MISSA PRO POPULO

Pastors are obliged to celebrate Mass for the faithful on the following days:

The Nativity of Our Lord, B.V.M. Mother of God (Jan.1) Epiphany, Easter Sunday, the Ascension, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, Saint Joseph, St. Peter & Paul, the Assumption, All Saints Day, the Immaculate Conception, and on all the Sundays of the year.

MASS STIPENDS

Legacy masses of perpetual Foundation will no more be accepted. But the Foundation legacy masses will be offered only for 25 years at the end of which period; The stipend for the legacy mass shall be the same as for Low Mass. After verifying the donor’s willingness to abide by these conditions, the Parish Priest should apply to the Bishop for the formal decree of acceptance of Legacy.

Concelebration:

Concelebrants do not receive any stipend for that Mass except the main celebrant or that is the only mass one celebrates that day.

Coupling of Mass Stipends:

When many intentions / stipends are given for the same day, people must be informed that the Parish Priest is allowed to take only one stipend for a day. Though many intentions are received and announced during that particular mass, the obligations are fulfilled by him on subsequent days or they are sent to the diocese for fulfilling the obligations.

HOSTS TO BE FRESH AND FREQUENTLY RENEWED

1. The Consecrated Host, both for communion of the Faithful and for the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, shall be fresh and shall be frequently renewed, the old ones being properly consumed (C.939).
2. If all the consecrated Hosts cannot be distributed within 15 days the priests will take care to consume the remaining Hosts and consecrate new ones. The same applies for the Host in the Monstrance.

COLLECTIONS

The collections prescribed in the Diocese of Thanjavur are the following:

MARRIAGE

1. No banns should be written before obtaining the necessary certificates and dispensation if any.
2. The age (for the boy: 21 years completed and for the girl 18 years completed) according to the law of the Republic should be observed.
3. When a marriage is to take place in a family, it is a good opportunity for the Parish Priest to ask the family to pay all arrears due to the parish fund. But the exaction of such payment is never to be considered as a sine qua non for the celebration of the marriage.
4. As it is a commendable custom to offer the Nuptial Mass for the bride and bridegroom, let the Parish Priests exhort the marriage couple to give the stipend for the Nuptial Mass.
5. Dispensation Fees:
   • a) For the 4th degree Rs.50/-
   • b) For the 3rd degree Rs.100/- (for which dispensation will be given only in extraordinary circumstances) according to their means.
6. The parish priest can dispense from reading one bann and the V.F. two banns; dispensation from all the three banns is reserved to the Local Ordinary. To dispense from one bann Rs.5/- are collected and for two banns Rs.10/- and for three banns Rs.15/- and this amount goes to Parish, and the V.F’s support and the curia respectively. The Dispensation forms should be sent to the Chancellor.

FASTING AND ABSTINENCE

1. The law of fasting and abstinence is binding only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
2. The law of abstinence alone is binding on the other Fridays of lent, while all other Fridays of the year are days of penance.

Law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of Fasting binds those who have attained their majority (i.e., eighteenth year, until the beginning of their 60th year) Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence are taught the true meaning of abstinence.

FEAST OF OBLIGATION

It is obligatory to participate Holy Mass and abstain from servile works on all Sundays of the year and days of obligation, namely, the Assumption and Christmas.