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allisonP

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Hi all.
Ok, we are going to go and visit our local Catholic church tomorrow. I checked the calendar on their website and after the mass it gave someones name. A couple it looked like. It seems that it is like that for all the masses. What is this about? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Allison
 
You mean like this?

Mass for Dr. Rosario *(Anniv.); John
*; Carolyn *(Anniv.); Dec.
members of Anthony & Berneda *
Family
Servers: Jack *, Don *
Lector: Don *Cantor: Becky *
Gift Bearers: Gene & Rosalie *
 
allisonP said:
Hi all.
Ok, we are going to go and visit our local Catholic church tomorrow. I checked the calendar on their website and after the mass it gave someones name. A couple it looked like. It seems that it is like that for all the masses. What is this about? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Allison
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They are most likely Mass intentions. The name is the person who the Mass is being offered for.
 
They were probably the names of the people for whom the Mass was being offered.

Masses can be said with a special intention for people either living or dead. For a small donation, someone associated with the person (usually a family member or close friend of the individual) can have the Mass said for him or her.

If the names were of a couple, then perhaps it was the couple’s wedding anniversary, an example of an special occasion (not that any particular occasion is necessary) when someone can have a Mass said for another.
 
passus said:
They were probably the names of the people for whom the Mass was being offered.

Masses can be said with a special intention for people either living or dead. For a small donation, someone associated with the person (usually a family member or close friend of the individual) can have the Mass said for him or her.

If the names were of a couple, then perhaps it was the couple’s wedding anniversary, an example of an special occasion (not that any particular occasion is necessary) when someone can have a Mass said for another.
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Am I to understand that a Mass can be “bought”?
Sorry if that is not what you meant, but giving a small donation sounded odd to me.
 
allisonP said:
Am I to understand that a Mass can be “bought”?
Sorry if that is not what you meant, but giving a small donation sounded odd to me.
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Certainly you know that donation is not sale! To us Catholics, donating a small amount in support of the Church is nothing compared to the prayers that are poured upon us through the Church and the spiritual and material gifts that we daily receive from God. Those donations are simply expressions of our gratitude to God.
 
allisonP said:
Am I to understand that a Mass can be “bought”?
Sorry if that is not what you meant, but giving a small donation sounded odd to me.
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Historically, the purpose of offering a Mass stipend for a particular Mass intention has been twofold. On the one hand, the money that a priest received for saying his daily Mass for a specific intention was essentially his source of income-and in some poorer countries (India comes to mind) it sometimes still is. At the same time, by giving a stipend, the person requesting that a Mass be celebrated made a sacrificial offering of his own.

Nowadays, of course, priests generally are not reliant on their daily Mass stipends to pay for their basic necessities, but the laws surrounding the whole notion remain basically the same. This tradition is referenced in canon 946, which states that those members of the faithful who give Mass stipends are contributing to the good of the Church, for they share in the Church’s concern for the support of its ministers.

A major concern of the Church is that there be no appearance that Masses are being bought or sold. Canon 947 notes that even the semblance of trafficking or trading in Mass offerings is to be entirely avoided; and someone who traffics in Mass stipends for profit may actually be punished with a censure (c. 1385). If perchance the monetary donation that was accepted along with the Mass intention is lost, canon 949 specifies that the priest is still obliged to offer a Mass for that intention. Of cardinal importance here is the request that a Mass be said for a particular intention, and not the money that accompanied that request.

catholicexchange.com/2008/02/22/81137/
 
Also canon law is clear than anyone can request that a Mass be celebrated for a special intention and the priest is bound to celebrate it, stipend or no stipend. There are many priests who don’t accept Mass stipends at all. I once requested a Mass from my military chaplain and when I inquired about the stipend he just said ‘it’s my gift to you’.
 
All of you are always so good to reply to me. No matter how strange my questions may be! Thanks!

So these stipends then are like a salary of sorts for the priests? OK, but isn’t sunday mass an obligation? Why is there stipends on sunday? I don’t think it matters very much really, the preachers at the churches I have attended get rather large salary’s and that includes sunday pay, so I do not think a priest who devotes his whole life to service should be refused pay in anyway, but he does get a church salary, right? So it seems kind of strange to me that he gets extra’s on a sunday mass when it is “requred” of the attendees.

I understand though that this is not a reflection of a bad priest and that probably most would do these Masses for no stipend, still, how tempting it must be to be gready. I doubt I am being very intuitive, I mean this has been going on for a long time so I am sure the Church has thought of this already. I am still learning though so I have these questions. Bare with me please:thankyou:
Allison
 
The normal stipend for requesting a Mass in this area is $5, so we are not talking about a great deal of money. If I am not mistaken, one Mass each weekend is offered for “The Parishioners” and I doubt there is a stipend attached to that. In our parish, that leaves 2 other weekend Masses, so you can do the math there. I don’t think that priests are allowed to keep more than one stipend per Mass. So if 2 or 3 people have requested the same Mass, I read that the money is sent to the diocese, who in turn sends it somewhere where Masses are available (developing countries?).

