Priest stating the minimum donation for a Mass stipend

[Mark1970]

When someone asks a priest to celebrate a Mass of their intentions and gives a Mass stipend, is the priest allowed to specify a minimum donation? My pastor has been telling people “That’s not enough, I want x as the minimum stipend.” I always thought that a priest was supposed to accept whatever stipend was offered, particularly in the case of poor people who may not have much money, and he couldn’t insist on a minumum amount. Perhaps one of the priests on CAF could outline any procedures or guidelines for minumum Mass stipends, as it’s the first time I’ve heard a priest insisting on a minimum amount.

 

[zab]

When someone asks a priest to celebrate a Mass of their intentions and gives a Mass stipend, is the priest allowed to specify a minimum donation? My pastor has been telling people “That’s not enough, I want x as the minimum stipend.” I always thought that a priest was supposed to accept whatever stipend was offered, particularly in the case of poor people who may not have much money, and he couldn’t insist on a minumum amount. Perhaps one of the priests on CAF could outline any procedures or guidelines for minumum Mass stipends, as it’s the first time I’ve heard a priest insisting on a minimum amount.

To whom was he speaking? Was he speaking to the staff about the suggested minimum stipend? One who is requesting that a Mass be offered for their intentions is not buying a Mass. The stipend should be a sacrifice. They are participating in the sacrifice by the giving of their gifts. I would be truly be surprised if the priest would actually deny offering a Mass for someone who gave all that they had.

 

[Mark1970]

To whom was he speaking? Was he speaking to the staff about the suggested minimum stipend? One who is requesting that a Mass be offered for their intentions is not buying a Mass. The stipend should be a sacrifice. They are participating in the sacrifice by the giving of their gifts. I would be truly be surprised if the priest would actually deny offering a Mass for someone who gave all that they had.

The priest was speaking to the people who were requesting Masses, and he has done it several times, to several different people. And from what I’ve been told, it sounds like it was a definite statement that he expected at least the minimum amount he stipulated for the Mass. This was in the UK and the people offering the Mas were making a donation of for example £5, and the priest said “No, I want £10”. When I was told about this I was very surprised, but the people who told me was very specific about what had happened. As I mentioned in my original post, I thought priests would accept whatever was offered, not insist on a specific amount. That’s really whi I was asking if there was any kind of guidance offered to priests about this.

 

[JM3]

When someone asks a priest to celebrate a Mass of their intentions and gives a Mass stipend, is the priest allowed to specify a minimum donation? My pastor has been telling people “That’s not enough, I want x as the minimum stipend.” I always thought that a priest was supposed to accept whatever stipend was offered, particularly in the case of poor people who may not have much money, and he couldn’t insist on a minumum amount. Perhaps one of the priests on CAF could outline any procedures or guidelines for minumum Mass stipends, as it’s the first time I’ve heard a priest insisting on a minimum amount.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P3D.HTM

Code of Canon Law

Can. 945 §1. 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.

§2. It is recommended earnestly to priests that they celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering.

Can. 952 §1. It is for the provincial council or a meeting of the bishops of the province to define by decree for the entire province the offering to be given for the celebration and application of Mass, and a priest is not permitted to seek a larger sum. Nevertheless, he is permitted to accept for the application of a Mass a voluntary offering which is larger or even smaller than the one defined.

§2. Where there is no such decree, the custom in force in the diocese is to be observed.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cevang/documents/rc_con_cevang_doc_19971001_priests_en.html

In what concerns Mass intentions, the Church has laid down regulations for these in the new Code of Canon Law, and priests should follow them carefully. There should be no impression of financial interest conveyed, and one should be prepared to offer Mass without a stipend, especially for the poor. General and diocesan rules concerning bination and the Mass for the people should be observed.

