# Going rate (if there is such a thing!) for donation for funeral mass card?



## cobalt

Does anyone know what the going rate (if there is such a thing!) is for getting a funeral mass card signed (Dublin)?

Thanks.


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## Flake

*Mass Cards*

My Mum paid €5 - in Dublin - last week.


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## rainyday

*Re: Mass Cards*

I'll sign it for a nice skinny latte.


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## sueellen

Cobalt,

If you buy a pre-signed mass card in Whitefriar St. church they cost €3.  I have also seen them in one of our local shops for the same price but if its a case of going to a priest to get one signed €5 does appear to be the standard.


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## N0elC

*What price access to God ?*

I find it really offensive that Catholic priests charge for masses. Aren't they already paid a salary ?

Personally, I just buy a "With Sympathy" card. It's the thought that counts really.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: What price access to God ?*



> Aren't they already paid a salary ?



I was surprised to read recently (in the context of a Sunday Business Post article about a Revenue judgement against some priest or other for non declaration and payment of income tax) that priests are actually classed as self employed by the Revenue. Just seemed odd but perhaps not...


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## Tommy

*Re: What price access to God ?*

In fairness, the salaries most priests get from their diocese is tiny. Many get free accommodation but often in cold, draughty parish-owned houses or in group accommodation in presbyteries. Those who work in schools or hospitals are forced to surrender their State salaries to the Church and receive only a pittance in return. They are taxable on their earnings.

One priest I know spends 2+ days a week attending to the dying in a local hospice, without being paid a cent. I don't know how he sticks it.

Afaik the convention with Mass Cards is that the priest accepts whatever donation (if any) that the recipient wishes to give. The priest does not charge, or specify, a set fee. I doubt if any get rich through Mass Card donations - not to the extent that companies like Hallmark do with commercial sympathy cards.


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## Vanilla

*Re: What price access to God ?*

I have to agree with Tommy. Who'd be a priest? Tough job, no wife or companion. Few real friends. And they really dont earn a lot. One thing also is that some retired priests have a pretty appalling pension- one recently came to my attention when I handled an estate where the testator left money for masses to be said for the repose of their soul- a very common bequest. Despite having had a long and unselfish career this gentleman was forced to ask me if I would give him the money to say masses to supplement his meagre income. So if theres any retired priests in your area- think of them when getting mass cards etc.


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## N0elC

*Re: What price access to God ?*

Tommy said:


> Afaik the convention with Mass Cards is that the priest accepts whatever donation (if any) that the recipient wishes to give. The priest does not charge, or specify, a set fee.



Not in my own personal experience. In my own local parish the priests usen't to say a mass unless you had a minimum donation of IR£3 in your hand. No negotiation.

As for priests not being paid a lot, surely that's not the point. RC priests supposedly take a vow of poverty, but get a stipend from the church, usually drive fine cars, and live for free in grand houses.

Would Christ ask for a payment for prayers for the dead ?

You're better off making a donation to charity on behalf of the dead person, in stead of lining the priest's pockets.


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## jem

*Re: What price access to God ?*



> RC priests supposedly take a vow of poverty, but get a stipend from the church, usually drive fine cars, and live for free in grand houses.


Actually afaik they don't, the christian brothers& nuns etc do but not the priest's.
I actually do/did the accounts for a few priests both RC & Methodist  and know their income is very small and much is actually given to charity. As regard to the cars in fairness aren't they intitled to some small comfort also remember they often need to go to someone late at night and how would you feel if they rang back to say the car was broken down/wouldn't start etc. The houses are ofton damp/cold/old houses and remember they don't own them.


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## rainyday

*Re: What price access to God ?*

I think the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd. I was also amazed to find out that priests will sometimes 'outsource' this mass-saying work to some of the enclosed orders for a cut of the fee.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: What price access to God ?*



> Tough job



I thought that it was a vocation?



> I think the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd.



Surely it also involves the sin of simony too? 

Not that consistency or logic is the strong point of most religions.... :\


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## cobalt

*mass card*

Thanks for the info (€5ish) and comments. I've always been under the impression that any donation is voluntary (whatever about the moral pressure to pay), but €5-10 doesn't seem a lot to pay - unless you very frequently get masses said for others, when I suppose it might add up.


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## Dowee

*Re: mass card*

Was in the church on the South Circular Road (near Meath Hospital) for a funeral two weeks ago, and no one could park in the car park except 2 funeral cars as the car parking spaces are rented to businesses, which I found a little absurd. Also after the funeral (or removal to be more accurate) the priest was trying to herd everyone out of the church as it was being painted and he wanted to let the painters get back to work (apparently). I just thought it was in very poor taste as people were lined up to go to the family to console with them. 