Diocesean priests are paid a salary and here they are usually provided with a place to live, although I know of some who have retired and have their own trailer, apartment, or whatever.

When I request a Mass, I do so through the parish secretary, and I doubt that Father even knows who the intention came from or if there was a stipend paid.

Does that help answer any questions?
 
acadian said:
The normal stipend for requesting a Mass in this area is $5, so we are not talking about a great deal of money. If I am not mistaken, one Mass each weekend is offered for “The Parishioners” and I doubt there is a stipend attached to that. In our parish, that leaves 2 other weekend Masses, so you can do the math there. I don’t think that priests are allowed to keep more than one stipend per Mass. So if 2 or 3 people have requested the same Mass, I read that the money is sent to the diocese, who in turn sends it somewhere where Masses are available (developing countries?). . . .
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Note many places now suggest $10.

The pastor is obliged to say, or have said, a couple of masses each month *pro populo *- for the people. I know because one of our priests became pastor a couple of years ago. We were kidding him that he did it for the money. As pastor he got $20 more per month - but he had to give up two mass stipends. 😃

We send extra requests to a local monastery. Many want the mass said locally, so that they can attend. We have [with permission from the diocese]recently started allowing multiple intentions for a couple of masses each month. Those asking for those masses are aware of the multiple intentions and the extra stipends are [must be] sent to the diocese.
 
acadian said:
The normal stipend for requesting a Mass in this area is $5, so we are not talking about a great deal of money. If I am not mistaken, one Mass each weekend is offered for “The Parishioners” and I doubt there is a stipend attached to that. In our parish, that leaves 2 other weekend Masses, so you can do the math there. I don’t think that priests are allowed to keep more than one stipend per Mass. So if 2 or 3 people have requested the same Mass, I read that the money is sent to the diocese, who in turn sends it somewhere where Masses are available (developing countries?).

Diocesean priests are paid a salary and here they are usually provided with a place to live, although I know of some who have retired and have their own trailer, apartment, or whatever.

When I request a Mass, I do so through the parish secretary, and I doubt that Father even knows who the intention came from or if there was a stipend paid.

Does that help answer any questions?
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Yes,Thank you!😃
Now I have another question. 😊
What is the difference between a Priest and a Pastor? THANKS AGAIN:)
 
I forgot to tell you all, We went to Mass to day, not last sunday. Last sunday we were up all night with a crying kid. So we went today only we left before it even started. Our little one has not been sleeping well sense we switched her to her own bed and she would not settle down. They had no place set up for me to take her to either. We will try again next week though.
At least that is the plan.
In the mean time, you all get to read lot’s of questions from me:p
 
allisonP said:
I forgot to tell you all, We went to Mass to day, not last sunday. Last sunday we were up all night with a crying kid. So we went today only we left before it even started. Our little one has not been sleeping well sense we switched her to her own bed and she would not settle down. They had no place set up for me to take her to either. We will try again next week though.
At least that is the plan.
In the mean time, you all get to read lot’s of questions from me:p
Click to expand...
My mother once commented that with a baby you get to do penance for a couple of years before you can get back to praying. [She had six of us.] 😉
 
allisonP said:
Hi all.
Ok, we are going to go and visit our local Catholic church tomorrow. I checked the calendar on their website and after the mass it gave someones name. A couple it looked like. It seems that it is like that for all the masses. What is this about? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Allison
Click to expand...
Any chance you could post the website here?
I know everyone else explained already, but…I know of a couple in our area that thought they started their own Catholic Church-no kidding, they even hung out a sign that said Catholic Church, well, needless to say…some “new” people wouldn’t know the difference. But…I don’t know this personally, some others in the area told me about it when we first moved here, a long time ago, I never even looked for the place but I heard it was just a couple of miles from my house, I of course would have known the difference if I had ever walked into the place, but…not everyone would.
I was wondering how they could get away with calling it a Catholic Church (but failed to ask about that, if I ever see the first woman who told me about it again, I’ll ask her.)
 
Joe_Kelley said:
My mother once commented that with a baby you get to do penance for a couple of years before you can get back to praying. [She had six of us.] 😉
Click to expand...
😃
I am not sure why, but that actually made me feel better!
 
allhers said:
Any chance you could post the website here?
I know everyone else explained already, but…I know of a couple in our area that thought they started their own Catholic Church-no kidding, they even hung out a sign that said Catholic Church, well, needless to say…some “new” people wouldn’t know the difference. But…I don’t know this personally, some others in the area told me about it when we first moved here, a long time ago, I never even looked for the place but I heard it was just a couple of miles from my house, I of course would have known the difference if I had ever walked into the place, but…not everyone would.
I was wondering how they could get away with calling it a Catholic Church (but failed to ask about that, if I ever see the first woman who told me about it again, I’ll ask her.)
Click to expand...
I will do it in a little while. Got to find it again.
I love Fr. Caropi!!!(your quote)
I have been listening to him on EWTN.
 
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