Camping and the Sunday obligation

[Larry1700]

We go camping once every few years. Is the Sunday obligation flexible for such occasions?

 

[1ke]

If there is a Catholic Church available in a nearby town or in/near the park, you have an obligation to attend. There are many parks and recreation areas that actually have Catholic mass in the park or nearby in a town.

If there truly is no Catholic church within reasonable distance, then you should ask your pastor for a dispensation before you go.

 

[4love2God]

A couple of weeks ago I talked to the Vicar at my local Diocese about this same question.
"Is it a Mortal Sin to miss a Sunday service when I am traveling out of town"
I asked this because my local Priest said if you miss one Sunday service that it is a Mortal Sin.
And, last year I missed 3 Sundays because of traveling out of town.

The Vicar hemmed and hawwed, and didn’t really even want to answer it.
Eventually, he strongly suggested that missing a Sunday like that is NOT such a Sin.
And even then, he warned me not to tell my priest that he said so.
Well, I didn’t tell my Priest (and wouldn’t have anyway). I asked for ME.

 

[1ke]

A couple of weeks ago I talked to the Vicar at my local Diocese about this same question.
"Is it a Mortal Sin to miss a Sunday service when I am traveling out of town"
I asked this because my local Priest said if you miss one Sunday service that it is a Mortal Sin.
And, last year I missed 3 Sundays because of traveling out of town.

The Vicar hemmed and hawwed, and didn’t really even want to answer it.
Eventually, he strongly suggested that missing a Sunday like that is NOT such a Sin.
And even then, he warned me not to tell my priest that he said so.
Well, I didn’t tell my Priest (and wouldn’t have anyway). I asked for ME.

This “vicar” you talked to gave an incomplete answer. It is a grave obligation to attend Mass. If we cannot attend that is different than if we do not attend. Traveling is not, per se, an excuse for missing Mass. I can certainly do both-- travel and attend Mass. If there are other reasons that the travel makes attending Mass difficult, one may ask for a dispensation. If it is literally impossible, then there is no obligation.

 

[4love2God]

"This “vicar” you talked to gave an incomplete answer. It is a grave obligation to attend Mass."

OK, 1ke, could you please refer me to a (somewhat) authoritative source that says that?

I am tired of getting the run-around on this one.

I go to Daily Mass, and attended over 300 Masses last year.
And I NEED to know if missing a Sunday is a Mortal Sin.
Because, if it is, then I am committing Blasphemy (sort of, anyway) by taking Communion on Monday (and Tuesday …).
And, if so, I will just take that week off of Daily Mass, and Confess that Mortal Sin on Saturday.

 

[agapewolf]

"This “vicar” you talked to gave an incomplete answer. It is a grave obligation to attend Mass."

OK, 1ke, could you please refer me to a (somewhat) authoritative source that says that?

I am tired of getting the run-around on this one.

I go to Daily Mass, and attended over 300 Masses last year.
And I NEED to know if missing a Sunday is a Mortal Sin.
Because, if it is, then I am committing Blasphemy (sort of, anyway) by taking Communion on Monday (and Tuesday …).
And, if so, I will just take that week off of Daily Mass, and Confess that Mortal Sin on Saturday.

CCC
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

But also, the sin of presumption is a problem here too. “I’m going to sin anyway, and just go to confession later”. One must actually be SORRY for the sin for it to be a valid confession. Planning to do it ahead of time doesn’t exactly lead to true sorrow for sins.

 

[Tokopah]

I just wondered are there no Sunday evening Masses in your area? Would it be possible to get to Sunday evening Mass on your way home from camping? I went with my children to Sunday evening Mass for years. It was much calmer than morning Mass.

 

[Cricket2]

We go camping once every few years. Is the Sunday obligation flexible for such occasions?

If there is a Church near your location go. If not, at least commit to an hour of reading the Bible, or some other religious materials and saying some prayers for the sick. I have been told if you can’t get to a Church it is OK to miss Mass, as long as this is not a habit and you really can’t get to a Church.

 

[4love2God]

Thank you agapewolf, for the citation :** " The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice… the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation … Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin."**

The only question now is, what is a Grave Sin?
Is this actually a Mortal Sin?

 

[adrift]

Thank you agapewolf, for the citation :** " The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice… the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation … Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin."**

The only question now is, what is a Grave Sin?
Is this actually a Mortal Sin?

Grave sin and mortal sin are the same.

 

[1ke]

OK, 1ke, could you please refer me to a (somewhat) authoritative source that says that?

Catechism, under the section on the Third Commandment:

The Sunday obligation

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."1

I am tired of getting the run-around on this one.

It’s not the run around. Attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is an obligation. If we cannot fulfill it due to illness or impossibility of attending then it is not sinful. If we choose not to go when we can go, it is sinful.

