http://www.octonovo.org/RlC/Fr/ctrb/ctrb06.htm#02

SUMMARY CHART OF THE REQUESTS FOR MASSES

* Requests for masses

* The account of the requests for masses

* Comparative requests/acknowledgement SENDINGS/of delivery

* Comparative returned SENDINGS/

Requests for masses

A significant part of the correspondence of Abbé SAUNIERE consists of mail relating to the required masses. This work consists of a counting of the 4 types of exchanged mail.

- Request for masses, ASKs: it is the formula most usually used although it is guessed that Abbé SAUNIERE benefits from other types of mail to ask for that masses are dispatched to him, as private individuals the wishes of good year or towards the end of the individual's life and the mail pertaining to his pilgrimages to Lourdes (not entered). In addition, from 1911 onwards with his contentions with his bishop, he can use other standard formulas "Greetings prayers", "hello prayers" (entered) which must probably correspond to another way of requiring money without being in dispute with his authorities. Lastly, also entered are "proposed masses" and other formulas of similar type.

- SENDINGS: SENDINGS of masses, it is the most current formula and that which lends less to confusion, that which probably accounts best for the received masses and his income. We also entered the additional including/understanding the formula "SENDINGS of masses" and similar mail.

- Shown R for Acknowledgement of delivery: it is there a formula which it uses to show reception of many things that one can send to him and not only for the masses (for example: dispatch sweet chestnuts

- Acknowledgement of delivery. Consequently this formula returns more usually than forwarding of masses with which it of as much is connected than certain givers exempt the Abbé of this mail with time. From 1907, the Abbé made address postcards and stamps for his collection and shows the same reception.

- does not have any more masses: or all other formulas having the same significance, will not give any more masses, stops the masses. Some of his stops are obviously temporary (does not have any more masses for the moment etc.) This counting being very constraining, it is given as an indication and can comprise some tiny errors and probably not influencing the order of magnitude. The months and years in italic correspond to periods or the notebooks are not complete or present gaps. The account of the requests for masses

 

Comparative requests made // shown SENDINGS // money acknowledged received

The setting in graph of the requests/acknowledgement SENDINGS/of delivery shows well the use more and more current that the Abbé made of the ranking "acknowledgement of delivery" with time. One can wonder about the apparent disconnection between the requests for masses and the SENDINGSs, as private individuals during the years 1900. On reading this, the notebooks of correspondence show that the Abbé over certain periods did not record his donors and probably used the latter as intermediary to acquire the new ones.

 

Comparative of the returned SENDINGS [Envois]/ revenue

 For the establishment of this graph, the incoming requests [Demandes] were divided by 20 in order to put the curves in glance. The relative disconnection between the curve of the requests for masses and the SENDINGSs [Envois] is all the more astonishing as the incomes appear more in relation to the requests than with the SENDINGS. Nevertheless one can note that the three curves remain coherent between them and that undoubtedly the financial circumstances of Abbé SAUNIERE are dependent in some way on his activity of request for masses.

 

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Comparison with Saunière's Expenditure:

Take for example Saunière's best month for the receiving of masses [Shown R];

January 1908 - Saunière's total income for that month is only 971,50.

Take Saunière's best month for income 6,294,85 F;

March - April 1905 - Shown R 29 + 14 = 43. This is no more than an average month.

Clearly Saunière was receiving money by other means.

His mass trafficking accounts were merely an attempt to disguise this income.