Advice needed, please

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Epistemes

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Let me see how brief I can make this.

My mom wants me, her, my dad, and my grandmother to take a weekend in order to visit Grandfather Mountain, in North Carolina, where I live, and just make a weekend getaway. I’m the only Catholic in the family. My mom knows that I always go to Sunday Mass, though she doesn’t understand Catholicism or why missing Mass on Sunday is a sin. She asked me if I could skip a Mass in order to make this trip. I told her I would ask my priest. I’d rather not miss a Mass, but she’ll be disappointed if I don’t go along, and, well, it’ll be a huge inconvenience if I go along and plan go to Mass at St. Bernadette’s (which only offers Mass at 4:30 PM on Saturdays and 11 AM Sundays).

Suggestions?
 
Epistemes said:
Let me see how brief I can make this.

My mom wants me, her, my dad, and my grandmother to take a weekend in order to visit Grandfather Mountain, in North Carolina, where I live, and just make a weekend getaway. I’m the only Catholic in the family. My mom knows that I always go to Sunday Mass, though she doesn’t understand Catholicism or why missing Mass on Sunday is a sin. She asked me if I could skip a Mass in order to make this trip. I told her I would ask my priest. I’d rather not miss a Mass, but she’ll be disappointed if I don’t go along, and, well, it’ll be a huge inconvenience if I go along and plan go to Mass at St. Bernadette’s (which only offers Mass at 4:30 PM on Saturdays and 11 AM Sundays).

Suggestions?
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How far away is St. Bernadette’s? Would you not have a car?
 
Hi,

If you can’t get to Mass, it is not a sin. I really don’t thik you would be required to forego a visit to your grandfather if attending Mas was not possible.

What did your pastor say?

I was once going on vacation, and my Pastor told me to do my best, but not worry if I couldn’t get to Mass.

Lux
 
There are two possibilities I can see.

The first is to ask your pastor for a dispensation to miss Mass.

The second is to tell your mother that nothing comes before God and that you will be attending Mass.
 
I think you should try to get to Mass, no matter how inconvenient it happens to be. It cost Jesus nothing less than his life to give it to us.
 
You could always attend the vigil mass if your church celebrates a vigil mass or go to a catholic church in your area that has a vigil mass. The vigil mass will fulfill your Sunday obligation. If you desire only to attend mass on Sunday then go on Sunday and your relatives will just have to deal with it or have them go on ahead and you can meet them there later. 🙂
 
phoenix3212 said:
I think you should try to get to Mass, no matter how inconvenient it happens to be. It cost Jesus nothing less than his life to give it to us.
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I agree.

Even if I got a dispensation to not go, it would bother me.
 
Is there a town near to Grandfather Mountain where you could attend Mass?

Also, is this a National Park or a State Park? When I was young and camping with my family, a local priest would come to the National Parks and sometimes the State Parks to say Mass for any Catholics camping there. It was wonderful celebrating Mass in God’s creation!
 
I did a search on masstimes.org for Blowing Rock, where Grandfather Mountain is located. See this link for the results: masstimes.org/dotnet/showchurches.aspx?type=CITYSTATERADIUS&q=&country=United+States+of+America&city=Blowing+Rock&countrycode=US&statecode=NC It gives Mass times for the nearby church(es). Sometimes schedules change and they forget to change the listing, so it might be a good idea to call ahead (phone numbers are listed).

Here is Epiphany’s website: charlottediocese.org/parishes-all_view.html?id=36
 
phoenix3212 said:
I think you should try to get to Mass, no matter how inconvenient it happens to be. It cost Jesus nothing less than his life to give it to us.
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I believe OP is asking about the inconvenience to others, not herself, and that is a consideration
we usually suceed simply by doing our research (already have church lined up for our own trip next month to NC mountains) but when we can’t or get frustrated by wrong info or directions, we just offer it up.
 
Thread Drift:
Peggy_in_Burien said:
. . .
Also, is this a National Park or a State Park? When I was young and camping with my family, a local priest would come to the National Parks and sometimes the State Parks to say Mass for any Catholics camping there. It was wonderful celebrating Mass in God’s creation!
Click to expand...
When the children were small we used to go camping in Zion park. They had mass there at about six in the morning. That meant getting up and getting ready in the dark; trying not to disturb the other campers. The only thing that makes more noise than dropping a Wok in the dark, is to kick it against a rock as you are trying to quietly pick it up. 😃
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Thread Drift:

When the children were small we used to go camping in Zion park. They had mass there at about six in the morning. That meant getting up and getting ready in the dark; trying not to disturb the other campers. The only thing that makes more noise than dropping a Wok in the dark, is to kick it against a rock as you are trying to quietly pick it up. 😃
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:D:D:D

Back in the 60s, the Mass at Zion was somewhere around 9 am! But the getting up in the dark, I remember well.
 
I e-mailed my pastor last week asking him if I could receive a dispensation, but I’ve not heard anything back from him – likely due to how busy he is. I think he would have contacted me in some manner even to say, “Sorry, but no dispensation can be granted.”

This is distressing since the trip is this weekend. I know that I can’t make it to Mass. As indicated by puzzleannie above, while it’s not an inconvenience for me to try to find a Mass, it would be an inconvenience for everybody else. I told my mom that I wouldn’t go if I couldn’t go to Mass, but this caused her to distress…for a number of reasons, not the least of which is just that she would like to spend some quality time with me, I’m sure.

I don’t know what to do. All I know that I can do is just miss Mass and go to confession ASAP.
 
Epistemes said:
I e-mailed my pastor last week asking him if I could receive a dispensation, but I’ve not heard anything back from him – likely due to how busy he is. I think he would have contacted me in some manner even to say, “Sorry, but no dispensation can be granted.”
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Why don’t you give him a call? Then you would get an immediate answer.
 
:thumbsup:we had a similiar conundrum this past week while on vacation with my wife’s family: My sister-in-law wanted us to join her family at their church (Episcopal) on Sunday… my wife was really torn up over what to do. After much prayer and discussion, we agreed to attend the local vigil Mass and to join them (in “communion” with their belief in Christ) at their service…thus, satisfying our Obligation and acting in charity to her family…

we went to Mass at a beautiful, old church… and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of worshiping with our fellow Catholics…the kids especially, marvelled at “what was the same” in the Mass even though the physical building was so different!

Sunday rolls around and my wife’s family were too hung over from celebrating the 4th of July to attend services… we had brunch
 
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