Mass Requests - having a Mass said for a loved one or a special intention

The tradition of Masses offered for the intentions of living or deceased loved ones originated in the very early Church and continues to be an important Catholic practice.  We have many requests for announced Mass intentions here at St. Mary Parish and are often fully scheduled with no more availability by late April, early May.  With this in mind, along with our recent change in our Weekend Mass schedule, the following policy is now being implemented to accommodate our parishioners in a reasonable and fair manner.

Our Parish accepts announced Mass intentions for Masses in our Church and Parish Hall as well as unannounced Mass intentions.  Announced Mass intentions are scheduled on a specific date and time for the intentions of a single individual or family.  The individuals name is announced at the Mass and printed in the weekly bulletin.  An unannounced Mass intention is not scheduled for a specific date or time and is not announced at the Mass or printed in the bulletin.  Both types of Mass intentions offer a card with envelope.

The following guidelines apply when scheduling intentions.  In the event a request for an announced Mass intention does not fall within these guidelines, an unannounced Mass intention will be offered.  

Please note the following guidelines:

• Intentions should be scheduled with the Parish Office by email, telephone or in person. Please contact Kim Macko at kmacko@smcr.org or call 203-438-6538.
• The customary offering is $15 for an announced Mass and $10 for an unannounced Mass.
• A maximum of 5 (five) announced intentions may be scheduled per registered family per calendar year.
• A maximum of 1 (one) announced intention may be scheduled per non-registered family per calendar year.
• A maximum of 10 (ten) announced intentions may be scheduled for the intentions of any one person per calendar year.
• Unlimited unannounced Mass intentions are available.
• Intention dates, times and guidelines are subject to change by the Pastor, if deemed necessary.  We will attempt to contact the individual who requested the intention, but that may not always be possible.