Mass of thanksgiving – for what intention and how to request it

In brief

A Mass of thanksgiving is a Holy Mass offered in thanksgiving to God for graces received – for years of marriage, the life of a child, health, work or a difficult matter happily resolved. It is usually combined with a request for God's continued blessing, e.g. “In thanksgiving for…, asking for…”. It is requested as a single intention for the living: in the form choose “Individual Mass intention” and give the date, if the Mass is to fall on the day of the anniversary.

Every Mass is a thanksgiving

The word “Eucharist” comes from the Greek eucharistein – to give thanks. The Catechism calls it a sacrifice of thanksgiving offered to the Father for all that he has done through creation, redemption and sanctification (CCC 1328, 1360). When we request a Mass of thanksgiving, then, we are not adding something foreign to it, but consciously bringing our own story into this thanksgiving. The Gospel of the ten lepers, of whom only one came back to give thanks (Lk 17:11–19), reminds us that gratitude is part of faith.

Occasions for a Mass of thanksgiving

• wedding anniversaries – the first, the tenth, silver (25th) and golden (50th);
• birthdays and jubilees – 18th, 50th, 70th, 80th birthdays, name days, retirement;
• children – birth, baptism, First Holy Communion, confirmation, school-leaving exams, graduation, marriage;
• health – a successful operation, the end of treatment, a safe delivery;
• family and work – a new home, a new job, reconciliation, a safe return from a journey;
• vocation – the priestly or religious jubilee of someone close to you.

Examples of intentions of thanksgiving

We explain the rules for writing an intention in the guide how to word a Mass intention. You can adapt the formulas below as you wish:

Wedding anniversary

• In thanksgiving for ten years of marriage of Catherine and Paul, asking for love and God's guidance in the years to come.
• On the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Helen and George – in thanksgiving for their life together, asking for health and the protection of Our Lady.

Birthday and jubilee

• In thanksgiving for George's seventy years of life, asking for health and joy in the family.
• In thanksgiving for the gift of life and the graces received over eighteen years, asking for the light of the Holy Spirit for Olivia.

For children

• In thanksgiving for the birth of Francis, asking for health for him and his mother.
• In thanksgiving for Matthew's exam results, asking for a good choice of the path ahead.
• For God's blessing on the newly married Veronica and Adam on their wedding day.

For the family

• In thanksgiving for the new home of the Lewis family, asking for harmony and God's care for everyone in the household.
• In thanksgiving for graces received, asking for God's blessing on the whole Wood family.

After a difficult time

• In thanksgiving for Irene's successful operation and the gift of regained strength.
• In thanksgiving for the grace of reconciliation in the family.

If you are giving thanks for something very personal, you can write simply: “In thanksgiving for a grace received”.

A Mass for God's blessing on a family, children or a marriage

It is not always about thanking God for a particular event. Many people request a Mass simply for God's blessing on a marriage, on children or on the whole family – at the start of the school year, before a wedding, when moving house. One intention can include the whole family. When the matter is harder and lasts longer, you can choose a novena of Masses for the living, and for a great jubilee, when you want to give thanks for a whole month, thirty Masses to the Heavenly Court. If your reason for gratitude is a return to health, see also Mass for the sick and for healing. We have gathered all the forms in our guide to Mass intentions.

A Mass in Białynicze and a celebration in your home parish

If you are planning a jubilee with guests, a renewal of marriage vows or a Mass with your family in church, request it in your own parish. A Mass in Białynicze is then an additional prayer – or the only one possible, when the family lives far apart. In the confirmation we give the date and time of the Mass, so that those celebrating and their loved ones can unite in prayer at that time. We commend intentions of thanksgiving to God at the Shrine of Our Lady of Białynicze, which for centuries has received the thanksgiving of pilgrims.

How to request a Mass of thanksgiving

In the form choose “Individual Mass intention” and enter the wording of the intention and the date of the anniversary; you can also send the intention by e-mail or via WhatsApp. If the day you have chosen is already taken, in our e-mail reply we will suggest the nearest possible date. Once the offering has been made to the parish account, within two days at the latest you will receive a confirmation with the wording of the intention and the date and time of the Mass. We show what this document looks like on the page Mass confirmation, and we write about the meaning of the offering in the Mass offering. The offerings support the priests and the restoration of the shrine.

Sources

• Catechism of the Catholic Church – nos. 1328, 1360
• Biblia Tysiąclecia (Polish Bible) – Lk 17:11–19