Can a pastor give a general dispensation for inclement weather?

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odile53

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I live in a city in the northeast which is notorious for some of its winter storms.

Yesterday, the church bulletin had a message from the pastor, stating that people, particularly the elderly, were dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on the weekend if the weather was “inclement.” The way it was worded, it seemed to cover the upcoming winter season, and it looked like it left a little too much latitude for interpretation.

For example, my snowplow contractor comes and clears the driveway if 3 inches of snow falls. But, especially with snow tires, I can easily get out of the driveway if three inches fell, and get to my destination. Most people around here have pretty good winter driving skills, and the town and city plows do a pretty good job of keeping the roads clear (what the salt does to your car is another matter entirely.)

I guess I got a little curious about this, wouldn’t this announcement technically be the prerogative of the bishop? It’s nice to know that if it gets really bad (ice storm, blizzard, a foot of snow overnight,) nobody expects me to risk life and limb to get to Mass, but is this legitimate?

And yes, there are people who would think it’s too “inclement” to go to Mass, but who would head off to the mall in the same conditions without batting an eyelash!
 
odile53 said:
I live in a city in the northeast which is notorious for some of its winter storms.

Yesterday, the church bulletin had a message from the pastor, stating that people, particularly the elderly, were dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on the weekend if the weather was “inclement.” The way it was worded, it seemed to cover the upcoming winter season, and it looked like it left a little too much latitude for interpretation.

For example, my snowplow contractor comes and clears the driveway if 3 inches of snow falls. But, especially with snow tires, I can easily get out of the driveway if three inches fell, and get to my destination. Most people around here have pretty good winter driving skills, and the town and city plows do a pretty good job of keeping the roads clear (what the salt does to your car is another matter entirely.)

I guess I got a little curious about this, wouldn’t this announcement technically be the prerogative of the bishop? It’s nice to know that if it gets really bad (ice storm, blizzard, a foot of snow overnight,) nobody expects me to risk life and limb to get to Mass, but is this legitimate?

And yes, there are people who would think it’s too “inclement” to go to Mass, but who would head off to the mall in the same conditions without batting an eyelash!
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I would say the same conditions would aplly to going to work or school.
 
I don’t believe it is necessary to risk our lives in order to get to Mass on Sunday. I do attend regularly, and I can make it in most weather since I drive a Jeep. However, many people, especially the elderly, feel the need to go to great lengths to get to Mass. They are the ones most likely to have problems from walking or driving in inclement weather.

In my opinion, your pastor was just giving them the OK to use their commom sense, which has always been the case anyway. It shouldn’t require a dispensation, but wording it that way might give more weight to the statement and help prevent injuries or illness in people determined to get to Mass “No matter what.”
 
A slip and fall amongst the elderly can mean being permanently disabled or even death. As another poster said - many elderly will go to great lengths to get to Mass.

Unlike younger persons they “know” for a fact their time is near.
 
I’ve read on some church websites if people cannot drive due to severe weather or illness, then they are excused from Mass. I am sure the pastor will not condemn someone who cannot drive their car in 5 inches of snow, or if they have a very bad flu/cold as an example.

The rare times I’ve not been able to make to Mass to severe illness or bad weather where driving was impossible, then I try to do other things like: read the Scriptures (especially the ones for the Sunday I am missing), pray the Rosary and/or Devotions/Prayers, watch Mass on TV, etc.
 
EWTN has an article that cites the Catechism regarding our holy days of obligation.

I have been taught that the Church does not obligate its faithful to perform the impossible.

With that, and that article’s information in mind, here are some examples where your obligation to attend Mass on a holy day of obligation may be dispensed. Keep in mind that CCC 2185 warns that even legitimate excuses are not allowed if the initial excuse becomes a repetitive habit.
  • A local or national state of emergency exists where travel is dangerous (such as a blizzard or hurricane) and government officials have made it illegal to travel or stay in your residential area unless an absolute requirement exists.
  • You have a serious communicable illness that would likely infect others if you attended Mass. (I had swine flu 2 years ago, which required me to miss Mass for a week.)
  • Despite your best efforts to find an alternate time to attend Mass while you travel, sudden changes in your travel plans make it impossible to meet your obligation and it is financially or practically imprudent to adjust your travel to meet Mass without serious loss of fares or returning to home.
  • You haven’t a personal vehicle to get to Mass, there is no other parish in walking distance, and walking or sharing a ride is not possible. (This may be true for teenage Catholics that cannot drive, whose parents who are lapsed Catholics or not religious and do not attend Mass themselves.)
  • You are admitted to the hospital for an illness. (This wouldn’t necessarily include visitation of a friend or family member unless in the matter of immediate danger of death).
  • The nature of your employment requires you to be at work during holy days of obligation. (In the matter of civil services of a charitable nature, such firemen, soldiers, police and medical staff, this is common. The Church does still obligate these people to attend Mass in any capacity whenever possible. In non-critical employments, the Church still sees the holy day of obligation trumping their work in keeping with the Third Commandment, and work on Sundays should not often conflict with the obligation.)
In any case, check with your local diocese and parish on any special rules for your area.
 
