Franciscan Fathers Mass Association St. Bernardine Monastery P.O. Box 139 - Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Office Hours: M-F 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EST) (Closed on Holidays) CALL TOLL FREE 1- 866 - 695 - 3802 If you would like more information or would like to make a request for Masses over the phone. e-mail: St. Bernardine Monastery All requests for Masses are now available online with all major credit cards accepted through Paypal.  However, we understand there still may be some confusion, so please feel free to call our Mass Assn. at the above number for further assistance.       If you choose to use a printout form for your order instead of making an online purchase, please use the following form: ( Print out Mass Request Form )

The Mass: The Sacrifice of Christ

Like St. Francis of Assisi we friars are first and foremost called to deepen our union with God in Christ.  We seek to make God the most important reality of our lives.  As Franciscans, all else flows from our life of prayer . Our prayer is our greatest gift  to you;  it is our most valued gift and treasure.  Prayer & Eucharist give us life and nourish us spiritually and physically in order that we may be good and faithful ministers to God's people.

Can you think of a better gift than a Holy Mass
offered for your special intention?

What really matters in your life? Material gifts come and go. How many gifts have we received that we can no longer use or no longer need? By requesting a Mass for a special intention of a friend or loved one, you make a difference in their life and the life of the Franciscan friar who celebrates a Holy Mass. You also make a difference in your life, merely by giving a spiritual gift.

THE MASS--AN EXPLANATION:

THE MASS OR EUCHARIST: What we call the Eucharist has had many names over the centuries. For example, in the first century, the Eucharist was also called eulogy which means "blessing" (Berakhah in Hebrew). This term came from that part of the liturgy where Jesus "blessed" the bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples (Matthew 26:26). Another popular name for Eucharist over the years has been the "Lord's Supper." You may be familiar with the term "Mass," another name for the eucharistic liturgy. In this sacrament, Christians receive the Lord in his resurrected body under the form of bread and wine. The Mass is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The person learning to be a Christian received instruction. Some of this instruction took place at Mass during the Liturgy of the Word with various Scripture readings and a homily or sermon. After the Liturgy of the Word, the person learning was "sent out" from the assembly for further instruction; the Latin word for "sent" is missa (Mass), the key word which was a signal for them to leave. The term Eucharist is another word for the Mass. Eucharist means thanksgiving. It derives from Jesus' words at the Last Supper when he gave thanks to the Father before distributing the cup to the apostles (Matthew 26:27). The Eucharist goes by many names but surely "thanksgiving" describes what we can do when we go to Mass.

To help support our works in this country and around the world, our benefactors send us offerings for Masses to remember their loved ones and intentions in prayer and Eucharist.  It has been customary for the person requesting this to make an offering of money to the priest--not to pay for the Mass, but to help support the priest and the works of the Church. This custom comes from the early Church when the people brought to the Mass the things necessary for the sacrifices, for the support of the priests, the poor, etc. Saint Paul wrote, "...the Lord directed that those who preach the gospel should have their living from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). In the case of our Franciscan Province, offerings  help us care for our elderly, educate our seminarians, and assist us in our various Franciscan Ministries.

The following explains various ways people send us offerings and donations to remember their intentions in prayer and at Eucharist for the support our works:

Each day the priest friars of our Province of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and our missionaries of our Franciscan Order celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the intentions and needs of the Church and remember all those who have asked a special place in our prayers. We would be happy to remember your intentions if you would send them to us. The offerings sent for these Masses help support our ministries here at home and in our missions throughout the world.

INDIVIDUAL MASSES See Request Mass Cards for selection Offering for an individual Mass is Ten Dollars. To request a Mass or Masses print out Mass Request Form.

• If you like you may call us and we will take care of your request over the telephone: CALL TOLL FREE 1-866-695-3802
  
  

GREGORIAN MASSES

Gregorian Masses -- The belief of the Church based on the Word of God as revealed in the second Book of Maccabees, is that it is a holy and worthwhile thing to pray for the dead that they may be freed from sin. The people of God from the earliest times have acted on this conviction in various ways. One tradition that has come down to us, as related by Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604) in his treatise on the Immortality of the Soul, is that there is special efficacy in having Mass celebrated on thirty consecutive days for a deceased person. For this reason they are known as Gregorian Masses.

The Roman Catholic Church has established strict regulations (Canon Law) concerning the celebration of Gregorian Masses.

1. The Gregorian Masses can be offered only for one deceased person.

2. The Gregorian Masses cannot be offered for several deceased,
nor for all the faithful departed.

3. The Gregorian Masses must be offered one each day for 30 consecutive days. Should the series be interrupted for any reason, it must be begun again.

In addition, though the 30 consecutive Masses in the Gregorian series need not be celebrated by the same priest, nor at the same altar, they must each be offered for the same departed person for each of the consecutive 30 days.

As you will appreciate, few priests by reason of their work are free and able to offer the 30 consecutive Masses of the Gregorian series without interruption. Hence, it requires extra time to arrange to have the Gregorian Masses scheduled as this cannot be done usually in a place where only one priest is stationed; in case he falls ill, there must be at least one other priest available, and free to continue the Masses without interruption.

