Advice Please!!

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Rob_Brown

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Hi everyone, I was told that I have to work from 9-5pm tomorrow! I do usually work on sundays as I am a part time employee (due to being in college) But i usually start at 12 and work untill 5, this gives me lots of time to go to mass in the morning, but if I start at 9am tomorrow I will miss out on mass as the times for mass are 9am and 11am I wont be able to attend either of them. I am 20 yrs old and currently going through RCIA and I LOVE MASS!!! It makes me very sad to even think that I have to miss out on it. I dont know the last names of any of my managers so I can look up their home numbers to ask them if I can take the morning off and I would feel guilty if I just skipped, so I am in a bit of a pickle. Any advice?
 
Oh and I cant risk losing my job as I am making payments on an engagement ring!
 
Is there another nearby parish with an evening or early morning Mass?
 
Rob, I’m also in RCIA and had a similar problem. I’m going to be taking some undergrad students on a field trip (geology) over a weekend–we’ll be camping in the middle of nowhere (Hwy 50 in central Nevada). Absolutely no options for Saturday or Sunday mass–nearest town with a Catholic church & mass is 3 hours, and I would miss half of the field trip to get to & from mass. So, I went to my priest, told him I want to go to mass, I need to go to mass, but how can I resolve this? Simple as can be–he gave me dispensation to miss Sunday mass this particular weekend.

It may be too late for this weekend, but there are usually Saturday evening masses that “count” for Sunday. Also, check other churches in your area. We have one that has a daily 7 a.m. mass, and another that has a 7 p.m. Sunday mass. You might be able to find something that fits your work schedule. Or, you might find a church closer to where you work–if you have an hour for lunch break, you might be able to finagle an hour and fifteen minutes “just this once” and get to & from mass.

Have you been to any weekday masses? They don’t fulfill the Sunday obligation but they are wonderful. Quiet, intimate, peaceful.

Good luck.
Gwen
 
Is there another nearby parish with an evening or early morning Mass?
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No all the churches in the (very small) city i am living in (only 30,000 people) seem to have mass at more or less the same time (in other words while i am supposed to be working!).

I attend st. Augustine’s (of canturbury) RCC the others are the ukrainian catholic and the ukrainian orthodox churches or st. Hedwig’s. But yet again all the masses are either when i am supposed to be at work or so close to the start of my shift i would be late for work.
 
30,000 people is not very small by any means. I would try and do some research to see if there is a Parish that has an earlier Mass.

Good luck.
 
Already looked no other parish with an earlier time that would allow me to make it to work without being late. And no 30,000 is not all that small i grew up on the farm with the closest neighbour half a mile away lol but as far as a city goes it is quite small.
 
You are exempt from going to Mass if you must work. I don’t have the relevant Catechism paragraph right now, but it’s there.
 
Its nice to know that I am exempt due to work! however I would much rather beable to attend mass I find that when I attend mass my week always goes better and I am over all a much much happier person. Eucharisted if you could find that passage from the ccc that allows exemption for work I would very much appreciate it.
 
It’s admirable that you wish to take up the obligations of a Catholic even before you are received into the Church. However, since you are not yet officially Catholic, you do not have the obligation to attend Mass - yet!

Since you get so much out of attending Mass, why not check the daily Mass schedule at your parish and see if you can go one day during this coming week?

Betsy
 
Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2185 On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

If you cannot make Mass, make as many acts of spiritual communion as you can throughout the day.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, I guess I will have to wait untill next weekend to go to mass as my college classes start the same time as daily mass so that is not an option (at least untill I graduate in April!) I am working at the local TSC Store (hardware store) So I have a question as to what things I can do for acts of spiritual communion during the day, I love to pray the rosary but as a clerk my job is mostly physical labour so I wouldnt really have the time to devote to that, and because I am usually interacting with customers it would be hard to pray just in my head, any ideas of things I can do to keep God the focus of my day tomorrow?
 
Does your college have a Newman Center? Quite often they will have Masses much later than standard parishes.
 
Here’s a very short Spiritual Communion prayer from St. Josemaria Escriva, the saint of ordinary life:
I wish, my Lord, to receive you with the purity, humility and devotion with which your most holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervor of the saints.
You can say this many times during the day. You can also offer each hour of the day for a specific intention, letting your work be your prayer. You can ask God to bless each customer with whatever he or she needs to do His will.

Hope this helps.

Betsy
 
Thanks for the Prayer! And no my college does not have a Newman center, im not even entirely sure what that is… there is nothing to do at all with religion of any kind in my college (it is very sad) and in manitoba, canada most schools seem to have either a written and or unwritten policy about religion in schools being a no no, but it doesnt stop me!!🙂 Infact I recall afew times in highschool that I was removed from class due to standing by my religous views when discussing certain topics (ie. abortion, homosexual unions etc.). I was quite charitable but I guess some folks dont like it when you say what they do is sinfull (not saying im perfect, far from it truth be told). But thanks again for the advice and ideas everyone, you will all be in my prayers. If anyone else has ideas or advice please post as I will be checking it in the morning before I head off to work.

God Bless
 
Rob, are you at University of Manitoba? Did you know that right on campus they have a Jesuit college, St. Pauls, that has a Catholic chaplaincy for the university, as well as masses?

Right on the U of M website. umanitoba.ca/colleges/st_pauls/

Gwen
 
U of M is in Winnipeg Manitoba, I am going to school at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon Manitoba lol
 
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