Padre’s Points to Ponder – August 28, 2026
Dear friends in Christ,
In our last two articles, we have looked at what a Mass intention is and why Catholics traditionally make an offering when requesting that a Mass be offered for a particular intention. This time, I would like to explain why the parish has certain policies governing Mass intentions.
It comes down to this: Mass intentions are a gift entrusted to the whole parish community, and the parish has a responsibility to administer that gift fairly and faithfully.
First, we want to make sure that the opportunity to have a Mass offered is available to as many parishioners as possible. There are times when a family may have a large number of intentions they would like to request. But if one person or family were able to reserve a very large portion of the available Masses, other parishioners could find themselves unable to obtain a Mass intention for their own loved ones.
For that reason, we will place reasonable limits on the number of intentions that one person or family can reserve at a time, not to discourage anyone from having Masses offered, but rather as a way of ensuring that this beautiful Catholic practice remains accessible to the entire parish.
There is another important consideration: some Masses have an obligation that takes precedence over a private Mass intention.
The Church’s Code of Canon Law requires a pastor to offer a Mass pro populo – literally, “for the people” – on every Sunday and holy day of obligation.
The pro populo Mass is a beautiful expression of the pastor’s spiritual responsibility for his parish. At that Mass, the pastor offers the Holy Sacrifice not simply for an individual or family, but for the entire community entrusted to his pastoral care: for those who are present and those who cannot be present, for the living and the dead, for those who are thriving in faith and those who are struggling, and for all the needs of the parish. At All Saints, we reserve our 10:30AM Sunday Mass for the pro populo intention. This means that this Mass is not available to be requested as a private Mass intention. It is, in a very real sense, the Mass offered for all of us.
We have roughly 676 Masses each year, and taking out the 52 10:30s (plus a Mass each Holy Day of Obligation), we are left with just over 600 Masses at which people can seek to have their intention offered. And we have 1300 registered families, which works out to less than 1 Mass per family per year. I know not everyone makes Mass intentions, so I am instituting this policy: each parishioner is to limit their requests to a maximum of 3 Masses per year. This will initially be on the honor system, but I hope to have a system in place soon.
Our goal is not to put obstacles between the faithful and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Quite the opposite. Our goal is to protect the dignity of the Mass, fulfill the obligations entrusted to the pastor, and make this beautiful devotion available fairly to the whole parish.
A Mass offered for a loved one is a tremendous spiritual gift. By establishing this simple policy, we hope to make sure that this gift continues to be shared generously throughout our parish family.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor