The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-01-08

The maxim, Clerlcl de altar VtVant
Get the clergy live by the altar, was
already received before the end Of the
fourth century, as a principle of
ecclesiastical law. 1t is also certain
that in the early Church the faithful
brought offerings of bread and wine
much in excess of what was due for
the Sacrifice, and historical record
does not vary in its testimony in this
regard.
So far as we can trace the history
of the custom, the payment of a sum
of money in lieu of bread, wine and
oils. came about very gradually. Not
improbably the change began in con-
nection with Masses for the dead, and
in st. Augustine's time we find the.
custom growing of substituting a coin
which did not meet with Angus.
tines approval. Indeed, the general
introduction of a money-offering can
not safely be assigned to an earlier
date than the tenth or eleventh
century. About this period there came
into existence the custom of leaving
by will sums of money varying in
amount to provide maintenance for a
body of priests whose principal duty
was to say the Mass for the souls of
benefactors. Later, it became COM
mon to endow particular chapel or
altar with revenue sufficient to sup
port a single priest, who in return for
these emoluments was required to say
a Mass frequently, or even daily at
this altar Thus there grew up the
practice of .Mass-penry,' which is in
way comparable with the custom of
Peters pence"
The Church declared that there was
no simony in the exchange, and that
Christ Himself had sanctioned the
priest securing a decent maintenance.
Thomas Aquinas also laid it down
that money taken in exchange for
the service rendered is not taken as
price of merchandise, but as a
contribution to relieve necessity; it
is, therefore, not simony and not a
SIM" (Summa, %, 100, 2. CD.
The principle here established is
sanctioned by the action of every re-
ligious body, Christian or Pagan, and
two General Councils of the Church
(Lateran and TRENT have enacted
regulations which check all greed and
all appearance of traffic
Apart from these considerations, it
has to be remembered that the priest
in saying Mass for. private inten
| ton is discharging the function
which he is at some personal pains to
undertake. Of course, in Masses of
fered for private intention, as in all
Masses, the souls of all the faithful
departed are included.
| AS regards the variation i'll remuner
alton, in America and in England, this
is relatively high. II is held, however
that a sum which is necessary to en-
able the priest to live decently for one
| day in his ordinary surroundings is
proper. In certain Latin countries
that sum is much smaller than il
non-Latin countries, where the stand
ard of living is higher. And it has
to be remembered also in countries
cation and apart from all private in
directly endowed, the stipend fol
Masses is generally low, the priest
not looking to this for his support.
In any case it is certain that Church
legislation on this point during the
past four centuries has been so com
prehensive and the penalties made sc
severe in respect of anything like {
traffic" in Masses that abuses ne
longer are possible.
| In regard to the seeming inequality
in respect to Masses, which the poor
! people experience as against the rich
every priest is bound by solemn obi
cation and apart from all private in
tentions, to offer Mass for his parish
toner's on Sundays, holy days and Ger
tain days of devotion. The greatest
difficulty is made in allowing any dis
pensation or relaxation of this duty
In the second place, all that concerns
the fruits of the Mass is not known
to us nor to any human mind
AS indicating the anxiety of the
Holy See in the matter of paid Masses
and the prevention of traffic or any
abuse therein, a decree dated May IL
1904, was issued in which it was en-
acted that no priest should accept
stipends for Masses who was MOI
morally certain of being able to sa,
them within a fixed period of time;
/ that no priest be allowed to take al
one time larger number of payments
for Masses than he can probably
satisfy within year from the date
OF acceptance, unless the other party
consents; that all bargaining OF
trafficking to say Masses shall be
avoided and that the stipend shall be
that fixed by the regular diocesan
statutes; that the amount of remun
Grafton for a Mass or Masses must be
passed on in full to any priest who il
deputed to say such Mass or Masses
| owing tn fho iIlnas,c ~, xxfI..s,