Faith

  • Mass Intentions


    Bishop LeBlond is committed to the faith formation of each student with the support and dedication of parents and family.

    LeBlond offers Mass Intentions for a requested $10 stipend donation. If you would like to have a specific intention said at a chapel Mass, please click "Mass Intention Stipend" below to proceed (coming soon)

    Mass intention stipends go towards general upkeep and upgrades for the LeBlond Chapel.

    BISHOP LEBLOND STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF PRAY EACH DAY FOR ALL ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF LEBLOND.

    • Please pray for the discernment of college choices for the Class of 2023.

    • Please pray for the repose of the soul of Coach Steve Vertin.

    • Please pray for the health of players of all Winter sports.

    • Please pray for the teachers and staff of Bishop LeBlond.

    • Please pray for the soul of Cole Patrick '12 and for the continued prayers for his family.

    • Please pray for the three young grandsons, Max, Rowen & Charlie, of Steve & Cindy Vertin who have been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  Also for their mother Betty, who has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

     May the souls of all our departed alumni, friends and family rest in peace and may God's perpetual light shine upon them.  

    JOIN US IN OUR PRAYER CAMPAIGN FOR ADMISSIONS.
    PRAYER CARDS AVAILABLE IN THE OFFICE.

  • What are Mass Intentions?


    by: Fr. Ben Armentrout, chaplain

    While attending Mass at a parish, or even at LeBlond, you may have heard either the priest, or a person reading the petitions, say the following: “This Mass is offered for…”. What is that all about?

    Dating well before the fourth century, the Church has recognized that both the priests and laity are to bring their personal intentions to the Mass to unite them to the sacrifice of the Altar.  In fact, there are inscriptions in ancient tombs dating back to the years 180 and 200 requesting prayers for the dead.  The First Eucharistic Prayer (the Roman Canon), which was well established by the year 397, makes the distinction in several places between the sacrifice of the priest (our sacrifice, your servants, etc.) and the sacrifice of the people (their, them, your holy people, etc.).  There are places in the Mass where we pray for both the living and the deceased.  St. Augustine, who wrote his book The Confessions in the 400’s recorded his mother’s request that she be remembered at the Altar of the Lord.

    Given this general understanding that the whole church brings their prayer as a sacrifice to the altar, I’d like to highlight what exactly the priest does when he receives a Mass intention.

    A priest should offer Mass with the following three intentions:

    1)    To offer Mass reverently and in accord with the Roman Missal so that he and all the faithful might grow in their relationship with God.

    2)    To offer Mass for the whole Church and in union with the whole Church.  We would call this a general intention.

    3)    To offer Mass for a particular intention.  (The intention of a living person, or for the deceased). This has been given the name the ‘special fruits’ of the Mass.

    The general intentions (1 and 2) are offered for the whole Church.  When someone asks a priest to offer a Mass and gives him a Mass offering (sometimes called a stipend), they are asking the priest to apply the ‘fruits’ of the sacrifice (3) of the Mass to a particular intention.  This creates an obligation on the part of the priest to offer the Mass for the intention.  Since we are finite creatures, we receive the infinite merits of Christ’s sacrifice on calvary in a finite way, that is why we have the custom of offering multiple Masses for those who have deceased and the custom of offering Mass for other intentions. 

    Consider requesting a Mass to be offered for your deceased loved ones, for your family, and friends at either your parish or here at Bishop LeBlond!  Regardless of whether you do choose to offer a Mass intention or not, I hope these words are helpful to understanding what is meant by a Mass offering would encourage you to come to mass and join with the priest as he prays for the church and bring your own intentions too!

    In the Sacred Heart,
    Fr. Armentrout