as

I would like to purchase a mass card at
a church in Paris.

Is this possible?

kenderina

a mass card ? what's that ? I know I don't practise for years but..can you explain what it is to me , please ?

as

A mass card is something you purchase at the church for someone who has past away. Masses are offered for them.

Citylghts

A mass card is given for a donation asking that a mass be said with an intention, such as for the memory of someone who is deceased or in celebration of a wedding anniversary, etc. The card is then sent/given by the donor to the family of the deceased.

The intentions are usually printed in the church bulletins and announced at the beginning of the mass.

kenderina

Ohhhh, now I know what you meant I don't know in France, here in Spain you don't have to buy anything, just talk to the priest of the church and give "a donation", but I really don't know how much they expect for "a donation".

mkdiebold

What do you mean by Mass card? There is no such thing. Are you looking for a way to follow along with the priest and the community? If yes, look for a booklet in the pew (if there IS a pew)that might be called a missalette. The ones here in the States are written for practicing Catholics, who are familiar with the order of the Mass. They print only the specific Scripture readings for that service, NOT all of the ritualized parts.

kenderina

Sorry, I hit enter too quickly Yes, they print it in the church bulletin but I don't think they sent anything to anyone. Usually are the family the ones who asks for the masses.

yesiree100

Haven't picked up a mass card in Paris, but I have in several other European cities. Most of the popular tourist-visited churches have them available (ask at the gift shop or parish office...smaller churches may need to track down a priest to fill out the card...places with more traffic have them ready).

I'd send an email inquiry to a place like Notre Dame and see what they say(www.cathedraledeparis.com).

as

Thank you yesirre for your polite and
informative answer.

I have emailed Notre Dame to see if they are available.

LoveItaly

Hi as, here in my area (Northern California) it is very typical to have a mass card. One goes to the church, makes a donation and mass is said for the deceased, or to celebrate a wedding anniversary etc. A notice is sent to the person or people that you indicate on the form. The people who are being remembered during the mass are listed in the church program.

That also is done in NE Italy..I know as the Monsignor said Mass and held Communion in memory of my husbands death on the first anniversary. My dear friends made the arrangements. I was in that small city on the anniversary. I still have the church program with the information listed, in Italian of course. My friend went to the duomo and made the arrangements. I don't know but I would think one could arrange this in Paris also. Best wishes to you.

anaheimwoman

some of the churches with gift shops might have some mass cards. i am surprised that some of the catholic posters who responded have not heard of mass cards. they're like greeting cards, not very different from the kind you buy from a hallmark store, usually with some religious-themed pictures in the front and inside the card, you might find the name of the person the mass is intended for, the person offering the mass and the priest's signature. btw, the mass card is not just necessarily for the dead, the mass can also be offered for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. the card is basically just a "proof" or notice to the recipient or family of the recipient of the mass intentions.

zizz

I've been a catholic all my life and mass cards are only for the dead. It's a card you purchase for a negligible amount at the parish office to give to the bereaved family. The card is oftentimes displayed during the wake along with other mass cards and the family keeps the cards once the burial is over. The parish where you got the card from and its community will pray for the soul of the person who passed away.

I've been trying to google for mass cards in Paris but I'm getting nothing. Perhaps you can google Catholic parishes in Paris instead and email those that will be close to where you are staying for information on mass cards.

May I ask why it has to be a church in Paris?

highledge

Yikes, i wish the responses of some of my fellow catholics were a less heavy handed.
Mass cards differ from region to region in the US- and in Europe as well.
Good luck to you AS. I hope you find what you're looking for!

LoveItaly

Hello zizz, well I have been a Catholic all of my life too and in my area Mass Cards are not only for the deceased but for anniversaries etc.

And I just took a look at the church bulletin that I have from the Duomo in the small city of the region of Veneto, Italy where the mass was said on the first anniversary for the death of my husband.

The bulletin showed all the masses for the week. Masses were said for some 40th and 50th wedding anniversaries, for a few missionary priest and for a parochial school as well as anniverseries of the deceased.

And in our area mass cards are not purchased but a donation is made..the donation depends on the financial ability of the person asking for the mass to be said for the person(s) to be remembered.

As a matter of fact this thread reminds me when I had some teens from Italy staying with us (children of friends). One of the teens had a friend's mother in Italy die. I took her to the rectory. She asked that a mass be said, the church wouldn't accept a donation as she was visiting here. Another time another teen (again a child of a friend in Italy) went to the church to ask that a mass be said for her grandmother who was celebrating her birthday..I think she donated $10.00. There was no payment demanded.

Evidently different areas of the US (I assume you live in the US) handle mass cards differently.

zizz

Ooops, I didn't mean to offend anybody. I'm juggling about 100 things all at the same time and I didn't realise that my hurried post came out harsh.

Actually, I live in Asia and we do offer donations for masses to be said for any occasion - birthdays, anniversaries etc...We normally don't get any card or slip for that but it's mentioned as part of the mass intention. But I had always purchased a mass card for anyone who passed away and offered it to the late person's family. It's a card with the person's name on it and the parish's promise (?) to pray for that person's soul and it's enclosed in a leather folder usually.

LoveItaly

Oh zizz, you certainly didn't offend me..I am so interested in different practices within the Catholic Church throughout the world. And my parents never did get over the changes that took place decades ago which was true of their generation.

In my area a mass card is not enclosed in a leather folder normally but I did receive some that were..friends that made donations to the Dominicans for example. I received some large ten inch by eight inch beautiful engraved leather folders with the mass intentions hand written inside..quite lovely.

Mass cards that were given through the local church were sent in a nice white envelope with a card inside, rather like anaheimwoman described.

Blessings and prayers to all that are suffering a loss or rejoycing in a blessed event, no matter what your religious belief is. Peace to all.

victoria_reynolds

Sometimes (but not always) you will notice that a cross is printed next to the name of the person for whom the mass is intended, if the person is deceased. I think it is a lovely idea, especially if the person (living or dead) would have liked to have made the trip with you but was not able to.

hhildebrandt

Hello as,

For the Catholic church in Paris try:
http://catholique-paris.cef.fr/index.php

For Roman Catholic churches in Paris try
http://catholique-paris.cef.fr/diocese/messes/index.php

There are more churches in Paris than Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur (as St. Eustache, near Les Halles, or St. Germain des Pres, in the 6th in the quarter of the same name). Maybe you find one near the place you stay or at a place you like. Or you find a Church offering a service to the community you find to be worth a donation.

Roman catholic church in France (except Alsace-Lorraine, I was told) does rely on donations from its members. So, the church´s priest will tell you how to remember your beloved and to donate to the church.

Btw, it might be a nice travel experience to meet a priest of a Paris church and to talk to him on your intention. The french word for donating a mass is offrande de messe.