My mother's birthday is coming up in July and once again I ask myself; "What can I get her?" Like many people, she is a hard one to "buy for," especially at this point in her life. One thing that I can get her that is truly "priceless" is a Mass offered for her intention. I know many of us think of offering a Mass for someone who is deceased, which of course is a good thing to do and is always appreciated by the family members of the deceased (and no doubt, the deceased person as well who possibly or probably will benefit from a Mass offered for them). Since the Catholic Church has always taught and encouraged intercessory prayer, and the Mass is the source and summit of the Church's prayer life, it follows that offering a Mass for a living or deceased person is the highest form of prayer that can be offered for a person. The priest who celebrates the Mass is the one who is lifting up the person to the Lord, so it is not necessary for the person who is asking for the Mass to be offered, to be present for that Mass, though it is certainly good for the requestor to be there.
The Diocese of Little Rock has set the Mass stipend (which goes to the material support of the priest in his ministry) to be $10. Please know that this is a suggested donation and is not required when one asks for a Mass to be offered here at Sacred Heart Church.
Mass Intention request envelopes are avalable in the narthex or in the Church office during office hours. Linda will try to oblige requests for specific days for a Mass to be offered for someone, and Mass cards are available for you to send to the deceased person's family member or the person for whom the Mass is offered. If, your requested date is already taken (especially for an anniversary or say, a birthday), an attempt will be made to schedule that Mass as close to the date requested as possible. Right now, our calendar has quite a few openings, so we are going to do our best NOT to offer Mass for more than one requested intention. Be aware when more than one intention is offered at a Mass, the priest only gets the stipend for one intention and the other one goes to the Clergy Welfare Fund which cares for the needs of our sick and retired diocesan priests. Please know that if you have specific dates in mind for Masses, it's always best to tget these scheduled as early as possible.
The newly canonized, Pope Paul VI is quoted in his lifetime as saying: "The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!" It has immense power, and countless miracles and conversions have occurred through the centuries by offering Mass for a specific person or intention. I know my mother will appreciate the gift of a Mass for her more than any material gift I can give her. I hope you have the same feeling about it whether it is for you or for someone else!
The Diocese of Little Rock has set the Mass stipend (which goes to the material support of the priest in his ministry) to be $10. Please know that this is a suggested donation and is not required when one asks for a Mass to be offered here at Sacred Heart Church.
Mass Intention request envelopes are avalable in the narthex or in the Church office during office hours. Linda will try to oblige requests for specific days for a Mass to be offered for someone, and Mass cards are available for you to send to the deceased person's family member or the person for whom the Mass is offered. If, your requested date is already taken (especially for an anniversary or say, a birthday), an attempt will be made to schedule that Mass as close to the date requested as possible. Right now, our calendar has quite a few openings, so we are going to do our best NOT to offer Mass for more than one requested intention. Be aware when more than one intention is offered at a Mass, the priest only gets the stipend for one intention and the other one goes to the Clergy Welfare Fund which cares for the needs of our sick and retired diocesan priests. Please know that if you have specific dates in mind for Masses, it's always best to tget these scheduled as early as possible.
The newly canonized, Pope Paul VI is quoted in his lifetime as saying: "The Mass is the most perfect form of prayer!" It has immense power, and countless miracles and conversions have occurred through the centuries by offering Mass for a specific person or intention. I know my mother will appreciate the gift of a Mass for her more than any material gift I can give her. I hope you have the same feeling about it whether it is for you or for someone else!