Christmas Cards
In our Mass Remembrance Card series we have a beautiful selection of Christmas Cards with nativity scenes as a reminder of the birth of the Infant Jesus. The cards include a remembrance in the prayers and Masses of MSCs.
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A Mass Remembrance Card is a thoughtful way to have a loved one or friend remembered in the prayers and Masses of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
In compliance with the guidelines issued by the Irish Bishops for the proper administration of Mass Cards we do not supply our Mass Cards to shops or other retail outlets but we have a beautiful range of Mission Cards available for such outlets. These are prayer cards for occasions such as Sympathy, Get Well, and Christmas - see details here.
Civil legislation governing the distribution and sale of
pre-signed Mass cards
In addition to Canon Law and Church guidelines, the Charities Act 2009 governs the distribution and sale of pre-signed Mass Cards in Ireland. Section 99 of the Act was introduced by the State to overcome a wide-spread problem of dubious pre-signed Mass cards on sale in shops.
The constitutionality of the Section was challenged during a 4-day hearing in the High Court. On 17 December 2009, Judge John McMenamin issued his landmark decision which found fully and absolutely in favour of the provision that is now law. It will be enforced by the Gardaí. We welcome the decision of the High Court. You can read the judgement of the High Court here
Section 99 states that “a person who sells a Mass card other than pursuant to an arrangement with a recognised person shall be guilty of an offence”. A recognized person is “a Bishop or a Provincial of an order of priests established under the authority of, and recognised by the Church". In effect what this means is that a person distributing or selling such cards will have to produce official confirmation in writing from a Bishop or Provincial that an "arrangement" is bone fide and approved by him. However, Canon Law and Church guidelines state very clearly that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass cannot be traded through commercial outlets, and thus, a Bishop or Provincial will not issue the confirmation required by the civil authorities. This means that the distribution and sale of pre-signed Mass cards by commercial interests should cease.
MSC and other religious congregations distributing Mass cards for people's personal use print their Charity Registered Number on the back of their cards so as to provide transparency for the public. Citizens can easily recognise that cards not bearing such a number are not issued by a bone fide religious congregation.
The Charities Act also makes it an offence for an individual or an organisation to purport to be a charity when they do not have that status in accordance with the criteria and purposes set out clearly in the Act.
This legislation is very welcome to ensure the safeguarding of the integrity and sacredness of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and to protect the public from being duped into believing that they are purchasing a genuine Mass card and supporting their Church. The problem that the legislation solves was well described by Senator Feargal Quinn during the debate on the Charities Bill in the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) when he said: “I wish to highlight the massive scam of bogus Mass cards for sale in shops. I believe in a number of cases it was found that the Mass cards on sale were questionable. One priest had been dead for two years and in another case a priest received 12 cent from the sale of a Mass card that retailed for €4. They are fraudulent cards and are very offensive to those who carry out the work of the Church. They upset many people who believe they are doing the right thing and they hamper many generous efforts”
Statement by the Irish Missionary Union on Mass Cards
The following statement was circulated by the Irish Missionary Union on 6 April 2009 and is on its website at www.imu.ie :
Illegality of Selling Pre-Signed Mass Cards - Charity Act 2009 becomes law.
The practice of having Mass offered for a deceased person is a praiseworthy tradition in the Catholic Church in Ireland. It is a practice that manifests the centrality of the Eucharist in our faith. It fulfills the Scriptural invitation to pray for the dead as well as extending prayerful support to those grieving the death of a loved one. Unfortunately, in recent years individuals and companies have exploited this traditional act of support by offering pre-signed Mass cards for sale in shops. The impression given is that these are genuine Mass cards and that Masses will be offered by priests working in developing countries. To give such cards to those mourning the death of a loved one is not only a meaningless act, it is also an insult to the memory of the deceased and to those who grieve over their passing.
Such cards have no spiritual value. They falsify the significance of the Eucharist and trade on the faith and goodwill of people. It is a commercial operation with profit as its motive. Those who engage or facilitate this practice, including the shops that offer them for sale, seriously exploit the Eucharist and its sacred character.
The Irish Missionary Union welcomes the provision in the recently enacted Charities Act 2009 which makes it an offence for anyone to distribute pre-signed Mass cards for sale without the written permission of the Catholic Church. That provision is very specific. As a Bishop, or a Provincial of an Order of Priests recognised by the Church, will not grant such permission to commercial operations, the distribution of Mass cards from retail outlets should immediately cease. Bishops now ask retailers and their trade representatives to cooperate in this regard.
People wishing to give a Mass card on the occasion of a bereavement, should have one signed by a priest known to them or obtain one from a missionary congregation. In that way the faithful can be sure that a Mass will be offered, that the mourning family will appreciate their prayerful support, and that their donation will support the priest or his congregation.
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