Crossword Genius

Charity given by early mass regulars (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

alms

'charity' is the definition.
(alms is a kind of charity)

'early mass regulars' is the wordplay.
'regulars' means one should take alternating letters (letters selected at regular intervals).
'early'+'mass'='earlymass'
The alternate letters of 'earlymass' are 'ALMS'.

'given by' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for alms that I've seen before include "Contributions to the poor" , "Charitable donations to the needy" , "Money given to poor people" , "Charitable gifts - slam them" , "Charitable offering" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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