Fr. Louis Bulletin Letter - November 13, 2005 - Mass Stipend Policies
From the very beginnings of the Church, it was customary for the faithful to donate the bread and wine to be used in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In time, offerings of money were substituted for the actual bread and wine. Money given in excess of what was necessary for the procuring of the bread and wine was used to assist the poor and, eventually, to support the clergy. Thus, it became customary for the priest to accept from the faithful a donation (formerly called a “stipend”) in return for remembering a specific intention in the celebration of a . Through this voluntary offering, the donor seeks spiritual benefits that God may bestow upon the persons or concerns that are specially held in prayer at the Mass. What is more, the Code of Canon Law (canon 946) notes that the donor himself benefits: “Christ’s faithful who make an offering so that Mass can be celebrated for their intention, contribute to the good of the Church, and by that offering they share in the Church’s concern for the support of its ministers and its activities.”
According to the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the Mass “is quite properly offered according to apostolic tradition not only for the sins, punishments, satisfactions and other needs of the faithful who are living, but also for those who have died in Christ but are not yet fully purified” (Session XXII, Chapter 2). In his Pastoral Letter on the Christian Burial of the Dead (2 November 2000), then-Bishop Raymond Burke emphasized the latter: “The age-old custom of making an offering so that Mass may be celebrated for the eternal rest of the deceased is to be commended . . . (Indeed) there is no more effective means to express our love and provide spiritual help for those who have died than to have the Mass offered for the eternal repose of their souls” (9-10). The deep faith and ardent charity of the parishioners of Saint Peter manifests itself in the numerous Mass offerings you donate to the parish, especially for your beloved dead. This abundance creates something of a problem insofar as your requests for Mass intentions far exceed the number of Masses offered at Saint Peter’s. In order to encourage the orderly flourishing of this pious practice in our parish, please keep the following in mind:
1. Universal Church discipline as contained in the Code of Canon Law (canons 945-958) strictly regulates the offerings made for the celebration of Mass.
2. As your Pastor, I am “obliged to apply a Mass for the people (pro populo) entrusted to (me) on each Sunday and holy day of obligation” (Code of Canon Law, 534). Take consolation in the fact that every weekend and holy day of obligation a Mass is offered for all of you who are parish members of Saint Peter.
3. The suggested amount of the Mass offering, as determined by the Bishops of Wisconsin, is ten dollars ($10.00). These monies are deposited in a separate account of our parish called the Mass Offering Account. Note that no one is denied the celebration of a Mass for a particular intention based on inability to make an offering.
4. Offerings for Masses that cannot be celebrated at Saint Peter’s within one year must be forwarded to the Mission Office of our Diocese. Thus, priests in the missions who lack Mass offerings (see Code of Canon Law 953, 956) will offer these Masses.
5. Tharcy Glodowski is our staff member who does an outstanding job processing all your Mass intention requests. You may contact her at the parish office.
6. The scheduling of Mass intentions at Saint Peter is on a first come, first served, basis.
7. Mass intentions may be requested up to twelve months in advance.
8. Each parishioner may request a maximum of three Mass intentions to be celebrated at Saint Peter’s in a twelve-month period. Only one of these may be for a weekend Mass.
9. It is not always possible to accommodate your request for a specific date or time at a parish Mass. In that case, with your approval, Tharcy may forward the intention to Fathers Worzalla or Sakowski in order to meet your request in a timely fashion.
Saint Peter, pray for us!