Saturday, September 23, 2023
8:00 a.m. Gabriel Capote & Amber Sage-Wedding
5:00 p.m. Mary Lambert+
Sunday, September 24, 2023
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY- ORDINARY TIME
8:00 a.m. Joseph Plasencia+
9:30 a.m. Dan Felix-Intentions
11:00 a.m. Christian De La Iglesia+
12:30 p.m. Pedro Manuel Tejera Collazo+
7:00 p.m. Juan Arias+
Monday, September 25, 2023
8:00 a.m. Yolanda Serrano+
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
8:00 a.m. Richard Fenner
7:00 p.m. Sonia Zambrano+
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
8:00 a.m. Luis Avila+
Thursday, September 28, 2023
8:00 a.m. Patrick Valcin-Thanksgiving
7:00 p.m. Malcolm Holt+ & Tony Marengo+
Friday, September 29, 2023
8:00 a.m. Omar Mata+
Saturday, September 30, 2023
8:00 a.m. Gabriel Capote & Amber Sage-Wedding
5:00 p.m. Richard G. Bryan+
Sunday, October 1, 2023
TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY- ORDINARY TIME
8:00 a.m. Esther Cue Vidaurreta+
9:30 a.m. Robert Mullen+
11:00 a.m. Giovanni Laudito+ & Vinka Cavar+
12:30 p.m. Alfredo Blain+ & deceased family
7:00 p.m. Alicia Leal+, Fr. Ireneo, & Difuntos de la Familia Colorado Lopez
Code of Canon Law
Can. 946 The Christian faithful who give an offering to apply the Mass for their intention contribute to the good of the Church and by that offering share its concern to support its ministers and works.
Can. 947 Any appearance of trafficking or trading is to be excluded entirely from the offering for Masses.
Can. 948 Separate Masses are to be applied for the intentions of those for whom a single offering, although small, has been given and accepted.
Can. 949 A person obliged to celebrate and apply Mass for the intention of those who gave an offering is bound by the obligation even if the offerings received have been lost through no fault of his own.
Can. 950 If a sum of money is offered for the application of Masses without an indication of the number of Masses to be celebrated, the number is to be computed on the basis of the offering established in the place where the donor resides, unless the intention of the donor must be presumed legitimately to have been different.
Requesting a Mass intention
Holy Mass is the memorial of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. The celebration of the Eucharist transcends time and space as it makes sacramentally present the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The one and only sacrifice of Christ is the central event of human history that brings creation to its fulfillment in God. When Holy Mass is celebrated Christ’s redemption becomes reality for each individual person.
It is an ancient Christian tradition for the faithful to give an offering to apply a Mass for their intention. In doing that, they also contribute to the good of the Church and they support her works and ministers.
Canon law, the law of the Church, regulates this matter very strictly in order to avoid even any appearance of trafficking or trading.
For example, Canon Law states that “nobody is permitted to accept more offerings for Masses to be applied by himself than he can satisfy within a year.”
We are happy to receive your personal intention request for a particular time and date. If you would like to request it, please stop by the parish office at your convenience.
Please note, however, that the date and time you desire may already be taken by somebody else and, according to the law of the Church, we can only receive one offering per Mass. Of course you are welcome, indeed you are encouraged, to come to Mass on that particular day and offer it privately for your personal intention.
Also, note that a Mass stipend, your generous donation, is welcome, but it is not the price you pay for Mass, therefore, it is entirely up to you to decide the amount that you want to give and, even, if you cannot make a donation, we will be happy to offer Mass for the intention you request. Also, because of the large number of requests and limited number of Masses, we ask that you be mindful of the fact that other people may want to request Mass intentions and, therefore, you do not request the same intention for many different days.
Lastly, we ask you to be specific in your request. Your intention could be, for example, for the soul of a deceased relative or friend, for a sick relative or friend, for peace in the world, for souls in purgatory, for the Holy Father, for a living person, in thanksgiving for something or for the canonization of a particular person, thanksgiving for your birthday or your wedding anniversary but we ask you to refrain from requesting “secret intentions”, such as “for a personal intention.”
