Baptism unites Christians to Jesus Christ. We speak of Church as “the Body of Christ,” which includes all who have ever been joined to Christ—whether living or dead. We call this union with Christ “the Communion of Saints,” which is part of the Creed Catholics recite each Sunday. We believe that there is a bond between Christians—both the living and the dead. And so, it’s customary for Christians to ask each other for support in prayer. Jesus taught us to ask God for what we need and said that where two or three of us are gathered together, he is there in our midst.
 

The Eucharist is the most important prayer of the Church. In the Mass, we unite ourselves with Christ’s life, death and resurrection—the highest expression of love we can know. In Communion, we are nourished and strengthened to live in Christian love and service, as a response to God’s love for us in Christ. At Mass, we take time after the Liturgy of the Word—the proclamation of the Scriptures—to pray for the needs of the Church.
 

In addition to “general prayers” at Mass, the priest is often asked to “offer the Mass for a special intention.” Saint Pope Paul VI, in 1974, issued a teaching about this practice. He wrote:

“It is a firm tradition in the Church that the faithful, desiring to participate more intimately in the Eucharistic sacrifice, add to it a form of sacrifice of their own by which they contribute to the needs of the Church and especially to the sustenance of all its ministers….It is regarded as a sign of the union of the baptized person with Christ and of the faithful with the priest who exercise his ministry for their good….”

Pope Paul is referring to what is called a “Mass stipend,” that is, the offering of money to the pastor, or other priest when a Mass intention is requested. That intention is frequently, but not always, for a deceased relative or friend.

Sometimes people will speak incorrectly of “buying” a Mass. No one may buy or sell spiritual actions in the Church—this is, in fact, a sinful practice called “simony.” Rather, the Mass stipend is given for the reasonable support of the priest. Money offered for Mass intentions to the Southwest Franciscans goes to support the friars and their work.

A priest is required to honor the request of anyone who asks him to offer a Mass for a special reason, even without a stipend. The local bishop may set a suggested stipend for Masses, or may provide for another means of support for priests. But the prayers of Christians are always freely given—in the spirit of our generous God.
 

Our friar-community prays together each day. Our benefactors are remembered in our community prayers as well as our individual prayers. When we pray for one another, we share in the grace of God which is present in the Church and in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. We grow closer to God in the act of prayer. Our sacrifices—material or otherwise—to help the works of the Church, and of the friars of the Holy Land, is also a source of blessing for us. The Southwest Franciscans are grateful for all the support we receive. As a part of the Communion of Saints, we are united in prayer.