Well, in most places… I know not all, the priest lives in a rectory a few steps from the church. Growing up our priest always said, I’ll be saying Mass no matter what but if the weather is too dangerous to come to Mass, it’s too dangerous to go anywhere else.😉
 
My Pastor usually gives such a dispensation as winter approaches to discourage people from putting themselves and others in danger during severe weather. Some people do not use common sense in the matter, or are so afraid of committing a mortal sin by missing Mass that they take undue risks. The Bishop does not have to give such a dispensation, the Pastor can do it, just like he can give a dispensation for other reasons.

What a young person in good health can tolerate as far as cold weather and a being able to navigate in poor weather conditions can be far different from what an elderly person can tolerate. What some people see as merely inclement can be outright hazardous for others depending on their age and health. So one size does not fit all, and the Pastor is trying to prevent accidents and undue injury. You may be able to navigate a bit of ice, an elderly person may end up falling and breaking a hip.

If some people abuse the dispensation, that is between them and God.
 
odile53 said:
I live in a city in the northeast which is notorious for some of its winter storms.

Yesterday, the church bulletin had a message from the pastor, stating that people, particularly the elderly, were dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on the weekend if the weather was “inclement.” The way it was worded, it seemed to cover the upcoming winter season, and it looked like it left a little too much latitude for interpretation.

For example, my snowplow contractor comes and clears the driveway if 3 inches of snow falls. But, especially with snow tires, I can easily get out of the driveway if three inches fell, and get to my destination. Most people around here have pretty good winter driving skills, and the town and city plows do a pretty good job of keeping the roads clear (what the salt does to your car is another matter entirely.)

I guess I got a little curious about this, wouldn’t this announcement technically be the prerogative of the bishop? It’s nice to know that if it gets really bad (ice storm, blizzard, a foot of snow overnight,) nobody expects me to risk life and limb to get to Mass, but is this legitimate?

And yes, there are people who would think it’s too “inclement” to go to Mass, but who would head off to the mall in the same conditions without batting an eyelash!
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It wasn’t really a “needed” announcement, because that dispensation from Sunday obligation is a standing one by the church. If you have a legitimate reason to miss mass, then you may do so without sin. That includes inclement weather. Perhaps the pastor should have been more careful in noting that he was only repeating church teaching so that parishoners wouldn’t be questioning his decision on that.

A lot of older people have a strong dedication to the mass. They may predate the technological era that would inform them of the reasons they might miss mass validly. Thus they may choose to go to mass in conditions that, while for normal people would be fine, could prove to be deadly, both to them and to others on the road. That would be grossly irresponsible, and so the priest is rightly reminding them that if it is too dangerous they should stay home.

As to the “leniency”, such an announcement SHOULD be open to interpretation, as each individual is solely responsible for formation of their conscience, knowing and assessing road conditions, and knowing their driving limitations. If the priest establishes an objective standard (ie, 10 inches of snow on the road) and requires attendence then there are 2 problems with this:
  1. He is wrong, it is the person’s responsibilty to determine the feasability of attending mass.
  2. If someone crashes on the way to church and kills someone, the parish is now open to liability claims in lawsuits, and the priest could cost the parish/diocese hundreds of thousands in litigation and liability.
 
At some point common sense takes over and dispensations are automatic. The Church doesn’t expect the impossible. If weather prevents us from getting to Church, we do not need a formal dispensation. God knows the situation. And you yourself, examining your conscience, should know if you’ve done enough to try and get to Mass.
 
I was in CT for the recent “snow event”. There was a church directly across from our hotel. My daughter and I walked over for 10 am Mass. It was treacherous. There were no more than 10 people there.

