OFFERING A MASS FOR  A LOVED ONE

Please call the Parish Office to inquire about offering a Mass  (818-888-8200).

Here is a great article explaining the practice of offering a Mass for someone or a special intention:

“What can we do to pray for a loved one, living or deceased, or how can we do something to honor or memorialize them at the St Bernardine of Siena?” This is a common question for us, especially after the death of a loved one.

To have a Mass or several Masses offered for a person who is deceased is an ancient and commendable practice. A Mass is offered to pray for a person that he/she may be at peace in heaven.  Since each Mass is of infinite value, requesting one or several Masses is of tremendous benefit for the person prayed for as well as for the family, knowing that their intention is joined with the prayer of the Church.

Every Mass is a wonderful gift of God to us.  It is the center of the Church’s life, “the source and summit of the Christian life” because, in the celebration of the Mass, we are brought back to Jesus’ Last Supper, the first Mass celebrated. We consciously recall the love of God poured out for us in the life, death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. At each Mass, all the intentions of all God’s people, both living and dead, are included. Yet, “in the established tradition of the Church, the faithful, moved by an ecclesial and religious sense, join to the Eucharistic sacrifice a kind of sacrifice of their own, as a way of taking part more intensely. They thus do their share to provide for the Church’s needs, especially the support of its ministers…” (Pope Paul VI, motu proprio “Firma in Traditione”)

This Policy for Mass Intentions is issued so that this parish’s practice of Mass Intentions and Mass Offerings will be in conformity with the universal law of the Church and the “General Policy for Mass Intentions” of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Though no policy can fully address all the spiritual, theological and practical issues associated with Mass Intentions and Mass Offerings, the following will regulate all Mass Intentions requested at St Bernardine of Siena:

1. Anyone may request a Mass Intention for a person who is living, a person who is deceased, members of a given family (not all names will be listed or mentioned from the altar),
2. a special intention appropriate to the celebration of the Eucharist, e.g., World Peace, Vocations, Respect for Life, etc.
3. The Church allows only one intention per Mass.
4. At St Bernardine of Siena many people request Mass Intentions. Therefore, we do limit the number of Masses that a person can request.
5. A Mass Intention can only be requested for a Mass that will be celebrated within two (2) months from the date of the request.
6. Mass Intentions are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
7. The date of a Mass Intention is subject to change.
8. The suggested offering is  $10.00  per Mass. A Mass Offering may be more than the suggested offering and it may be less, if the person requesting the Mass is not in the financial position to make the customary Mass Offering.
9. Mass Intentions (scheduled at least three weeks before the Mass) are usually published in our bulletin.
10. Though the Mass Intention need not be announced at the Mass, the intention will be read by the presider or lector.
11. The one requesting the Mass Intention may request that a card be sent to notify a person that the Intention has been requested and the date and time of the Mass (one card per intention).
12. The name of the person(s) requesting the Mass is not listed in the bulletin or announced at Mass.

If you have any questions regarding Mass Intentions, please feel free to call the Parish Office.