Nativity of the Lord Mass Intentions Form
St. Bonaventure says, “Oh Christian souls, do you wish to prove your true love towards your dead? Do you wish to send them the most precious help and golden key to Heaven? Receive Holy Communion often for the repose of their souls.”
Regarding Mass Intentions, “Each week in the bulletin, you will notice that the various Masses are offered for a particular intention which is listed next to the Mass time. These intentions are requested by individuals usually on behalf of a loved one (living or deceased). This venerable custom stems from a time when priests were provided very little in terms of their subsistence and the faithful would often give the priest a gift (food, money, etc.) in exchange for offering a Mass for one’s intention. Today, the priest’s salary is included in the parish budget and, at least in our diocese, the Mass offerings are given directly to the parish and are counted as part of the parish income (from which expenses – including the priest’s salary – are paid.) Nevertheless, Mass offerings are still a worthy and venerable custom which allows the lay faithful to request the priest’s primary intention for a specific Mass. This may be done in the case of a special date (date of birth, date of death, anniversary, etc.) or it may be requested simply without regards to a date.”
“When preparing for that Mass, the priest looks up the intention and carries that specific intention to the altar as he offers the Body and Blood of Jesus as a Sacrificial offering to… Our Almighty Father.”
“Due to the constraints of space and time, not all specific requests (for dates) can be honored. We will do our best to honor your request, particularly if the date in question is of special significance. Since many who request a Mass intention would like to be present for that Mass, we are overwhelmed by requests for Sunday Mass, but we are not always able to schedule requested Mass intentions on a Sunday. By Canon Law, each parish priest is required to offer at least one Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation for the People of the Parish. In our case, that leaves only two weekend Masses which may be requested for special intentions… We are happy to accept, and we encourage Mass intentions, but please be mindful that we are not able to schedule every Mass intention requested for a Saturday or Sunday Mass. We do our best to publish the Mass intentions in the bulletin on the prior Sunday. When you request a Mass intention, you may also ask for some notification about when that Mass will be offered. In the rare event when a scheduled Mass must be re-scheduled (due to a funeral or the unexpected absence of the priest) we will make every effort to notify the person who has requested that Mass to explain the situation. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.” If you have further questions, please contact the secretary.”