The priest was not giving general dispensation. He was reminding everyone that if you cannot make it because of conditions (just like when you are sick) you are not obligated to attend. As long as a priest lives on the property, there will be Mass.
 
promethius said:
As to the “leniency”, such an announcement SHOULD be open to interpretation, as each individual is solely responsible for formation of their conscience, knowing and assessing road conditions, and knowing their driving limitations. If the priest establishes an objective standard (ie, 10 inches of snow on the road) and requires attendence then there are 2 problems with this:
  1. He is wrong, it is the person’s responsibilty to determine the feasability of attending mass.
  2. If someone crashes on the way to church and kills someone, the parish is now open to liability claims in lawsuits, and the priest could cost the parish/diocese hundreds of thousands in litigation and liability.
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Yes, the announcement should definitively be open ended for interpretation. Just from a driving perspective, road conditions that are fine for a 40 something experienced driver may be quite unsafe for a new teen driver. And that’s just one possible situation.
 
odile53 said:
I live in a city in the northeast which is notorious for some of its winter storms.

Yesterday, the church bulletin had a message from the pastor, stating that people, particularly the elderly, were dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on the weekend if the weather was “inclement.” The way it was worded, it seemed to cover the upcoming winter season, and it looked like it left a little too much latitude for interpretation.

For example, my snowplow contractor comes and clears the driveway if 3 inches of snow falls. But, especially with snow tires, I can easily get out of the driveway if three inches fell, and get to my destination. Most people around here have pretty good winter driving skills, and the town and city plows do a pretty good job of keeping the roads clear (what the salt does to your car is another matter entirely.)

I guess I got a little curious about this, wouldn’t this announcement technically be the prerogative of the bishop? It’s nice to know that if it gets really bad (ice storm, blizzard, a foot of snow overnight,) nobody expects me to risk life and limb to get to Mass, but is this legitimate?

And yes, there are people who would think it’s too “inclement” to go to Mass, but who would head off to the mall in the same conditions without batting an eyelash!
Click to expand...
My mother is 81 and we live in NYC where we had a couple of huge storms. However, since my mother does not drive at all and when the weather becomes as it did here last year, her parish had also allowed for a dispensation for the elderly from attendance at Mass during these dangerous storms.

I was under the impression that it came from the parish, but the parish may have announced or published it under the Bishop’s direction. We were unexpectedly hit with about 26 inches on December 26th last year and the city failed to get to it for about 4 or 5 days in our location for various reasons, but even the residual was problematic (after the streets are plowed) as the snow is piled up in the crosswalks and the elderly cannot navigate over mounds to cross the street without being in danger of falling. I’m sure many, like my mother, missed Mass. It’s legit. At least it was here.

Elderly people, especially those with my mother’s condition of slight dementia (little short-term memory), like to be told or hear it from some authority. If left to her own resources, she might attempt to get to Church – and fall which can be fatal for her. Having the parish say people like her were dispensed from attendance due to the weather just reassures them that they have not committed a sin by not trying to get to Church. My mother cannot be left entirely to conscience any longer because she gets confused.
 
Leegal said:
I was under the impression that it came from the parish, but the parish may have announced or published it under the Bishop’s direction
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Nope, it’s straight from the Vatican on this one. Enumerated in the Catechism under the section on the Third Commandment, the obligation is discussed in Canon 1246§2:

1246§2. If participation in the eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister or for another grave cause, it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church or other sacred place according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop or that they devote themselves to prayer for a suitable time alone, as a family, or, as the occasion permits, in groups of families.
So, if a person cannot make mass or a liturgy of the word for a grave cause (ie, danger to life and limb, illness, etc), then the church teaches, as a body and entrenched in her universal laws, that the person is dispensed from their obligation for that week, but should make time to pray.
My mother cannot be left entirely to conscience any longer because she gets confused.
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This is why it is a good thing that priests take pastoral care of their flocks and remind them of the fact that “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”… We are to make it to mass so long as that effort does not endanger people (ourselves or others)
 
Thanks to all who responded. I’m fairly new at this parish, as we just moved here last spring. When I lived in New York, I was used to hearing such pronouncements coming from the archdiocese, and was under the impression that the (arch)bishop had to give them. Silly me! It is a bit of a relief that this is all on the up-and-up, so to speak.
 
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