It is possible to have a mass set for a specific intent at the Cathedral, except on Sundays and other feast days at 10 a.m. and during the pontifical celebrations.

To do so, you must contact the sacristan or the receptionist who will check whether the requested time slot is available (only one intention per Mass is permitted). He will put your Mass in the Mass register and collect the offering (currently €18, paid to the ‘Chapitre cathédral ‘, 2 place de chambre, 57000 Metz).

To get in touch with the sacristan or the receptionist, you can go to the Cathedral during its opening hours or you can call: +33 (0)3 87 36 12 01.

Please make sure that the Mass intention is registered at least one month before the date of the Mass, as there is a limited number of available timeslots.

The sacrifice of the Eucharist is offered to everyone. The Church allows the believers to have a deeper connection to this sacrifice during Mass with a particular intention. A prayer is entrusted to the officiator, who can always join this particular intention with the general one.

No, the Mass does not have a price. But since ancient times, believers have wanted to participate in the Eucharist by offering gifts or money. These contributions were meant to cover the costs of the place of worship,the subsistence of the priest and the life of the Church. The first Mass offering dates back to the 8th century. It is a practice firmly rooted in the Old Testament, where the priest used to receive a portion of the sacrifices made to God. A priest should always be able to earn a living by working at the altar. The Code of Canon Law legalises this practice (Can. 945) and regulates it (Can. 946 and onwards). The Church, in order to maintain fairness among priests, has established the following rule: a priest is allowed to receive only one offering per day. 

We are talking about offerings. An offering is made to the Church and it is not the same as a Mass offering, because in the Eucharist there is no other offering than that of Christ’s sacrifice to his Father and the offering of the Church itself is attached to this: « Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. » (Eucharistic prayer II)

Each year on 1 January, the Bishop has the exclusive authority to set the amount for the Mass offering. The amount for the offering is valid for the whole diocese, without any exception except the right of the poor. This right is granted to all those who are unable to pay the agreed offering.

A Mass may be held on the anniversary of the death of a family member, or for a particular intention which may not be specified for the purposes of discretion (the sick, the elderly, people in need, relatives, friends, before an important medical operation, in thanksgiving for a golden or silver wedding, a jubilee, a healing, an exam…) or a cause (refugees, the souls in purgatory…). Obviously, the intention must be within the bounds of morality: we cannot pray for an evil purpose. It is important to make sure that the request is made before the deadline, and to do so, you should register it in advance and in line with the terms set out by the Chapter.

Usually, at the beginning of the Mass, the Canon quotes the intentions. However, he is not obligated to do so, even though it is a tradition in many parishes, and it is customary that the intention be public. If several people are involved in the Mass intention, the canon officiating could state the intention generally « for the particular intention of a family which has entrusted themselves to the prayer of the Church« , without specifying the name of the family or families.