The Tradition and Benefits of the Mass Offering
Every Mass is inherently offered for the benefit of the entire Mystical Body of Christ, as the liturgical prayers declare: "For our good and for the good of all his holy Church." In addition to this universal benefit, the Church has maintained the ancient custom of offering the Mass for the specific intentions or needs of the faithful.
In the early Church, the faithful participated closely by providing the bread and wine, along with other gifts to support the clergy and the needy. This practice evolved over time, becoming a specific gift given to the priest before Mass with the request for a particular intention. By the 11th century, it was customary to give a monetary offering for the Mass intention.
The standard practice is "one offering for each Mass, and one Mass for each offering." However, a single offering can cover the intentions of many individuals (e.g., "all my deceased relatives").
The Fruits of the Mass
The celebration of the Mass yields numerous benefits, often referred to as "fruits," for humankind. These include spiritual and temporal benefits, the forgiveness of sins, and the remission of temporal punishment.
These fruits are shared among the entire Church, all those who participate in the Mass, the celebrating priest and those for whom the priest offers the Mass (the particular intention).
The customary monetary offering for a Mass intention in the Diocese of Raleigh is $10.00.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Mass Intention Guidelines:
To ask for a Mass intention, please stop by or call the Parish Office at 910-488-1797. Parish Office Hours are Monday-Thursday from 8:00am to 4:00pm and Friday 8:00am to 3:00pm.
On average, the parish can only offer approximately 18 Mass intentions each month, resulting in a very limited availability for parishioners.
To ensure fair and equitable access for all parishioners, a family may offer no more than one Mass intention during a three-month period (this limit is subject to demand). As previously explained, please remember that a single Mass offering can cover the intentions of many individuals.
Intentions for Mass are accepted and scheduled three months out.
For Mass intentions requested beyond the standard three-month booking window, the request is placed on a waiting list (we cannot guarantee every requested date). The parish office will reach out to families three months before the desired date to schedule the Mass intention. Please note that the monetary offering is due only after the scheduling is finalized, not when the request is initially placed on the waiting list.
Experience indicates that some scheduled weekday Masses may need to be canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. These reasons include, but are not limited to, priest illness or obligatory diocesan commitments (such as Advent/Lent confessions or clergy meetings) that were scheduled after the Mass intention was booked. Those who schedule a weekday Mass intention understand and accept that their scheduled intention may be moved to a later date.
Since funerals occur without advance notice, the regular weekday Mass may need to be canceled and replaced by the Funeral Mass due to a shortage of priests. Therefore, families scheduling a weekday Mass intention should be aware that their intention may need to be rescheduled to a later date if a funeral takes place.