Its no wonder the Catholic Church is a dying institution.

For the record my mother gets mass cards from some church for €3.50, can't give more specific details than that, sorry.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: mass card*



> Its no wonder the Catholic Church is a dying institution.



Pun intended?


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## daltonr

*Re: mass card*



> I think the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd.



I agree, but then I think the whole practice of having Mass said at all is pretty absurd.  I suppose if I believed that the Mass made a difference I'd also be willing to pay a few bob to have one said.

Certainly if I actually cared about religion in general or the RC church in particular then I'd have no problem donating money to them.  

Is it possible that people who complain about having to make a "donation" for these services actually don't have their heart in it.  They feel compelled to observe the traditions but don't actually "believe".  

I've had a theory for a long time that half of Irish Catholics are Athiests but won't admit it, and the other half are protestants but won't admit it.

-Rd


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## Tommy

*Re: mass card*



> I think the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd.



Surely this is a matter to be decided by each individual who may wish to have a Mass said at their request. If someone wants to pay, why shouldn't they? After all, at a wedding, for example, people don't seem to have any problem in paying large sums to hotel, dressmakers, limo driver, photographer, florist, singers etc.  If they want to give a modest donation to the priest for conducting the ceremony, surely there is nothing wrong with them doing so.



> I was also amazed to find out that priests will sometimes 'outsource' this mass-saying work to some of the enclosed orders for a cut of the fee.


This doesn't really make sense if it is about money. Every priest must say Mass daily as part of their duties as a priest. Most priests at parish level are very busy with (afaik always unpaid) Anniversary Masses for relatives of parishoners on a year-round basis. I suppose its possible that some of this burden might be shared with priests in enclosed orders (if there is such a thing nowadays, which I doubt).

However, I alos doubt if saying Masses is sufficiently lucrative to command any sort of financially-motivated subcontracting.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: mass card*



> Surely this is a matter to be decided by each individual who may wish to have a Mass said at their request.



Wasn't daltonr merely giving his/her personal opinion? At this rate we'll have to qualify absolutely every word posted with a disclaimer... :|


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## Marion

*Re: donation for mass*



> Most priests at parish level are very busy with (afaik always unpaid) Anniversary Masses for relatives of parishoners on a year-round basis.



My mother always gives money in envelopes to the priest after anniversary masses have been said for deceased family members - afaik,they are never returned! 

But,having said that, she is happy to do so.

Marion :hat


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## Tommy

*Re: donation for mass*

Hi 0,

If someone expresses a personal opinion, surely others are free to agree or disagree?


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: donation for mass*

Yes but you seemed to make it sound like daltonr had said "the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd" without prefacing it with "I think". Anyway, doesn't really matter.


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## Observer

*The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*



> After all, at a wedding, for example, people don't seem to have any problem in paying large sums to hotel, dressmakers, limo driver, photographer, florist, singers etc. If they want to give a modest donation to the priest for conducting the ceremony, surely there is nothing wrong with them doing so.



Excellent post, Tommy - I agree completely.  (Never thought I'd find myself saying that!!)  People have strange priorities.........

If you don't value the Mass, then don't bother getting one celebrated.  If you do, then be prepared to offer a fair price.  And a fair price would be about one hours wage for a priest.  Who is a 3rd level educated qualified professional.  What would a one hour dental procedure cost you?  A one hour GP consultation?  An hour of a solicitor's time.  An accountant?  A plasterer/plumber/electrician?  A babysitter?  Does a priest deserve any less?  Let's face it - the national minimum wage is €7/hr - to offer €5/€3 is an insult from those who can afford to pay more - and no priest I know would ever refuse to celebrate Mass for those who GENUINELY cannot afford to pay.


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*

I wonder what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought of all of this... :\


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## Dowee

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*



> I wonder what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought of all of this...



It's my opinion that what This post will be deleted if not edited immediately would have thought and/or what he did has very little to do with the Catholic Church


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## Tommy

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*

Did This post will be deleted if not edited immediately do carpentry work for free?


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## Tommy

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*



> Yes but you seemed to make it sound like daltonr had said "the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd" without prefacing it with "I think". Anyway, doesn't really matter.




0,

What's your problem?

The following is the exact text of the comment I quoted from daltonr in   



> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *I think* the whole idea of 'paying' for a mass is pretty absurd.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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## <A HREF=http://pub145.ezboard.com/baskaboutmoney.s

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*

Sorry - I was just going a bit mad there...


