FRIENDS OF THE SUFFERING SOULS
1. Questions about the Mass to be arranged.
2. Questions about my registration.
3. Questions about Third Party Membership
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MASS TO BE ARRANGED
1. Does the Mass have to be said on the allotted day?
No it doesn’t. Clearly it will not always be possible to arrange to have a priest say the Mass on the allotted day. He might already have to say another Mass on that day. You don’t then have to find another priest. Just have it said on the first day that is available to the priest either before or after the allotted day. Remember that whatever day the Mass is said it is still said on account of your allotted day so the connection will always remain.
2. Will it interrupt the novena if my Mass is not said on the allotted day?
No it won’t. We have about 20 to 30 members allotted for each day. With an average of over 40 Masses a day it is clear that every day in the year will be well and truly covered by our novena.
3. Do I have to know the day the Mass is said?
No, you don’t. Some of the organisations listed on our Arrange A Mass page – such as Aid To The Church In Need or The Seraphic Mass Association – cannot tell you when a Mass will be said as the Masses they distribute go to priests all over the world. You simply do not have to know. Whenever it is said it will still be on account of your allotted day.
4. Do I have to confirm when the Mass will be said?
Clearly also if you do not have to know when the Mass is said nor do you have to tell us when it will be said.
QUESTIONS ABOUT MY REGISTRATION
1. Once I am registered does my name stay on the Roll of Members?
So long as you arrange and confirm at least one Mass for our novena each year then your name will stay on the Roll of Members.
2. What if I die?
When a member dies then they can no longer of course arrange their Mass each year for our novena. So their name is transferred to the Register of Deceased Members and they remain on the Roll for so long as our association will continue to exist.
3. How will you know that I have died?
We will not know unless someone tells us. You can arrange for a relative or near friend to let us know when you have died. You can also obtain from us a paper to put with your Will and other personal papers. This paper simply asks whoever is looking after your affairs after your death to send it on to us so that we will know you have died. You can apply for a copy of this paper through the Membership Page
4. If no one tell you I have died will I be removed from the Roll
Yes, you will because we will not receive a confirmation of your Mass and we will not know that you have died. We will think you have just stopped being interested in the novena.
5. In that case would I lose the benefits of membership of the Association?
No, you would not. God know that you died while you were a member. God distributes the graces from our Masses and He does not refer to our Deceased List. He already knows everything. He knows that you are a Deceased Member of FOSS and that you are entitled to graces from the special commemoration for Deceased Members in each and every one of our Masses. God will never overlook you even if we do and it is only God that counts. And He will never be outdone in generosity.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIRD PARTY MEMBERSHIP
1. Can I enrol anyone as a third party member?
Yes, you can enrol anyone at all so long as you are willing each year to arrange a Mass for our novena on account of the membership of that person. You simply take on the responsibilities of membership on behalf of the person you have enrolled.
2. Does the person I have enrolled need to know that I have enrolled them?
No, they don’t. Just as they don’t need to know every time you say a prayer for them. It is in fact a prayer for them. It is the prayer of our novena of Masses for the holy souls, offered every day on their behalf. This magnificent prayer going up every day is a work of mercy carried out in their name and will plead for mercy for them before the throne of God in Heaven.
3. Does the third party I have enrolled need to be a Catholic or a Christian of some sort?
No, they don’t. To enrol someone as a third party member is a way of praying for them. And you can and should pray for anyone and everyone, even your enemies.
4. What happens to the third party membership if I die?
The third party membership is forever tied to you personally. If you live then you are obliged to arrange the Mass each year for the third party member. If they are living third party members then this is until they die or until you die, whichever comes first. If they are deceased then this is until you yourself die. But when you die then, whether the 3rd party member remains alive or not they are perpetual members on account of the fact that your death brings to an end the obligation to have the Mass said.