Catholics believe, along with our Jewish forebears as related in 2 Maccabees 12:43-46, that it is a holy and pious thought to pray for the dead that they might be freed from any sinfulness for which they had not made reparation during life. Therefore, we pray privately and publicly for the dead, and we may also have Mass celebrated for them. Instead of sending a condolence card to the family, we arrange to have Mass celebrated for the deceased, make an offering to the Church (usually $10), and receive a Mass card which we send to the family.

To request a Mass Card / Mass Intention, please come in person to the Church Office. The office is open 8:00am-4:00pm Mon-Fri, and the Evening Receptionist can also help from 4:00-8:30pm Mon-Fri or 9:00am-Noon Sat. The requested stipend is $10 per Mass.

Due to the size of our Parish, we limit the number of Mass Intentions scheduled for any one soul, living or deceased, to five in a calendar year; and of those five, only two can be scheduled for a weekend Mass (Saturday evening or Sunday). Due to this limit, we generally do not schedule any requested intentions for a recently deceased person, as we typically receive many more than five requests for intentions at that time. If you receive Mass cards for the intention of a recently deceased family member and you would like to schedule the Mass(es) for a particular date and time, please call the Parish Office. Mass intentions can be scheduled for any available date in the current calendar year. Mass intentions for the following calendar year can be requested when the Parish Office receives the next year’s calendar book, which usually arrives around May.

Mass cards are sent to people to inform them that a Mass will be said for their intentions. If a Mass is being celebrated for a specific individual (either living or deceased) it is often announced at the beginning of the Mass or during the General Intercessions (Prayer of the Faithful).