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## Tommy

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*

No problem   I don't think I would be a total stranger to that sort of territory myself


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## daltonr

*Re: The labourer is worthy of his hire.....................*

Actually I was just agreeing with Rainyday, so he's the real cause of all this.      He thought Paying for mass was absurd.
I agreed with him but pointed out that I believed having Mass said was absurd in itself, so obviously I'd agree with his point about payment.

The point I tried to make in a ham fisted way is that if you are the type of person who believes in this, then the nominal "cost" shouldn't be an issue.

I suspect that some of the people who complain about paying €5 to sign a card, are people who's heart really isn't in it.  They are getting the card signed because that's the tradition.  They also get married in a church with no intention of darkening it's door again until the christening, and then a few years later the communion.

I don't mean the above to be offensive to anyone, I just think there's a big chunk of society who have in their heart turned their back on the church, but who feel compelled by guilt or tradition to keep up the practices.  I think it's a bit sad.  

Those who get comfort from the church, and who believe strongly in it, are perfectly right to have mass said, and I doubt they ever complain about the few quid it costs.

-Rd


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## fobs

*re: Mass cards donations*

I think that people seem to love to bash the catholic church nowadays for any reason. 
If you believe that a Mass being said for someone's soul is worth doing then you should give a donation that is fitting to what you can afford - i would have thought at least a 10euro note. No one is forcing you to get a mass said in the first place so if you don't believe then don't do it!!! People of different religions get a lot more asked of them if they believe in that religion than the RC asks of its followers. There is no one putting a gun to anyone's head to believe or practice the RC faith.
I hate hearing people giving out about the priests having cars and houses....a car is as important to a priest being able to carry out his job as a car is to a doctor to carry out his! If a prist is called out to a dying person or needs to visit someone who is housebound should they still use a pony and trap?!!!


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## Tommy

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*



> I hate hearing people giving out about the priests having cars and houses....



You would swear that the people doing the complaining are themselves going around without an This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language in their trousers. Ditto I expect that the people who expect priests to work for free are themselves holding down a job for the good of their health...


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## donation

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*

"You would swear that the people doing the complaining are themselves going around without an This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language in their trousers. Ditto I expect that the people who expect priests to work for free are themselves holding down a job for the good of their health... "

Do they also expect the state to pick up 87.3% of the tab for any compensation they may have to pay?
Seems to me the argument that a fair price for a service provided is a sound one, as is the argument that you do not have to avail of the service if you do not want to. IT does not sit well, however, with the situation where the chruch shirks its liabilities and everyone in the country is forced to pay whether they like it or not.
www.rte.ie/news/2003/0930/abuse.html


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## Tommy

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*

The actions of the Church hierarchy to abuse settlements is totally irrelevant to the subject being discussed here. Ordinary priests have absolutely no voice when it comes to dictating Church positions on this and similar issues - the vow of obedience means that priests cannot challenge their "superiors" on any such point.


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## donation

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*

I thought the discussion had moved on from the initial mass card issue. 
fobs post moved the discussion to people "bashing" the catholic church for no reason and the impositions other religions put on their followers. 
You followed it up by suggesting that people that complained about priests having cars etc. were applying double standards, one for themselves and another for members of the RC church.
In this context the abuse settlement issue is a valid one. If people should not expect different standards from members of the church in accepting payments, they should not be required to accept different standards when it comes to making them either.
As for separating "ordinary priests" from the rest of the church, it was your post above that asked "Did This post will be deleted if not edited immediately do carpentry work for free?". Either you are dealing with the chruch, right to the top, as one entity or you are not.


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## Tommy

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*

My reference to This post will be deleted if not edited immediately' carpentry was in response to someone else who had asked what would This post will be deleted if not edited immediately have made of the mass card phenomenon. It was not meant as any sort of analogy to those in the Church hierarchy nowadays. 

I never mentioned double standards on anyone's part, but I did point out that anyone who wants to should be free to pay a decent rate to a priest for services done if they so wish. Those who don't want to pay for these services are equally entitled not to bother with them, again if they so wish.

I have no idea whatsoever what you mean by "If people should not expect different standards from members of the church in accepting payments, they should not be required to accept different standards when it comes to making them either." Can you please clarify?


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## monk

*Re: re: Mass cards donations*

I'm amazed.... One of the most selfless vocations/career's being attacked. I too am shocked by all that has unfolded in recent times re the 'scandal's' but the priesthood is one of the most altruistic paths anyone can follow.

