What are “Mass intentions?” Why
do Catholics offer $10 stipends for Mass intentions? How do I have a Mass
offered for a particular intention?
A Mass Intention is a specific
offering of a mass in honor of or in memory of someone (or some group of
people) by name at a specific Mass time on a specific date. A Mass Intention is
traditionally offered as a gift to someone who is grieving a recent loss or
celebrating a milestone, or for any other reason.
When a priest celebrates the Holy
Mass, he has three intentions: first, to offer the Mass reverently and validly
in accord with the norms of the Church. Second, to offer the Mass in union with
the whole Church and for the good of the whole Church. Third, to offer the Mass
for a particular intention, such as the repose of the soul of someone who has
died.
Therefore, the effects of the
Mass bring certain benefits or fruits. The general fruits of the Mass are the
effects upon the whole Church — to the living faithful as well as the poor
souls in purgatory. For this reason, in the Canon of the Mass (the Eucharistic
Prayer), a special mention is made for both the living and the dead. The
special ministerial fruits of the Mass are applied to the particular intention
of the Mass, i.e., “for whom the Mass is offered.” The special personal fruits
of the Mass benefit the celebrating priest who acts in the person of Christ in
offering the Mass and to the people who are in attendance and participate in
the offering of the Mass.
One must never forget the
infinite graces that flow from the Sacrifice of the Mass which benefit one’s
soul. The tradition of offering Masses for others, particularly the dead,
originates in the very early Church. We
think of the example of St Augustine, who
recorded the dying wishes of his
mother, St. Monica in his Confessions: “One thing only I ask you, that you
remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.”
The Mass has an infinite value,
but these fruits are both extensively and intensively finite, since each of us
is finite. Therefore, the more a Mass is offered, the more benefit is
conferred. Further, the graces of the Mass are made more fruitful for those who
are included in the particular intention of the Mass.
Generally, there is one intention
with a stipend for each Mass. The intention of the Mass is also determined by
various factors: The Church may stipulate the particular intention; for
example, all pastors are required to offer one Mass on Sunday and Holy Days for
the intentions of the living and deceased parishioners of a parish. A priest
may also have his own particular intention in offering a Mass. Finally, a
person may ask a priest to offer a Mass for a particular intention; usually, a
stipend is given to the priest for offering the Mass, which thereby in justice
creates an obligation which must be satisfied.
When a priest celebrates Mass
each day, he offers each celebration of the Eucharist for a particular person,
or intention. By doing so he applies special graces from God upon that person
or intention.
Similar to how we are able to
intercede for others by our personal prayers, the Church is able to intercede
for us through the celebration of the Mass. However, since the Eucharist is the
“source and summit of the Christian life” the Mass possess a power that our
personal prayers do not.
Canon Law confirms this practice
and states, “In accord with the approved practice of the Church, any priest
celebrating or concelebrating is permitted to receive an offering to apply the
Mass for a specific intention” (Can. 945 §1).
Furthermore, it continues by
saying, “The Christian faithful who give an offering to apply the Mass for
their intention contribute to the good of the Church and by that offering share
its concern to support its ministers and works” (945 §2).
Upon hearing this practice many
people might be tempted to think it is “simony,” the selling of sacred things
for money. However, the Baltimore Catechism explains, “It is not simony, or the
buying of a sacred thing, to offer the priest money for saying Mass for our
intention, because the priest does not take the money for the Mass itself, but
for the purpose of supplying the things necessary for Mass and for his own
support.”
The important part is to remember
that you are not paying for the graces from God (which are of infinite value
and cannot be bought), but for the material things that are involved with
celebrating that particular Mass. With that in mind it makes much more sense
and is not something that should cause scandal.
Pope St Paul VI said, “The Mass
is the most perfect form of prayer!” It has immense power and countless
miracles and conversions have occurred throughout the centuries by offering
Masses for a specific intention or person. Mass intentions are a great treasure
of the Church and have a spiritual weight that is incalculable.
Question and Answer about Mass
stipends
How much is a typical stipend for
a Mass intention? The regional bishops
set the stipend amount. For Great Falls – Billings, the stipend is set at $10.
