Mass Intention – What It Is and How to Request One

What a Mass intention is

Every Holy Mass is the sacrifice of Christ offered to the Father for the whole Church and for the world. A priest may, however, also offer it for a particular intention – for a specific person or a specific need. The Code of Canon Law states that a priest may offer Mass for anyone, living or dead (can. 901). The faithful who ask for this usually make a Mass offering – a voluntary gift for the support of priests and the needs of the Church (cann. 945–946). It is not a payment: even the appearance of trading must be avoided (can. 947).

For each offering accepted, the priest celebrates a separate Mass for the intention given (can. 948). That is why an “individual Mass intention” means one Mass for one intention of yours – although several people may be commended in that one intention, e.g. “for our late parents”. All the kinds of intention are discussed in more detail in our guide Mass intentions – kinds and principles.

The most common intentions – examples

• for a deceased person – “For the repose of the soul of John Smith”, “For our late parents, John and Mary”,
• on the anniversary of death – “For the late Anne Taylor on the first anniversary of her death”,
• for health – “For health and strength for Peter during his illness”,
• in thanksgiving – “In thanksgiving for graces received, asking for continued blessings on the family”,
• on a birthday, name day or wedding anniversary – “On the 25th wedding anniversary of Mary and Thomas, asking for God's blessing”,
• in a difficult matter – “For reconciliation in the family”, “For work for Michael”.

How to word the intention well

• begin with for whom or for what we are praying; a full name makes it easier for the priest to read out the intention,
• for the deceased, phrases such as “for the repose of the soul of” or “for the late” are used,
• add the occasion – an anniversary, a birthday – at the end,
• avoid long descriptions and details you would not want anyone to hear; the intention may be read aloud.

If you are not sure how to put your request, describe it in your own words – we will suggest a short formula for your approval.

A Mass on a particular day

If the Mass is to be celebrated on a particular day – the anniversary of death, a birthday, the day of an operation – give that date in the form and make your request well in advance. We will do our best to reserve it, and if the date is already taken, we will propose the nearest possible one.

When one Mass is not enough

If you wish to offer more than one Mass for the same intention, there are several traditional forms to choose from: a novena for the dead or a novena for the living (nine Masses), thirty Masses to the Heavenly Court for a living person or – for one deceased person – Gregorian Masses. We also write about remembering deceased loved ones in prayer on the Mass for the dead page.

How to request a Mass intention online

Choose “Individual Mass intention” in the form and write the intention and, if you wish, the date.

You can send the intention through the form on this page, by e-mail or via WhatsApp. We reply by e-mail with a proposed date and the times of the Masses. Once your offering has reached the parish account, within two days at the latest you will receive a confirmation giving the intention, the date (or dates) and the time of each Mass.

The next steps are described in our guide how to request a Mass online, and the principles of the offering on the Mass offering page. The Masses are celebrated first of all in the Parish of Our Lady of Białynicze, and also by priests of other parishes in eastern Belarus.

Sources

• Code of Canon Law (cann. 901, 945–958)