Gregorian Masses – How Long After Death, and When to Request Them?

The short answer

Gregorian Masses can be requested at any time after death – immediately after someone has died, after the funeral, on an anniversary, or even many years later. The Church's norms do not set any time by which they must begin.

Why many people request Gregorian Masses straight away

Many families wish to begin Gregorian Masses as soon as possible after death – as an expression of care for the deceased and of accompanying them in prayer from the very first days. This is not, however, a requirement. In the story from which the custom comes, Saint Gregory the Great ordered thirty Masses to be celebrated for the deceased monk Justus only about a month after his death – he describes this in Book IV of the Dialogues.

There is no need to wait for the funeral – the Masses may begin before it or on the day of the funeral. In practice, the start date depends on the priest's free dates.

Gregorian Masses years later

It is never too late. Many people request Gregorian Masses for parents or grandparents who died long ago – on the anniversary of their death, in November, or simply when they feel the need. We do not know how long a soul needs purification, and prayer for the dead is always an act of love.

Can Gregorian Masses be repeated?

Yes. Gregorian Masses can be requested more than once for the same person – for example immediately after death and again on the anniversary.

Norms worth remembering

• 30 Masses, day after day, without a break,
• always for one deceased person – not for several of the dead and not for the living,
• the Masses may be celebrated by different priests and at different altars,
• if an unforeseen impediment interrupts the series (e.g. the sudden illness of the priest), the missing Masses are celebrated on the following days until there are thirty (declaration of the Sacred Congregation of the Council of 24 February 1967).

For the living, other forms of prayer are requested, e.g. 30 Masses to the Heavenly Court or a novena for the living.

Sources (in Polish)

• Niedziela.pl – Saint Gregory the Great and the Gregorian Masses
• Dominicans in Katowice – Gregorian Masses