 

[JM3]

The priest was speaking to the people who were requesting Masses, and he has done it several times, to several different people. And from what I’ve been told, it sounds like it was a definite statement that he expected at least the minimum amount he stipulated for the Mass. This was in the UK and the people offering the Mas were making a donation of for example £5, and the priest said “No, I want £10”. When I was told about this I was very surprised, but the people who told me was very specific about what had happened. As I mentioned in my original post, I thought priests would accept whatever was offered, not insist on a specific amount. That’s really whi I was asking if there was any kind of guidance offered to priests about this.

Perhaps the 10 pounds is less than the minimum decreed by the Bishop? Perhaps the priest knows they have the means to give more?

If the people cannot give more the 5 and the priest refuses, then the people should go to the Bishop.

 

[malphono]

Some folks – usually those whose purses are quite full – are, to be as nice as possible, a bit stingy when it comes to things like stipends. They think nothing of throwing, say, £500 away on a cell phone or some other such nonsense, but will begrudge, say, £10 for a stipend. If that is the case here, (i.e. supposing that the priest was familiar with the folks involved), I don’t see a fault on the priest’s part.

If, OTOH, the folks were known to the priest to be of modest or less-than-modest means, the priest is clearly in the wrong, irrespective of any diocesan “minimum” that may be suggested. The canons already quoted in this thread are quite clear on that. In this case, I would think that a call to the Chancery would not be out of order.

Now, if the folks were unknown (or not well known) to the priest, I would venture to say he was being a bit cheeky (I think that’s the expression used in the UK) at best. Here again, a call to the Chancery might not be a bad idea.

Just my unsolicited :twocents: (or tuppence)

 

[MissRose73]

I remember paying around $10 or $15 for a Mass card for a Catholic friend as part of her birthday for an intention as she did the same for me in her home country, and sent me the Mass card as part of my birthday presents.

Some places want more or less. It depends on the parish location as I am sure those in richer areas will ask for more knowing most can afford it compared to one in a poor area where they will take less.

 

[Mark1970]

Some folks – usually those whose purses are quite full – are, to be as nice as possible, a bit stingy when it comes to things like stipends. They think nothing of throwing, say, £500 away on a cell phone or some other such nonsense, but will begrudge, say, £10 for a stipend. If that is the case here, (i.e. supposing that the priest was familiar with the folks involved), I don’t see a fault on the priest’s part.

If, OTOH, the folks were known to the priest to be of modest or less-than-modest means, the priest is clearly in the wrong, irrespective of any diocesan “minimum” that may be suggested. The canons already quoted in this thread are quite clear on that. In this case, I would think that a call to the Chancery would not be out of order.

Now, if the folks were unknown (or not well known) to the priest, I would venture to say he was being a bit cheeky (I think that’s the expression used in the UK) at best. Here again, a call to the Chancery might not be a bad idea.

Just my unsolicited :twocents: (or tuppence)

Just to clarify, my Pastor has only been in the parish for a few months, and the area where I live isn’t exactly known for being the most affluent district in the area. I mean this in the nicest way, but certain conclusions may or may not be drawn from this concerning how well the priest knows people and how much they may be able to give in a Mass stipend.

 

[malphono]

Just to clarify, my Pastor has only been in the parish for a few months, and the area where I live isn’t exactly known for being the most affluent district in the area. I mean this in the nicest way, but certain conclusions may or may not be drawn from this concerning how well the priest knows people and how much they may be able to give in a Mass stipend.

OK, so it’s more-or-less the third (“cheeky”) category. In such circumstances, I would consider it cheeky (or, to use a more emphatic expression, chutzpah) to ask for more than what was offered. It seems to me that, absent the priest’s personal knowledge of, and/or familiarity with, the people concerned, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

 

[paperwight66]

We use Mass Offering envelopes in our parish, freely available in the porch or at the front door.Details of the type of Mass (Lately Dead or whatever) plus requested date and time are filled in on the outside, together with the name of the person making the request but no contact details for them. The offering is privately sealed inside by the person making it.

