By John Oven
Guest column
Recently, the suggested stipend for a Mass intention in the four dioceses of Iowa was raised from $5 to $10. This change, which took effect Jan. 1, has drawn attention to an ancient Catholic custom that involves a deal worth taking.
The stipend increase followed an agreement last year by the state’s bishops, according to a Dec. 8, 2025, letter from Bishop Dennis Walsh to the priests of the Davenport Diocese. Applying Masses for special intentions is a practice with which many Catholics, especially younger ones, may not be familiar. Going back to the early Church, Catholics would request Masses be offered for the dead or a specific intention of a living person because prayers offered at Mass are powerful. The sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross are the one final sacrifice whereby we can daily receive the forgiveness of sin, blessings in this life, eternal rewards, and the confidence that our prayers are heard by the Father.
“It is in this most sacred prayer of the Church that we should make our requests, for they are joined with and strengthened by the prayers of Our Lord to the Father on our behalf,” writes Father Francis Spirago in “The Catechism Explained.” “As the sacrifice of the Mass is more excellent than any other act of worship, so the prayers offered during Mass are more efficacious than any others.” The spiritual weight of the Mass is incalculable and a Mass intention, offered with great devotion, is of immense potency because, while something finite is being requested, something divine and infinite is being offered.
Many of the rules priests are to observe related to Mass intentions and stipends are defined in the Code of Canon Law. One portion states: “In accord with the approved practice of the Church, any priest celebrating or concelebrating is permitted to receive an offering to apply the Mass for a specific intention. It is recommended earnestly to priests that they celebrate Mass for the intention of the Christian faithful, especially the needy, even if they have not received an offering. The Christian faithful who give an offering to apply the Mass for their intention contribute to the good of the Church and by that offering share its concern to support its ministers and works. Any appearance of tracking or trading is to be excluded entirely from the offering for Masses.” (Canons 945-947)
It is important to remember that the faithful are not buying the graces from God, but rather supporting the material needs of the celebration of the Mass and of the priest. When Mass is offered for a deceased Catholic, the intention is to recommend their soul to God the Father in such a way that their required purification in purgatory will be lessened. Masses may also be said for other prayer intentions (as long as they don’t contradict Catholic moral teaching). Some examples of intentions include — offering thanksgiving, celebrating an anniversary of a baptism or another sacrament, asking for help for someone who is sick or dying, or for someone’s conversion.
I urge you to take stock of the intentions that you have been praying for in private and also commend those intentions to the Father by having a priest join them to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. Mass intentions can be reserved by contacting your parish office.
(John Oven is a parishioner of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Bloomfield.)