Should I think of the $10 stipend
as “paying for” a Mass? Not at all! The
$10 stipend is an act of almsgiving to support the needs of the parish and to
provide for the material costs of the daily celebration of the Mass.
Can I have a Mass said for
multiple intentions under one stipend?
Yes, any number of individuals or intentions can be added under a single
stipend. For example, someone may offer Mass for Betty Sue, or for both Johnny
AND Betty Sue, but this could still be under the same Mass intention. Additionally, someone could have Mass said
“for all the Volunteers at our Parish” and this would still be offered as one
Mass intention, and only for $10.
Are there any rules about for
whom I can have a Mass offered? We can
offer Mass for anyone – ourselves, our friends, the living, the dead, the Pope,
our child, etc. We can even have Masses
offered for non-Catholics. However, it
is generally good to avoid scandal – therefore, for grave, public and
unrepentant sinners, we would not usually print the intention in the bulletin. (for example, we wouldn’t print “For Adolf
Hitler”).
How many Masses should I have
offered for someone who has died? What if they aren’t in purgatory after
all? It makes sense that we offer more
Masses for our deceased in the months and first years after their death, but it
is also praiseworthy to continue to have Masses said for them for many years to
come. These Masses will never be without benefit – even if the person isn’t in
purgatory, they will benefit some poor soul according to God’s will. I hope that many hundreds of Masses will be
said for me in the years after I die!
Can I request a specific
date/time for the Mass for my offered intention? You can request a specific
date, and even a specific time – however, because many Masses intentions are
received, it is possible that your specific intention will have to be scheduled
on another day, generally as close as possible to your request.
Can a single Mass have multiple
intentions with multiple stipends? In
1991, the Vatican clarified that it is generally only permitted to have one
stipended intention per Mass (concelebrating priests also have intentions with
stipends). However, with the permission of the local bishop, a priest can combine
multiple intentions and stipends into a single Mass with the permission of
those who offered those stipends. Further, this can only be done two times in a
single week, and the extra stipend money cannot be kept but should be given to
charity according to the bishop’s directions. The Congregation for Clergy
states: “Wherever the practice spreads excessively, also on the basis of
erroneous ideas of the meaning of offerings for Masses, it must be considered
an abuse which could progressively lead to the faithful's discontinuation of
the practice of giving offerings for the celebration of Masses for individual
intentions, thus causing the loss of a most ancient practice which is salutary
for individual souls and the whole Church.”
On this account, we do not accept
multiple Mass stipends for a single Mass without some grave and extraordinary
reason.
How many Mass intentions can a
priest schedule at one time? Canon Law
requires that a priest/parish not accept any more stipended intentions than can
reasonably be fulfilled in one year’s time.
What’s changing to the way that
Mass intentions are handled at Corpus Christi?
Beginning with Mass intentions in
2024, we will be making some modifications that will ensure that everyone in
the parish is given a chance to request Mass intentions and give stipends. Please take advantage of these changes!
We have generally not yet taken
any new Mass intentions or stipends for 2024, but will begin to do so starting
in October and November. For these two
months, every family unit will be able to request a maximum of twelve Mass
intentions with twelve stipends, all for the following calendar year. If you have specific dates, please request
these early in October! Once a Mass intention has been received, with its
stipend, it will be registered in the parish books and will not be open to
change or transfer to another intention.
After everyone has had the
opportunity to request Mass intentions for the next year and once the intention
calendar has been set, we will then open up the remaining Masses for additional
intentions beginning in January. At that
time, even those who have already requested twelve Masses will be able to
request additional Mass intentions – with the only limit being, no more than
ten new requests submitted by a single family in a single month.
When scheduling the Mass
intentions for the year, we will keep a few open intentions each month for
emergencies or deaths – please call the office in these circumstances, and
Father will do what he can to fulfill those needs.
Certainly, there will be more
Mass intentions than can possibly be fulfilled in a year in our parish – once
we are full, you are encouraged to send intentions other Catholic institutes
(parishes, monasteries, seminaries, etc).
We will keep an up to date list of solid places to send your intentions
– this will be available in the gathering area and through the parish office.
