Privately offering a mass for departed loved one

[Rae8]

Hello:

If I want to offer the mass I’m attending for someone who has passed on, can I do that even though the priest hasn’t been told? Is it helpful? The other question I have is if the answer is yes, can you only do one person per mass?

I plan to ask for it from the priest later but until then was wondering if I could be doing this.
I have so many people I want to offer a mass for that I wasn’t sure if I had to do one at a time.

Thank you in advance,

 

[KCT]

You can privately offer your Mass for anyone you like. Same as offering prayers for specific people.

 

[blaskoman]

I have offered almost every mass I’ve attended toward my departed father who died last Oct 8. But recently heard that Sunday masses should not be offered for ones dearly departed, only weekly masses

 

[Rae8]

I have offered almost every mass I’ve attended toward my departed father who died last Oct 8. But recently heard that Sunday masses should not be offered for ones dearly departed, only weekly masses

Hi - Why is that if you know?

Thanks

 

[porthos11]

I have offered almost every mass I’ve attended toward my departed father who died last Oct 8. But recently heard that Sunday masses should not be offered for ones dearly departed, only weekly masses

I think you may be confusing your intention and the Mass intention offered by the priest. Sunday Masses are “pro populo”, that is for the people of the parish, so that’s the intention for that Mass. This means, if Father received a stipend for the intention of a departed soul, he cannot apply the Sunday Mass towards that intention. However, nothing stops you from offering your participation in that Mass for the soul of your father.

If you approach your priest, he can offer a Mass just for your intention (and no one else’s). A stipend is customary in this case.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

There are several things the laity can do with regard to our friends and the graces flowing from the Mass:

1. Ask a priest to offer a Mass for someone. The priest needs to know in advance, and normally it’s one person per Mass.
2. Mentally pray for as many people as you wish, during the Commemoration of the Living (before the consecration) and Commemoration of the Dead (after the consecration and before the Our Father).
3. Offer all or some of the graces you receive in Holy Communion for as many people as you wish.

These are not mutually exclusive. The latter two are matters of private devotion, so the priest doesn’t have to be told, but they also lack the special application of the sacrifice which only the priest can do, which is done in the first one.