Mass Intentions

Mass Intentions at St. Helena 

Mass intentions refer to the particular purpose for which a specific Mass is offered. Most commonly, a Mass is requested for the repose of the soul of someone who has died. However, Mass can be offered for someone who is living, e.g. for a speedy recovery, anniversary, birthday, etc. To have a Mass offered for a special need is appropriate, beneficial and appreciated. Really, there is no greater gift that we can give.

Although the origins of the practice of offering Mass intentions date to the early Church, we still recognize its importance today. One should never forget the infinite graces that flow from the Sacrifice of the Mass which benefit one’s soul, both for the living and the deceased.

Daily and Sunday Mass intentions to be offered here at St. Helena are available, and there are many weekday intentions open for this year. If you would like to remember a loved one in this way, please stop by or call the Rectory for more information.

An Announced Mass will be offered for a deceased loved one on a particular day and time as arranged with the rectory receptionist. 

An Unannounced Mass will be offered either at a date or time chosen by us or by a Piarist missionary somewhere around the world. Since the date and time the Mass will be offered is not immediately known, it is “unannounced." 

The Perpetual Spiritual Enrollment is a form of union and communion within the Mystical Body of Christ as we pray for one another. Persons enrolled in the Perpetual Spiritual Enrollment become sharers and recipients of the spiritual benefits of the prayers, works, and sacrifices of the Piarist Fathers. Those enrolled will benefit from these spiritual offerings as long as our community exists. There is no need to enroll someone more than once since it is a perpetual enrollment. While the enrollees share in the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Mass is not said for any individual enrollee only but collectively.

Gregorian Masses are a series of 30 Masses offered on consecutive days. Gregorian Masses are offered only for the deceased and they can usually begin ten days after receiving the request. 
The custom of offering a set of Gregorian Masses dates back to Pope St. Gregory the Great (died 604) who wrote in the DIALOGUES (4:55; PL 77: 416-421) about a monk who obtained release from Purgatory after thirty Masses were offered on his behalf.  The Church has declared the confidence of the faithful in the efficacy of Gregorian Masses to be pious and reasonable.

A Month's Mind Mass is a Requiem Mass celebrated about one month after a person's death, in memory of the deceased.  The Venerable Bede speaks of the day as commemorationis dies. It is still an almost universal practice among Roman Catholics for the family of the deceased and close friends to attend Mass and take a meal together on the occasion of the month's mind.

Because we often have more requests for Masses than there are Mass times available, there are sometimes Bundled (collective or multiple) Mass intentions available for selected daily and weekend Masses.  Bundled Mass intentions assist people in arranging for a Mass intention sooner than is normally possible, but people must agree to share their intentions for that particular Mass.