It sounds like your parish doesn’t do this, OP. I have to wonder if the priest would follow up any offering he felt was too small by getting in touch with the donor somehow. I don’t see how he could, in most cases, with no phone-number.

i am shocked at your priest’s attitude, to be honest, but presumably the parish has money worries and there isn’t enough money coming in at Mass to cover the bills?

 

[lewevanhoop]

It sounds to me like this priest is coming very very close to simony and if that is the case he may be in some trouble.
CIC Can. 1380 A person who celebrates or receives a sacrament through simony is to be punished with an interdict or suspension.

I would consider this simony in that he is stating a minimum stipend.

 

[Shoshana]

Our diocese imposes a 10.00$ fee as an offering for each mass. Priests are only allowed one stipend per mass…there are extreme cases, but on the whole this is the norm.

 

[zab]

Our diocese imposes a 10.00$ fee as an offering for each mass. Priests are only allowed one stipend per mass…there are extreme cases, but on the whole this is the norm.

I would have to read the wording to understand if the offering was a suggested amount or an imposed fee.

 

[karow]

Our diocese imposes a 10.00$ fee as an offering for each mass. Priests are only allowed one stipend per mass…there are extreme cases, but on the whole this is the norm.

I’m at the computer without the right glasses and I initially read your post as $10,000 per mass. And I was like, “Whoaaaa! Those must be some seriously special Masses!”

Anywho, it’s $10 a Mass in my parish, too, but the wording in the bulletin and on the parish website is $10 is the “suggested offering.”

 

[thequeen]

The priest who is celebrating the mass is not allowed to demand a certain amount he must accept what ever is given for that mass if a person cannot afford a stipend or any amount and they ask to have a mass said for someone the priest still has to say a mass for that person.That priest has some nerve to demand e certain amount he should be reported to the bishop right away.

 

[Joannm]

Our diocese sets a maximum amount that can be suggested as an offering. I think it is no more than $20. We ask $15. I have never come across anyone in our parish who has said they can’t afford it but I am sure if they said we would accept less or even nothing.

 

[Corki]

While I think it’s wrong to turn down an Mass intention for too little being offered, I would really like it if there was a stated or suggested amount given up front.

I have lived in several states so I have belonged to several parishes. Whenever I have asked about an intention I have been told “give whatever amount you feel is right”. I never know if I am giving too much or too little.

 

[Shoshana]

I’m at the computer without the right glasses and I initially read your post as $10,000 per mass. And I was like, “Whoaaaa! Those must be some seriously special Masses!”

Anywho, it’s $10 a Mass in my parish, too, but the wording in the bulletin and on the parish website is $10 is the “suggested offering.”

For the seriously rich!!!

 

[zab]

While I think it’s wrong to turn down an Mass intention for too little being offered, I would really like it if there was a stated or suggested amount given up front.

I have lived in several states so I have belonged to several parishes. Whenever I have asked about an intention I have been told “give whatever amount you feel is right”. I never know if I am giving too much or too little.

I agree. I think most people would like to know what the suggested donation is.

 

[Mark1970]

By way of an update, I’ve been talking to a friend who is a priest about this subject. He commented that as far as he’s aware £5 is recognised as the normal stipend pretty much throughout the UK. He thought that requesting double that amount was not very Christ-like! He commented that the origins of the Mass stipend was to pay the priest’s wage for the day, although nowadays it would take a stipend much larger than any of the amounts quoted on this thread to pay a priest for a day, in the UK or the US One interesting comment he made was that sometimes people will, as he put it, “play number games” - they will try to ask for as many Masses they can get for the smallest stipend - in which case they have to be “encouraged” to understand the nature of the stipend.

One poster made a reference to parish financial difficulties. Not sure about the exact financial status of my parish, but does a Mass stipend go to the priest or to the parish? If it goes to the parish then although there may be an argument for upping the stipend if the parish is in trouble financially, there are also other ways of raising money for a parish. I’m a bit concerned about the idea of somebody who doesn’t have much money being asked to give more than they can afford.. If the cash goes to the priest, and he’s asking for more than the recognised amount for it…well his reasons for that are anybody’s guess!