What they are and how you may have them said.

History

Gregorian Masses derive their name from St. Gregory the Great, the first Benedictine Pope who ruled the Church from the year 590 to 604. Gregorian Masses are offered for thirty (30) consecutive days for the repose of the soul of a particular person.

St. Gregory was the first to have a series of Masses said for a departed soul. The event that started this pious practice took place while he was abbot of St. Andrews’s monastery in Rome, prior to his election to the papacy.

In the fourth book of his Dialogues, St. Gregory relates how one of the monks of his monastery, named Justus, did not keep his vow of poverty very well. When Justus died, St. Gregory feared that the good monk might have to spend a long time in Purgatory because of his failures with regard to poverty. He therefore ordered that the Holy Sacrifice be offered up for Justus for thirty consecutive days without a break. On the thirtieth day, Justus appeared to a brother monk telling him that he was now freed from his sufferings because of the thirty Masses St. Gregory had caused to be said for him.

Pious Custom

Following St. Gregory’s example, Catholic people throughout the ages have continued the pious custom of having thirty Masses said for their departed relatives and friends.

The Sacred Congregation on Indulgences has declared that “the offering of Gregorian Masses has a special efficacy for obtaining from God the speedy deliverance of a suffering soul, and that this is a pious and reasonable belief of the faithful.”

Gregorian Masses may be offered only for the dead. They can be offered only for one particular person. The Masses must be said on thirty consecutive days, and if the series is broken, the priest who assumed the obligation must start all over again.

Offering

Many priests engaged in parish work, including marriages, funerals, and special obligations for their parishioners, find it extremely difficult to bind themselves to offer thirty consecutive Masses for a specific intention. On the other hand, it is generally easier to do so in religious communities where more priests are available.

The usual offering for a set of Gregorian Masses is $250, as it does entail the serious obligation on the part of a priest to offer them without interruption.

Gregorian masses are ordinarily offered as soon as possible after death, but there is no reason why they may not be said for a deceased person even many years after their death.

The Salesian Society will make all the necessary arrangements for your Gregorian Masses.

Can Arrangements Be Made To Have Gregorian Masses Said For Oneself After Death?

Since Gregorian Masses may be offered only for the dead, they cannot be said for one who is still living. Nevertheless, one can and is well advised to, arrange to have them said for oneself as soon as possible after death. All one needs to do is simply send a request to that effect to the Salesian Society with the customary $250 offering. We in turn, will send you a certificate to be kept among your important family papers with instruction that it be forwarded to the Salesian Society immediately upon your death. As soon as we receive notice of your death, we will proceed at once to arrange the Gregorian Masses for you.

It is not wise to let this important matter depend entirely on the charity and good will of those we leave behind. The thought that you have provided in good time for the good of your soul will bring with it much peace and serenity.