The tradition of offering Masses for others, particularly the dead, originates in the very early Church. Inscriptions discovered on tombs in Roman catacombs of the second century evidence this practice. St. Augustine (d. 430) recorded the dying wishes of his mother, St. Monica in his Confessions: "One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be." Pope St. Gregory (d. 604) said, "Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them."
When arranging Masses for particular intentions, please keep in mind the following:
there is a limit of two (2) intentions per donor. Of these intentions, one (1) may be a Sunday Mass and one (1) a weekday Mass. This limit will be imposed on all intentions received from the opening of the Mass book on November 5, 2022 until January 2, 2023. Those who wish to arrange for more intentions may do so in the new year.
the stipend is $10.00 per Mass intention. Checks can be made payable to “Saint Stephen’s Church”. We do not accept credit cards.
the 8:30 a.m. Mass on the first and third Saturdays of each month are designated as “Collective Masses”. A total of ten (10) intentions will be taken for each collective Mass. The intentions will be printed in the parish bulletin and announced at the start of the collective Mass.
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is typically offered for one person only (except the Collective Mass noted above). We encourage you to remember parents and spouses together or you may remember “The Living/Deceased of the _____ Family”.
for those unable to come on November 5th, Mass intentions can be arranged during the week (Monday through Friday) between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. only.
Mass requests will not be arranged over the phone. We will not “hold” a date while the donor sends in the stipend. All requests must be made in person or sent through the mail. The offering of $10.00 per Mass must accompany each request.
These changes are necessary to allow as many people as possible to arrange for Masses for their loved ones.