2183 “If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”

I go to Daily Mass, and attended over 300 Masses last year.

That is nice. But the obligation is Sundays and Holy Days. Attending daily masses when you can is a wonderful thing, but does not replace attendance on Sunday and Holy Days.

And I NEED to know if missing a Sunday is a Mortal Sin.

It is grave matter. It is a mortal sin when it is done purposely. If you have the flu, are in the hospital, are in the deep dark jungle of Africa with no mass within 200 miles, then missing mass is not a sin because one is excused for grave reasons.

If you just don’t go, it is a mortal sin, yes.

Because, if it is, then I am committing Blasphemy (sort of, anyway) by taking Communion on Monday (and Tuesday …).

That would be correct. If you miss Sunday or Holy Day mass without a grave reason or a dispensation from your pastor, then you would need to refrain from the Eucharist until you go to confession.

And, if so, I will just take that week off of Daily Mass, and Confess that Mortal Sin on Saturday.

Or just go to Sunday Mass.

 

[1ke]

The only question now is, what is a Grave Sin?
Is this actually a Mortal Sin?

Grave and mortal are the same thing.

 

[Burt_Macklin]

How far is too far to attend mass? Is it too far if you have to hike an hour back to your vehicle and then drive 30 miles each way? What about if the nearest mass is only available by flying to a nearby area? I’m genuinely curious to see what people consider outside a reasonable distance.

 

[Joannm]

We camped a lot when our kids were younger. We always made it a point to find a church for Sunday Mass. Once we even found a monestary and ended up spending the whole day there and even bought their bread and some great books. We attended Mass in National Parks, in a barn, in small chapels and some lovely churches. Finding a church somtimes meant going a few extra miles but we always found something to do in those areas. When you make it a priority so much good comes out of it. Finding churches when traveling has become a highlight of all our trips.

 

[1ke]

How far is too far to attend mass? Is it too far if you have to hike an hour back to your vehicle and then drive 30 miles each way? What about if the nearest mass is only available by flying to a nearby area? I’m genuinely curious to see what people consider outside a reasonable distance.

That is a judgment call and depends on many factors.

And as has been pointed out more than once, a person can always ask for a dispensation from their pastor prior to going or consult their pastor if in doubt.

 

[tafan]

How far is too far to attend mass? Is it too far if you have to hike an hour back to your vehicle and then drive 30 miles each way? What about if the nearest mass is only available by flying to a nearby area? I’m genuinely curious to see what people consider outside a reasonable distance.

As to your specific example: Two hour hike on a Sunday during camping? Seems like a normal camping activity, so to me that wouldn’t even be part of the equation. 30 mile drive to attend mass, doesn’t seem to much at all to me. Its all a matter of planning the daily activities properly, is it not.

In general:

If it is too much, and I did not have a dispensation, I would find another place to go camping or skip the trip.

Attending Sunday mass is one of the precepts of the Church. According to the Catechism

“2041 he obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor”.

To me, this means the bare minimum we must do in order to be Christian. I think a proper analogy would be comparing it to fidelity to one’s spouse in marriage. Not committing adultery is the bare minimum we must do for our spouse, wouldn’t you say? So going to mass on Sunday is that important.

 

[Christy_Beth]

There is a web site (it’s been a few years, so I have forgotten it’s exact name) that shows Catholic Churches and their mass times. If you know where you’re going, plug into that, and find a church to go to. I’ve done that a couple of times when I went somewhere with my parents. Of course, I’m the only Catholic in the family, but they raised no stink about it. If it’s at all possible, find a church and then go. Unless you are really, really out in the boonies, there shouldn’t be a reason to skip mass.

 

[tafan]

There is a web site (it’s been a few years, so I have forgotten it’s exact name) that shows Catholic Churches and their mass times. If you know where you’re going, plug into that, and find a church to go to. I’ve done that a couple of times when I went somewhere with my parents. Of course, I’m the only Catholic in the family, but they raised no stink about it. If it’s at all possible, find a church and then go. Unless you are really, really out in the boonies, there shouldn’t be a reason to skip mass.

masstimes.org

Again, if you are going to be really, really out in the boonies, obtain a dispensation from your pastor before you go!!!

 

[Burt_Macklin]

That is a judgment call and depends on many factors.

And as has been pointed out more than once, a person can always ask for a dispensation from their pastor prior to going or consult their pastor if in doubt.

Assuming I have adequate time to plan getting a dispensation is not a problem. If anything, it is too easy I’m asking, in your personal experience, how burdensome attending mass has to be before you request a dispensation. Do you simply make other travel plans that allow you to attend mass even though you could conceivably get a dispensation?

 

[pnewton]

If it was me, I would simply ask my pastor. If he says go, then go. If not, the being dispensed covers the obligation.