Padre’s Points to Ponder – August 21, 2026
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Welcome back to our bulletin series on Mass Intentions! In our last article, we talked about what a Mass intention actually is. We saw that when we request a Mass for someone, we are asking the Church to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for a particular person or need.
But there is another question that often comes up: Why do we make an offering when we request a Mass?
At first, this can seem a little strange. After all, can you put a price on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Of course not! We cannot buy God’s grace, and the Mass is not something that can be purchased. So, what, exactly, is our offering for?
The Church calls this offering a stipend. Canon Law says that a priest who celebrates or concelebrates Mass may accept an offering to apply the Mass for a particular intention (cf. Canon 945). But it is important to understand what this does not mean.
The offering is not the price of a Mass; it does not buy the Eucharist, nor does it buy God’s favor. And a larger offering does not make a Mass more powerful. The sacrifice of Christ has infinite value. Whether someone gives a dollar, twenty dollars, or nothing at all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass remains the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So why make an offering at all?
From the earliest days of Christianity, the faithful have supported the Church and her ministers through their material offerings. Think about what happens at Mass itself. We bring bread and wine to the altar, and through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ, they become the Body and Blood of Our Lord. The offering of the faithful is part of our participation in the life and mission of the Church.
When we make an offering for a Mass intention, we are not buying something from the Church but rather we are making a small material offering connected to our spiritual request.
The Mass stipend has traditionally been connected with the support of the clergy.At the same time, the Church is very careful about the danger of treating sacred things as commodities. Canon Law therefore insists that “any appearance of trafficking or trading is to be entirely excluded” when it comes to Mass offerings (Canon 947). A Mass can only have one stipended intention, and the priest may only receive one stipend per day.
And this is important to say explicitly: The inability to make an offering should never prevent someone from asking for a Mass to be offered for their intention. Canon Law lays out that those who are unable to make an offering should not be deprived of the celebration of Mass for their intention (cf. Canon 945 §2). So, if you have a loved one you want to entrust to the prayers of the Church but you are unable to make the customary offering, please speak with the parish.
I know many of our parishioners have come to the office to make a Mass Intention, but were frustrated to find that the next available Mass isn’t until mid-2027! In the next article I will lay out some new policies we will adapt to ensure that we are able to accommodate as many parishioners as possible.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor