Mass for a Fee? Historical and Canonical Aspects of the Mass Stipend
According to the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1983, the acceptance of a stipend for the celebration of a Mass is a well-established practice (cf. c. 945 § 1). Thus, in the Catholic Church today, it is still an approved custom for believers to add an offering for participating in the Eucharist, thereby supporting the Church in its tasks, particularly taking care of the priests’ maintenance and requesting gifts of grace for a specific intention. The stipend is actually a special form of almsgiving, which means a sharing of goods.
It is at the priest’s discretion to accept a stipend for the application of a Mass for a specific intention. Although the Code of Canon Law comprehensively addresses Mass stipends (cf. cc. 945–958), it does not say anything about how they are to be theologically justified today. This would, however, be relevant, since otherwise the suspicion of simony would be omnipresent.
Because the Church, in accordance with the Bible, has always affirmed that Christ died for everyone (cf. 2 Cor 5:14f), thus completing the work of redemption “once for all” (Heb 10:10), the fact that a fee is accepted for the celebration of the Eucharist not only offends believing Catholics but especially those who are distant from the Church. The topic of the Mass stipend, which, due to various statements of Pope Francis (2013–2025) and the Roman Curia, recently caused a stir in the media, is still fraught with open questions and problems of both a theological and canonical nature.
Research Interests
In the context of the Church's right to acquire temporal goods, and the faithful's duty to support the Church, the Church's law code provides not only for voluntary support, but also for taxes and fees. Among the fees are the "offerings on the occasion of the administration of the sacraments and sacramentals" (c. 1264 n. 2), which include Mass stipends, among others. The aim of the dissertation is to elucidate the canonical regulations regarding the Mass stipend and to explain its relevance for our times.
After a historical overview, it is, first of all, necessary to illuminate the legal historical development, starting from the Code of Canon Law of 1917 up to the present. In addition to the CIC/1917 and the CIC/1983, magisterial writings, legal texts, and ecclesiastical law treatises are subjected to a deeper analysis.
The work primarily aims to address the question of the compatibility between the administration of the Sacraments and the acceptance of a fixed amount of money for their execution. It was not the first time that Pope Francis, in the course of his General Audiences, criticized the centuries-old practice of Mass stipends within the Catholic Church. In one of his addresses, he stated that in the Eucharistic Prayer, no one and nothing is forgotten, but both the living and the deceased are included. In response to the rhetorical question of how much would have to be paid for mentioning the name concerned, Pope Francis’ answer was a categorical ʻNothing!ʼ.
The decree Secundum probatum, the last one in Pope Francis’ Pontificate, which came into force on April 20th, 2025, updates the norms, introduces provisions for ʻcollective intentions’, and simultaneously puts a stop to the abusive handling of Mass stipends and intentions.
Research Questions
- Which historical, particularly legal-historical, lines of development can be reconstructed for Mass stipends?
- How can Mass stipends be described in terms of theology and, especially, in terms of the history of dogma, and which new approaches can be found in the work of Karl Rahner, among others?
- How can the canonical regulations, starting with the CIC/1917 up to the CIC/1983, be defined in a more precise manner and interpreted with regard to papal and ecclesiastical declarations in the universal and particular-legal context?
- What are the far-reaching consequences, for the practice of the Faith, arising from a closer determination and interpretation of the canonical regulations?
Research Methodology
From an interdisciplinary perspective, the topic does not only concern the canonical field but, due to its special nature, also other theological disciplines, such as Church history, dogmatic theology, liturgical studies, etc. Therefore, the fundamental sources are examined chronologically and systematically, to illuminate the historical development of the Mass stipend from a legal-historical perspective and to discuss the underlying theology through recent interpretative attempts, giving particular consideration to Karl Rahner’s theory. The work is conducted both descriptively and systematically-analytically, with CIC/1917 and CIC/1983 and the reforms that occurred in between or subsequently being chronologically examined in both the universal and particular-legal contexts with regard to the Mass stipend. In addition to the primary literature, the secondary literature for current research will also be consulted.
Literature
- Kaiser, Matthäus, Die applicatio missae pro populo in Geschichte und geltendem Recht, in: Archiv für katholisches Kirchenrecht 130 (1961), 58–124; 355–388.
- Mayer, Adalbert, Triebkräfte und Grundlinien der Entstehung des Mess-Stipendiums (Münchener Theologische Studien, III. Kanonistische Abteilung, Bd. 34), St. Ottilien 1976.
- Meier, Dominicus M., „Herr Pater, ich möchte eine Messe kaufen!“. Zum kirchlichen Brauch des Messstipendiums (Ordensrecht 25), in: Erbe und Auftrag 89 (2013), 448–454.
- Rahner, Karl / Häussling, Angelus, Die vielen Messen und das eine Opfer. Eine Untersuchung über die rechte Norm der Messhäufigkeit (Quaestiones disputatae, Bd. 31), Freiburg i. B. 1966.
- Schepers, Ludger, „Den Himmel kann man nicht kaufen …“ – Anmerkungen zur Praxis der Messgabe, in: Althaus, Rüdiger u.a. (Hrsg.), Aktuelle Beiträge zum Kirchenrecht. Festgabe für Heinrich J. F. Reinhardt zum 60. Geburtstag (Adnotationes in Ius Canonicum, Bd. 24), Frankfurt a. M. 2002, 249–267.
Supervisor
em. o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Rees
Institute of Practical Theology – Department of Canon Law
Doctoral Candidate
Mag. Julia Notburga Margreiter, BEd MA
Julia.N.Margreiter@student.uibk.ac.at
