In a previous post, I addressed why we offer Masses for the dead. To summarize briefly: death fixes who we are forever. What we are at death is essentially what we are, either with or against God. That is why the ultimate eschatological state is heaven or hell.
God is all-holy and perfect. We are not. That is why the Old Testament often speaks about man being unable to look upon the face of God and live (Judges 13:22, Isa. 6:5). But God, in his mercy, already has already graciously shown his face to man: consider how he revealed himself to Moses (Exod. 33:18-23). And that God is finally revealed to man in Jesus Christ (John 1:18), who invites us to eternal life with him in the beatific vision.
But that still does not mean we can enter God’s presence without the wedding garment of grace (Matt. 22:11-14)—not even wedding garments that are stained and soiled.
God, in his mercy, unites us all in the communion of saints: those in heaven, those in purgatory (with their stained wedding garments), and those on earth struggling to reach one of those two. In God’s mercy, he allows us in this world, through acts of charity, to aid those in the next who need it. After all, Jesus called his followers “friends” (John 15:15), and that’s what friends are for!
As noted, the most perfect act of charity is Jesus’ own sacrifice, perpetuated and continued in the Eucharist. And there’s nothing more perfect we can offer for those in need of our prayers.
That’s why the Church celebrates Masses for the dead. That is why the Church accompanies the remains of its sons and daughters to the cemetery, not with services that acclaim their past lives, but with Jesus’ own sacrifice to accompany their present lives, conducting them—as St. Ambrose reminds us—through the charity of prayer “into the house of the Lord.”
Funeral liturgies are normally Masses. It’s a reasonable custom—and an expression of love (especially filial love of our parents)—to have Mass celebrated for someone annually on the anniversary of his death.
And to celebrate Gregorian Masses.
What are Gregorian Masses? Put succinctly, Gregorian Masses are a series of thirty Masses, offered consecutively and without interruption, for the repose of the soul of a particular person. The name comes from Pope Gregory the Great, under whom the custom began.
Gregory I reigned from 590 to 604; we just celebrated his feast on September 3, the day of his papal election. He was one of the papacy’s great reformers, who launched the evangelization of Britain. A major theologian, he cleaned up Church abuses, raised the level of spirituality, and generously distributed alms. And, after having first had a successful public career as the son of a noble Roman family, he turned the family estate into a monastery and committed himself to poverty.
That last detail is relevant.
Tradition holds that one of the monks in his community, Justus, was dying. In his agonies, he admitted to having hoarded money for himself against his vow of poverty. Gregory prescribed punishments for him, which elicited not just his own repentance, but the serious introspection of his brother monks. After Justus’s death, Gregory expressed concern for Justus’s spiritual welfare. He ordered that Mass be celebrated for him for thirty days without interruption.
It is said that at the end of the series, Justus appeared in a vision to a brother monk, relating that he had been delivered from Purgatory upon the completion of cycle of Masses. The account was relayed to Gregory, who records it in his own great work, The Dialogues (Book IV, ch. 55).
Gregorian Masses have therefore been part of the Church’s armamentarium for its faithfully departed sons and daughters for almost 1,500 years.
Gregorian Masses were perhaps more commonly known (and arranged) in the past. Why might you not have heard of them?
- They are more typically celebrated in monasteries, seminaries, and mission lands than in parishes. Why? Because many parishes—with large numbers of parishioners and fewer priests—find it harder to schedule thirty consecutive Masses for a single deceased person’s intention. Religious communities and priests in mission lands generally have greater flexibility.
- Gregorian Masses clearly affirm the Catholic doctrine of purgatory—i.e., a postmortem state of purification from venial sin, which rubs against Protestant denial of the efficacy of prayer for the dead or the existence of purgatory. So some people have downplayed this rich spiritual resource in the name of being ecumenically inoffensive.
“So how do I arrange for Gregorian Masses?” Try your local parish, but, as noted, the typical parish may not be able to schedule them. Many religious orders (with their presence on the web), like the Salesians, various branches of the Franciscans (e.g., the Capuchins or the Seraphic Association), Marians, or Holy Family Missionaries, some Dominican parishes or shrines, and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) will gladly arrange Gregorian Masses for your beloved deceased.
The usual offering for Gregorian Masses is suggested in the $250-400 range, given the number of Masses involved and the requirement for their uninterrupted continuity. (For more on Mass stipends and why they don’t constitute simony, see here, particularly at section B.I.b., “Practical Questions Concerning the Mass.”)
You might also consider arranging a series of Gregorian Masses for yourself. One reason people buy life insurance policies is to provide a financial cushion after they die, especially unexpectedly. People used to do that to ensure there was money for a decent burial (and not cremation or a pauper’s grave). Today, they often take out term policies as a financial safety net—e.g., when a breadwinner dies with a mortgage or children to educate.
Do we think about our own spiritual safety nets? How many families still regularly request Masses for deceased members? Even among those who do, your memory will someday fade. Why not arrange for your own Gregorian Masses?
You can make a request and set aside a stipend in your will, but the easiest way is to contact one of the above sources and make your offering today. They will send you a card to keep among your important papers (like with your will) that simply needs to be sent in after your death for the Masses to begin.