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Friends of the Suffering Souls GREGORIAN
MASSES INFORMATION
What are they?
Gregorian
Masses are thirty Masses said at any altar for thirty
consecutive days for the deliverance of a certain soul
from Purgatory. The pious practice of having these
Masses celebrated for the deliverance of the souls from
Purgatory was not first introduced by Saint Gregory the
Great, who was sovereign Pontiff from 590 to 604, but
precedes his time. However, they are called Gregorian
Masses because St. Gregory contributed to the spread of
this pious practice. In his Dialogues the Saint tells us
that he caused to be said thirty Masses on thirty
consecutive days for the repose of the soul of Justus, a
monk who had died in the convent of St. Andrew in Rome.
At the end of the thirtieth Mass, the deceased appeared
to his brother, Copoosus, who had assisted him as a
physician in his last illness, and announced that he had
been delivered from the flames of Purgatory.
In their “Lives of the Saints” the Bollandists tell
us that on the thirtieth day Saint Gregory himself was
assured of the deliverance of the soul of Justus. And an
inscription in the church of SS. Andrew and Gregory,
which Rome erected on the spot of the dwelling of the
holy Pontiff, confirms the fact.
Saint Gregory, as we read of his life, was also
instructed by God Himself in the efficacy of these
thirty Masses and he recommended the practice on various
occasions.
In the life of St. Vincent Ferrer, we read that he had
thirty consecutive Masses celebrated for his deceased
sister and saw her delivered from Purgatory.
Pope Benedict XIII lauded this pious practice of having
thirty Masses said for each soul that has departed from
this life.
In Italy, France, Spain, Germany and especially England,
which was converted by missionaries sent by St. Gregory,
it was an established custom previous to the Reformation
and the French Revolution, to have thirty consecutive
Masses said for each departed soul. In a number of old
churches in Europe, altars dedicated to St. Gregory and
the Poor Souls are to be found. Many old paintings are
still preserved attesting the same fact.
Several Religious Orders have it specified in their
rules and Constitutions that thirty Gregorian Masses are
to be said for every deceased member. The Carmelites,
Dominicans, Nuns of the Visitation, and others follow
this practice. A very old edition of the Dominican
Missal contains special prayers for the Gregorian Masses.
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RULES
FOR THE CELEBRATION
of
GREGORIAN MASSES
These
rules may be gathered from the following questions put
to the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences regarding the
celebration of Gregorian Masses and the answers given to
them. (March 15, 1884; August 24, 1888; January 14,
1889. Also Benedict XIV, inst. 34, No. 22).
Q.
Is the confidence of the faithful in the thirty
Masses called Gregorian, as speedily efficacious by the
Divine Mercy, for the deliverance of a soul from
Purgatory, pious, approved and reasonable?
A.
Yes.
Q.
Is it necessary that the Masses called Gregorian
be celebrated in memory of Saint Gregory, without,
however, making commemoration of the Saint?
A.
They need not be said in memory of St. Gregory.
Q.
Must the thirty Masses called Gregorian be said
by the same priest?
A.
There is no obligation for them to be said by the
same priest.
Q.
Must they be said for one soul alone, without any
other intention?
A.
The Masses should be said exclusively for the
soul whose deliverance from the pains of Purgatory is
especially solicited from the Divine Mercy.
Q.
Should they be said on thirty consecutive days
without interruption?
A.
Yes, for thirty days without interruption.
Q.
If the lost three days of Holy Week fall in the
course of the trendal does it constitute an
interruption.?
A.
It does not, provided the celebration of the
thirty Masses be resumed on Easter Sunday.
Q.
Must they be said on the same altar?
A.
No, they may be said on different altars.
Q.
Must they be said at a privileged altar?
A.
It is not necessary.
Q.
Must the Requiem Mass be said, at least when the
Rubric permits it?
A.
Although it would seem proper, it is not an
essential condition. The obligation is satisfied by
saying the Mass of the day.
Q.
May the Gregorian Masses be offered for the
livinq?
A.
No, they cannot be said for the living, but
exclusively for departed souls.
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HOW
TO ARRANGE GREGORIAN MASSES
There
is no need to follow these instructions to arrange such
Masses. You can do so with any priest who is willing or
able to say them for you for a soul nominated by you.
But for your convenience we list here two available
resources which you can use if you want to do so.
FOR
NOVUS ORDO
Go to the website: www.spiritualtreasury.org
where you can arrange over the net to have a set of
Gregorian Masses said for a particular souls. The
stipend expected here is $130US, which is very generous
considering how difficult these Masses are to say.
In Australia Gregorian Masses may be arranged
through
Aid To The Church In Need
PO Box 6245
BLACKTOWN NSW 2148
and they will arrange these Masses for a stipend of $400Aus.
FOR
TRIDENTINE RITE
Rev.
Father Matthew Shapiro, OSB,
Annunciation Monastery at Clear Creek,
5804 W. Monastery Road
,
HULBERT,
OK
74441
In the case of the Tridentine Masses the stipend
expected is $300US.
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