What gifts can be appropriate to bring during offertory for a priest's retirement Mass?

[reginafilia]

We are coordinating a Mass for our pastor who will be retiring this July and we would like to make some offerings during offertory. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is appropriate and what is not??
thanks for your sharing!

 

[bpbasilphx]

The gifts that are brought forward and offered at the offertory of any Mass are bread and wine (and possibly water).

Period.

That’s it. Nothing else.

In other words, it’s the matter for the Eucharistic Action, and that’s all!

Since the Offertory is about offering to God, it’s inappropriate to use this occasion to offer gifts to the priest or anyone else at that time.

What you give the priest at the reception afterwards is another issue.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Not sure of the licity of the custom, but I have seen food for the poor included in the offertory procession at Thanksgiving. They were brought up before the bead and wine. I suppose it could be regarded as a separate act which was immediately followed by the offertory. Also as charity, they could be regarded as being offered to God to be distributed to His needy.

I agree that any gifts for an individual would be inappropriate.

 

[centurionguard]

Not sure of the licity of the custom, but I have seen food for the poor included in the offertory procession at Thanksgiving. They were brought up before the bead and wine. I suppose it could be regarded as a separate act which was immediately followed by the offertory. Also as charity, they could be regarded as being offered to God to be distributed to His needy.

I agree that any gifts for an individual would be inappropriate.

I agree that any gifts for an individual would be inappropriate

Under the proper etiquette and auspices of the Sacrifice of the Mass itself I would wholly agree. Most retirement gifts given to priest are given in a parish community gathering outside of Mass. However; I have witnessed spiritual prayer bouquets and monetary enveloped gifts placed in the collection basket brought up to the sanctuary during the Offering. Not sure if it’s totally appropriate during the Mass itself.
Normally though as you had mentioned during the Children’s Mass a common food basket is brought up with one Chalice and Ciborium and placed near the Alter with the monetary collection.

 

[Joannm]

Bread and wine and gifts for the poor (money or food gifts) are all that are appropriate during the offertory procession. I tend to not like brinigng up anything but bread and wine. The school my kids went to brought up anything and everything during the procession. I tried to tell them it was not to be done, but no one would listen to me, even the pastor at the time. Eventually they stopped when a new priest came and told them they could not do it anymore.

 

[kage_ar]

The gifts for a retiring Priest should be given outside of Mass, at the reception in the hall after.

 

[benedictgal]

About four years ago, I was asked to plan the White Mass for our diocese (in honor of the healthcare professionals). The Mass fell on the Feast of St. Luke. The director of pastoral services at one of the hospitals wanted to bring up a replica of a heart and a brain as well as a stethescope and the medical symbol during the offertory. My pv, who was the prelate assigned to assist, did not like the idea one bit. I dug up Redemptionis Sacramentum and he showed the director that what he wanted to do was plain wrong. He argued that the bishop seemed to not have a problem with it. We told him that the Church does not allow this. Needless to say, we put the kibosh on that one and the body parts stayed home.

Even during Papal Masses, at least the ones during the Benedictine era, have only seen bread and wine brought up. The only time that the collection, for lack of a better word, is taken up, is during the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, when the Holy Father is celebrating Mass at St. John Lateran.