As an anecdote, was in the local the other week. A unknown skanger walked in & sat in a corner seat. A priest walked in and sat down with him. He was loud (so we heard all) he was just out of the joy, was obviously a heroin addict & finding it hard but this priest spent an hour giving him his options and advice. The receiver appreciated the time taken by the priest and I don't think anyone else would have given him this time/attention now he was out of the system. To me that is an  example of what priests do well that no-one else will touch.


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## Bobby

My mother says that in her day, the appropriate donation to a priest for a signed Mass card, was an amount sufficient to keep him for one day. Even the €10 which our locals ask, expect, and get, seems to fall a long way short of a days upkeep!


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## Brendan Burgess

*Re: donation for mass card signature*

The Benedictines in Dublin asks only a donation 2.50 for Mass and card.
The Priest there is Fr.Dennis O.S.B.
Address is Benedictine Community O.S.B.
P.O.Box 9385
Dublin 17.  you send the name and donation to him and he send you the card and the date and time of the mass.


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## NiallA

*Re: donation for mass card signature*

In a church in Bray, a few years back, there was a priest who came back from the missions in south america (the experience turned him into an anti-capitalist anti american).  He refused to take money for signing mass cards.  He said that the idea was for the person to attend mass in remembrance (or whatever) of the deceased person.  If you attended mass, he would sign the card for free.  The idea being it was your prayers not your money he wanted.  (everyone had to go off and buy the presigned cards then because they didn;t want to go to mass).

I know of another church in Crumlin where the PP had a minimum scale of fees for masses depending when they were for.  If the envelope didn't have the correct fee, the card was returned unsigned.


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## ClubMan

*Re: donation for mass card signature*

God bless the _Celtic Tiger_. Sealed bids for a mass. Next stop _eBay_!!!


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## PeteH2011

cobalt said:


> Does anyone know what the going rate (if there is such a thing!) is for getting a funeral mass card signed (Dublin)?
> 
> Thanks.


 

I am saddened and astounded at just how much ignorance abounds regarding this subject. I know the thread is old but it is still available on search engines and so I should clarify for the sake of posterity 

The mass card, signature, money, is completely irrelevant. You ask the priest to have a mass said for someone living or dead or any intentions. because you care about them and want to help, join in as best you can. Having a mass said is a special petition to God and is shared not just by you but all who attend the masses throughout the world. We all pray for each other and their intentions even though we will never know all the intentions throughout the world. The card signed or not is simply an aknowledgement of that intention, just like a Christmas card etc. WE DO NOT need a card to pray for each other as God see's all and hears all and knows our thoughts even before we do.

The money, usually around £5 is a gift to the priest, a tip if you may, and may or may not be given, there is no obligation. However we are obliged to support our faith in both prayer and deeds. This is simply one way we can actually help the church, otherwise who will pay for them if not us? You can also send a request to the missions around the world who will also have the masses said and pray for us and our intentions. Often this is the only source of income the missions will have and could be the difference between survival or collapse of the mission.

The devil truly makes work for idle hands as can be seen with the way this thread descended in to anger and conflict.

I hope this clarifies the true situation somewhat. 
God Bless you all.
Pete Hilz

*Mass Offerings*



When people come to the Church to “have a Mass said”, they are using an ancient practice whereby they have Mass offered for someone who has died or, in general, for the souls in Purgatory.
In asking a priest to offer Mass for a certain intention, the accompanying gift to him is looked upon as an offering for the support of the priest, or the Church at large, or for a particular mission endeavour in some part of the world.  It is never considered payment for the Mass.
Current Church law tells us _(Canon 945)_ that “in accordance with the approved custom of the Church, any priest who celebrates or concelebrates a mass may accept an offering to apply the mass for a specific intention”.
The amount of the offering varies in different areas of the country.  Again, Church law sanctions the custom by noting that whoever makes such an offering contributes “to the good of the Church and by that offering my share in the Church’s concern for the support of its ministers and its activities”.  _(Canon 946)_
While approving the custom, the Church warns: “Even the semblance of trafficking or trading is to be entirely excluded from Mass offerings.” _(Canon 947)_
Consequently, Catholics would consider the expressing “buying a Mass” to be in very bad taste.  Spiritual gifts can never have a price tag attached.
The Mass is the most perfect prayer a Catholic can offer to God.  That is why so many of them want to continue the beautiful practice of “having a Mass said” for someone they love.
Having a Mass offered for joyous occasions, like a wedding, an anniversary, a birthday, or nameday, is also encouraged.
Every Parish Priest is bound by Church Law to offer Mass each Sunday and Church Holiday for the people of his parish.


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## pipsqueak

Can someone explain if Minds eye is still a phase used for anniversary masses


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## Monbretia

Are you thinking of 'months mind' for the first month after the date?


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