How are names added to the spoken names of the deceased during the Universal Prayer at Sunday Mass?
Please contact the office (804-527-1037) in advance to add names to the list of the deceased or to request a Mass intention. For spoken names at Mass, we will include the following:
Names of the recently deceased
Names of the deceased on the first anniversary of death
Name of person for whom a Mass Intention is offered at that Mass
What is a Mass intention?
Mass intentions are requests by relatives and/or friends for particular weekday or Sunday Mass to be offered for the repose of the soul of a deceased person. Mass intentions may also be requested for the living. Only one person may be prayed for as a Mass intention at each mass.
How can I request a Mass intention?
Mass intentions should be requested through the office (804-527-1037). The office maintains a calendar of available dates and Masses for Mass intentions. Only one Mass intention can be made at each Mass. Mass intentions can be requested up to a year ahead. An offering is customary, but not required.
What are the limitations to names of the deceased spoken at the Universal Prayer?
Unless it is in the form of a Mass intention, birthdays of the deceased and anniversaries of death (other than the first anniversary) are not spoken during the Universal Prayer. At the end of Universal prayer, the Presider collects all the names, both those spoken aloud and those names we hold in our hearts, and offers them up to God. God hears all of the names, spoken and silent, equally. This is also true when we pray for the sick—God hears the names of all, whether spoken or held silently in our hearts.
For weekend Masses, intentions can be scheduled for 3 of 4 Masses. One Mass is always said for the intention of the parish.
Names will not be added at the last minute unless approved by the presider or the deacon of the Mass.