Also, we would like you to know that If the day you wish is taken already, the Law of the Church provides for an alternative. We can take the donation you are willing to make for your intention and send it to the Archbishop of Miami who will in turn direct it to a place that he deems appropriate and is in need.
Our receptionist will be happy to assist you and can give you a Mass card in English or Spanish for you to keep as a reminder or to send to somebody else.
A brief explanation why Catholics pray for our dead
“If one member suffers in the body of Christ which is the Church, all members suffer with that member.” 1 Corinthians 12:26.
Catholic teaching regarding praying for the dead is connected with scripture, tradition and the doctrine of the communion of saints, which is part of the Creed.
As Catholics, we believe those who have died are separated from us physically, though spiritually they remain connected to us. Death does not sever the bonds of communion. Catholic tradition holds that when a person dies; if they are in a state of grace – they will enter heaven; if they reject God; they enter hell; and if throughout their lives they showed by works of charity and/or profession of belief in God; though they are not be in a state of grace; they enter Purgatory.
The theology of Purgatory developed over the course of time. The Church understands that Jesus completes the work of God; and sees its role as now realizing that work. Over history, the Church refers to scripture, tradition and practice to discern its role. Through this process, Purgatory has come to be defined as the state of those who die in God’s friendship, but are need of purification; so as to achieve the necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church holds it is possible for people to assist those who have gone before us by way of prayer and works of charity.
Within the Catholic tradition then, this is the purpose behind the various forms of prayer for the dead. We ask God during these prayers foremost to be merciful to the deceased; to forgive them their sins, to welcome them into paradise and to comfort those in grief. It is worthy then for us to pray for these intentions. Our belief as Catholics, based on scripture is that Christ is not deaf to our prayers for our loved ones and all the deceased in that part of the Kingdom; referred to as Purgatory.
Catholic tradition to pray for the dead is found in Scripture and tradition where the living offer to God to graciously accept good works on behalf of the souls of the deceased to remit some part or all of the deceased’s atonement. This is referred to as obtaining an indulgence for the deceased.
The Catholic Church holds that by our bond with the deceased through the communion of saints; that we form a single reality between the living and deceased; similar to our supporting our fellow brothers and sisters in this world with prayer and acts of charity; our prayers and acts of charity can assist those who have gone before us. This is done by various examples from consoling the family; to assisting the family in the funeral preparation to partaking in various liturgies especially in the celebration of the Mass and praying for the dead. The tradition of the Funeral Mass arose when St. Augustine’s mother was dying and she told her sons, “Lay this body anywhere and do not let the care of it be a trouble to you… only this I ask: that you remember me at the Lord’s altar, wherever
you are”.
Within Scripture, in the Old Testament; prayers for the dead are mentioned in 2 Maccabees 12:43-45. “When Judas and his men came to take away the bodies of their fallen brethren for burial, they found under the coats of the slain …idols of Jamnia which the Commandments forbid… so betaking themselves to prayer, they be sought God, that the sin which had been committed be forgotten… they offered sacrifice for the sins of the dead”. In the New Testament, in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, it reads as follows, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not afraid of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!”
There is evidence from the early Church leaders of praying for the dead – Tertullian d230 mentions praying for the dead not as a concession to sentiment, but as a duty. St. Augustine, at the end of the ninth book of his Confessions prays for his deceased mother, Monica. Praying for the dead became part of the Eucharistic prayer liturgy in the early church also, often with the names of the deceased included in the Eucharist prayer.
This tradition of over 2000 years still continues in the Eucharistic prayer. Based on Scripture and tradition, the Roman Catholic Liturgy for the Dead has prayers for the deceased; prayers for those who left behind; prayers for all those who have died and prayers asking God to forgive sins throughout the Mass and other funeral liturgies. The Liturgy of the Word reminds the people of the Resurrection of the body and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is offered as the ultimate prayer for the soul of the deceased; following tradition upon the wish of St. Augustine’s mother, Monica.