At last, Newman House university chaplaincy has gone contactless. We still pass the money bags around at Mass, as if following a half-remembered rubric, but the real business takes place in the lobby by the front door. “Dona” stands there to welcome people. She’s a digital tablet mounted on a graceful chrome stand. You choose how much you want to give; tap your card; and make way for the next person. (If you want the details, visit mydona.com). We thought it might be controversial, but no one has batted an eyelid. Cash, for post-millennial students, is like the VHS cassette: it’s something your grandparents talk about. If you pass a bag round at the collection, they don’t feel guilty, they just look bemused. Even the contactless card is behind them now, as they switch to smartphone payments. I suspect that some of the neuroscience students are earning money in semi-legal experiments, with “near field communication chips” implanted in their hands, so they can pay by waving at the console.
12:00 AM
Diary: Newman's failures make him an ideal patron for students
at last, newman house university chaplaincy has gone contactless. we still pass the money bags around at mass, as if following a half-rememb...
Fr Stephen Wang

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