It literally means agreements or consented uses. But the amount of contribution that is indicated to the minister or to the temple before the celebration of a religious act, for example a Eucharist, is usually called as such.
The stipend is not a salary or a sale of a spiritual good, since that would be “simony”, but rather a demand for cultic collaboration (CDC cc. 945-955).
Canon Law says: “The faithful who offer a stipend to priests to celebrate Mass for their intention contribute to the good of the Church and, with that offering, participate in its request to support its ministers and activities” (C. 946 ).
It is necessary to educate the faithful well in this field of collaboration with the Church and with her ministers. Unfair positions are frequently adopted with those who dedicate their life and time to pastoral and spiritual tasks and, under certain anticlerical campaigns, are deprived of just compensation that allows them to sustain themselves congruently and live with dignity.
Spiritual goods are never commercialized, but those who carry out cultural, pastoral and spiritual actions need material goods for their life and sustenance. To deny the need for these human supports out of idealism or utopia is to forget human nature and be guilty of unfortunate angelism.
Pedro Chico González, Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy, Editorial Bruño, Lima, Peru 2006
Source: Dictionary of Catechesis and Religious Pedagogy