This will explain why a higher stipend is normally requested for the 30 Gregorian Masses.

In accordance with a Catholic tradition of over 1300 years a series of thirty Holy Masses, known as Gregorian Masses, is offered on thirty consecutive days exclusively for the repose of the soul of a departed person.

The name derives from Pope St. Gregory the Great who was the first to popularize this pious practice. St. Gregory relates in his Dialogues how, when he had finished the series of thirty Masses for a departed monk, the monk appeared to tell he had thus gained entry into glory on completion of the Gregorian Masses.

The hallowed tradition has been declared a "pious and reasonable belief of the faithful" on the authority of the Sacred Roman Congregation on Indulgences.

The customary offering for the uninterrupted series of thirty daily consecutive Masses (for one deceased person only) is a donation of $300.

Gregorian Masses Offering for a set of Gregorian Masses is Three Hundred Dollars. To request a set of 30 Gregorian Masses print out Request Form.

• How to Arrange Gregorian Masses for Yourself -- If you desire a set of Gregorian Masses for yourself or a close relative or friend after death you can write or call the Franciscan Friars Mass Association CALL TOLL FREE 1- 866 - 695 - 3802 and we will assist you in preparing for these Masses to be said. You may also include the following in your will.
  
  "I direct first of all, that arrangements be made with the Franciscan Fathers, Saint Bernardine Monastery, Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania 16648 for a set of thirty (30) Masses to be offered for the repose of my soul as soon as possible after death. For this purpose I further direct that a donation be made to these Franciscan Friars in the amount requested by them for such Gregorian Masses.

Novena of Masses   Individual's Name A Novena is nine Masses said on nine consecutive days. Offering for a Novena of Masses is Ninety Dollars. To request a Novena of 9 Masses print out Request Form.

Triduum of Masses   Individual's Name A Triduum of Masses is three Masses said on three consecutive days. Offering for a Triduum of Masses is Thirty Dollars To request a Triduum of 3 Masses print out Request Form.

Vigil Lights: 

Individual's Name

Candle lasts for seven days.

From earliest Christian times, candles were places in tombs and before shrines and statutes. By this action, Christians expressed their faith by requesting a favor or giving thanks for one received. A departed loved one can be remembered in this manner. When we must be busy with daily life, the flame burning is symbolic of our prayer and presence.

See Request Enrollments for selection

ENROLLMENTS -- with guidance and encouragement of Saint Francis, many women and men were drawn to seek spiritual union with his simple Franciscan way of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In a new and loving way this idea of spiritual union was continued by our Mass Association founder, Father Benignus Gallagher, T.O.R., who began what we now call Franciscan Associate Spiritual Membership. By sending us the names of loved ones, whether deceased or living, they will be enrolled in our Associate Spiritual Membership.
   We have three different types of enrollments:

     Perpetual (lifetime) Enrollments
     Family - $35.00
     Individual - $25.00

     Annual (one-year) Enrollments
     Family - $25.00
     Individual - $15.00

     Health and Healing Enrollments/Get Well
     Offering - $15.00

Each enrolled member receives various spiritual benefits. Enrollment Cards are available for you to send to those you enroll or their families. For more information please contact us.

To view/order Enrollments, return to top (sidebar) and click "Request Enrollments".  Please limit selection to two cards only.

• Other methods to assist the Franciscans: Your donations help us care for our elderly in a Retirement Fund; you can also assist us in the education of our young men studying for the priesthood or brotherhood in our Education Fund; and donations to help us in our ministry to the poor and needy. We would not be able to carry out our ministries without your assistance, prayers, and financial help. Please contact us for various ways you can help us.

• Remembering the Franciscans
  of St. Bernardine's Monastery in your Will. 
  
  We ask you to consider and help us continue our ministry by leaving a portion of your estate as a gift to the Franciscan Friars - St. Bernardine Monastery. This will ensure that the good work you have done during your lifetime will continue afterwards through prayer and works of the friars of St. Bernardine Monastery and the Province of the Immaculate Conception.
  
  For more information about including St. Bernardine's Monastery in your will or request Masses please write to or E-Mail us:
  
  e-mail: St. Bernardine Monastery
  
  Rev. Christopher J. Panagoplos, TOR
  St. Bernardine Monastery

• P.O. Box 139
  Hollidaysburg, PA 16648-0139
  Telephone CALL TOLL FREE 1- 866 - 695 - 3802
  

• To Make A Gift for our ministries here at home or in the missions, make check payable to:

The Franciscans - St. Bernardine Monastery

Mail to:
Fr. Adalbert E. Wolski, TOR
Saint Bernardine Monastery
P.O. Box 139
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648-0139

CONTRIBUTION POLICY

The Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular are a religious Order of the Roman Catholic Church. Through your contribution you participate in the church's mission outreach. Contributions to the Franciscan Friars Third Order Regular, a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, are deductible for computing income and estate taxes. Consult with a tax attorney or a certified public accountant to verify that each particular contribution is deductible.

For an annual account of stewardship of your contributions, please contact us and ask for the Statement of Accountability. Thank you.

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