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Mass Intentions & Memorials
"What
can we do to pray for a loved one, living or deceased, or how can we
do something to honor or memorialize them at the Cathedral?"
This is a common
question for us, especially after the death of a loved-one.
To have a Mass or
several Masses offered for a person who is deceased is an ancient
and commendable practice. A Mass is offered to pray for a
person that they may be at peace in heaven. Since each Mass is
of infinite value, requesting only several Masses is of tremendous
benefit for the person prayed for as well as for the family knowing
that their intention is joined with the prayer of the Church.
(Please read the complete Mass Intention Policy below.)
Other common
practices:
Suggestions for
ways to remember your loved ones, living or deceased:
§ Gift to the Cathedral Memorial Fund (donations help with
cost of items needed at Mass, such as vestments, altar cloths,
sacred vessels, etc.)
§ Flower Arrangements on the Cathedral Altar can be placed
in Honor or Memory of a person ($100 donation, and Memorial
published in our Bulletin)
§ Sanctuary Candle in the Cathedral ($10 donation, and
Memorial published in our Bulletin)
§ Sanctuary Candle in St. Michael Chapel ($10 donation, and
Memorial published in our Bulletin)
§ Cathedral Building Fund (all gifts help with the
maintenance church facilities and grounds)
§ Memorial Brick in the Prayer Garden ($100 donation, brick
placed around the fountain in the Prayer Garden between the
Cathedral and Church Office)
§ Student Scholarship Fund (donations help our students
whose families need some tuition assistance)
§ or any combination of the above
Note: notification of your gift will be mailed to the family.
Mass
Intentions
Every Mass
is a wonderful gift of God to us. It is the center of the Church’s life,
“the source and summit of the Christian life” because, in the
celebration of the Mass, we are brought back to Jesus’ Last
Supper, the first Mass celebrated. We consciously recall the
love of God poured out for us in the life, death and resurrection of
His only Son, Jesus Christ. At each Mass, all the intentions
of all God’s people, both living and dead, are included.
Yet, “in the established tradition of the Church, the faithful,
moved by an ecclesial and religious sense, join to the eucharistic
sacrifice a kind of sacrifice of their own, as a way of taking part
more intensely. They thus do their share to provide for the
Church's needs, especially the support of its ministers…”
(Pope Paul VI, motu proprio “Firma in Traditione”)
This
Policy for Mass Intentions is issued so that this parish’s
practice of Mass Intentions and Mass Offerings will be in conformity
with the universal law of the Church and the “General Policy for
Mass Intentions” of the Diocese of Shreveport (of January 1992).
Though no policy can fully address all the spiritual,
theological and practical issues associated with Mass Intentions and
Mass Offerings, the following will regulate all Mass Intentions
requested at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans for Masses
beginning January 1, 2006:
1.
Anyone may request a Mass Intention for:
-
a
person who is living,
-
a
person who is deceased,
-
members
of a given family (not all names will be listed or mentioned
from the altar),
-
a
special intention appropriate to the celebration of the
Eucharist, e.g., World Peace, Vocations, Respect for Life, etc.
2. The
Church allows only one intention per Mass.
In each parish, however, one or two Masses per week may have Collective
Mass Intentions. The
faithful are free to combine their intentions and offerings for the
celebration of a single Mass, as long as they have been previously
informed and have freely consented to combining their intention and
offering with others in a single offering of Mass.
The Collective Mass Intentions also accommodate the immediate
needs that come up for which a person wishes to request a Mass
Intention, for example, the death of a loved one, or an impending
surgery, etc. At St.
John’s, the Masses with Collective Mass Intentions are normally
the Saturday evening Mass and the 12:05 pm Wednesday Mass.
3. At
this Cathedral Parish many people request Mass Intentions. In consideration of the needs of the parish and of others
interested in having a Mass Intention, when requesting intentions,
an individual can request a maximum of five (5) Masses on
specific dates for any particular person or need per calendar
year. Additional Mass Intentions will be scheduled based on the
needs of the parish; they may be included with Collective
Mass Intentions or may be sent to a priest of another parish (or in
the missions) who will be able to satisfy the request in a timely
manner. If the specific
date and time is already taken, a different time must be chosen.
4. A
Mass Intention can only be requested for a Mass that will be
celebrated within twelve (12) months from the date of the request.
5. Mass
Intentions are filled on a first come first served basis.
6. The
date of a Mass Intention is subject to change.
7. One
Mass Intention per day.
8. Currently,
the suggested offering is $5.00 per
Mass. A Mass Offering
may be more than the suggested offering and it may be less, if the
person requesting the Mass is not in the financial position to make
the customary Mass Offering.
9. Mass
Intentions (scheduled at least three weeks before the Mass) are published
in our bulletin.
10. Though
the Mass Intention need not be announced at the Mass, the priest, if
possible, will announce the Mass Intention within the context of
that Mass.
11. The
one requesting the Mass Intention may request that a card be
sent to notify a person that the Intention has been requested and
the date and time of the Mass (one card per intention).
12. The
name of the person(s) requesting the Mass is not listed in the
bulletin or announced at Mass.
If
you have any questions
regarding Mass Intentions,
please, feel free to call the church office.
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