mass card
Noun: 1. (Roman Catholic Church) A card sent to a bereaved family to inform them that the sender has arranged for a Mass to be celebrated in memory of the deceased person. It is an expression of spiritual sympathy and support, signifying that prayers are being offered for the soul of the departed.
A mass card is typically given or mailed to the family of someone who has died. It serves as a tangible notification that a specific religious service (a Mass) has been requested. The card itself often includes a religious image, the name of the deceased, and sometimes details about where and when the Mass will be offered.
- After her grandfather passed away, Maria received several mass cards from friends at her parish.
- He sent a mass card to his colleague's family, expressing his condolences and letting them know he had arranged for a memorial Mass.
- The mass card indicated that the Mass would be celebrated at the Cathedral the following Sunday.
- Requesting a Mass: The phrase "to have a Mass said" for someone is directly associated with obtaining a mass card. One typically makes a donation (stipend) to a parish or religious order to request the Mass, and receives the card to send to the bereaved.
- Spiritual Bouquet: A mass card can be part of a "spiritual bouquet," where a person informs the grieving family of multiple prayers, novenas, or Masses offered for the deceased.
- Memorial Mass (n): The actual religious service celebrated in remembrance of the deceased, which the mass card announces.
- Sympathy Card (n): A more general term for a card expressing condolences; a mass card is a specific type of sympathy card with a religious action (the arranged Mass) attached.
- Memorial card (in this specific religious context)
- Condolence card (general)
The term mass card is specific to the Roman Catholic tradition and some other Christian denominations that celebrate the Eucharist. Its primary meaning is inseparable from the act of arranging the memorial Mass. It is not simply a card with a message of sympathy; it is a notification of a concrete spiritual action taken on behalf of the deceased and their family.
- (Roman Catholic Church) a card sent to a bereaved family that says the sender has arranged for a Mass to be said in memory of the deceased