handing out, ask the person what the money is for, what organization he represents. If there is any doubt about the person, ask him to give you the name and address of the organization raising the money. Tell him you will look over the material and if you decide to donate you will send a check directly to the organization. If the person says that he will not get credit for the donation, then ask him his name and that you will note his name on the check. If he objects to any of this and tries to change your mind, then he is not legit. Just say, "Not interested" and keep walking.

Another thing you can do is to ask what organization he represents and the phone number. Then call the organization on your cell phone, right then and there in front of this person, and ask an official of the organization if they are running a fundraiser. If it is a scam, the person will probably walk away from you when you make the telephone call.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary