Mass Intentions
Mass Intention Guidelines for The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Our parish family has many requests for scheduling Mass Intentions, but we only have a certain amount of Mass opportunities. The following policies are being implemented in order to accommodate the numerous requests in a reasonable and fair manner.
1) Requests will be honored on a first-come, first-serve basis in the order in which the request is received at the parish office.
2) No Mass request will be taken over the telephone by the Parish Office. Requests for Mass Intentions may be requested in person in the Parish Office or by mail. A $5.00 stipend, as determined by diocesan policy, is to accompany each Mass request before it can be recorded in the Mass Intention Book.
3) Mass requests will be granted as close to the requested date and time as possible. If it is not possible to comply with the primary request, the next closest date will be scheduled.
4) Keep in mind that one Mass every weekend must be scheduled for the intentions of our parishioners, known as ‘Pro Populo” (For the People) as required by Canon Law and diocesan statute.
5) Mass Intentions CANNOT BE SCHEDULED FOR:
· Holy Thursday – “For All Clergy”
· Easter, Christmas (Including Christmas Eve) – when all the intentions are “Pro Populo”.
· Mother’s Day – “All Mothers of the parish, living and deceased”
· Father’s Day – “All Fathers of the parish, living and deceased”
· All Souls’ Day – “All the faithful departed”
6) If for an unforeseen circumstance a Mass cancellation occurs, the intention for the Mass will be rescheduled on the next available opening.
7) To ensure consistent and fair opportunity for all desiring an intention for a loved one or event, we can schedule no more than 4 Masses per year from each donor, with only two of those requests to be used for a weekend (Saturday/Sunday) Mass.
8) For Mass Intentions received at the time of a funeral, please be aware that canon law does not permit us to take Mass Intentions beyond a 12 month period, and we open our Mass calendar every year on January 1st. If we are unable to fulfill a request we may have to send some intentions to the Chancery or Mission Office for distribution to other priests who will be able to celebrate these Masses.
November 2025