Can going to mass on Wednesday fulfil my obligations?

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I’m unable to go to mass during the weekend on some weekends because I am away doing training for the Canadian reserves. My Catholic section mates say they just go to mass after we get dismissed at 5pm on Sunday, but my church’s last mass is at 4:30, plus I have to drive a long way home. Since I can’t go to mass on Sunday or even on Saturday, can I go on Wednesday? Would that fulfil my obligations?
 
If you can’t make it to Mass, the obligation is excused- you don’t have to go a different day to make up for it.

The only question is whether or not you really can’t make it. If you really can’t, you are in the clear
 
I’m unable to go to mass during the weekend on some weekends because I am away doing training for the Canadian reserves
If you cannot attend mass, there is no obligation. It is excused for serious reasons, work among them.
Since I can’t go to mass on Sunday or even on Saturday, can I go on Wednesday?
You can certainly go on a weekday, this is a good devotional practice.
Would that fulfil my obligations?
No. It does not fulfill your Sunday obligation.

But again, we are excused when we have a just reason for missing mass. Your reserve training is such a reason. The obligation to attend Mass is an ecclesial Law, not a divine law, and is not absolute. The obligation is excused when we have serious cause preventing our attendance, and it can also be dispensed by our pastor.

Talk to your pastor if you are concerned.
 
I would have said something among the lines of what @Augustinian and @1ke typed up. Great replies both of you 🙂
 
Yeah, I really can’t go. This is the only job I have, so I can’t skip it. And while I’m training, they won’t let me go to mass. My only hope at this point is to ask a chaplain to do a service for me before training starts at 5 am. So I’d have a service from 4am until 5am. I’ll ask them if that would be possible. Even then, if I wake up an hour earlier I’d only get 4.5 hours of sleep instead of 5.5, but that’s not a good excuse to not do it. The only good excuse to not have a very early morning service is if they won’t let me.
 
You are excused. You need not attempt all these gymnastics of trying to get someone to do a 4 a.m. mass for you.

Please, be at peace. You need not justify anything to anyone here— not your local mass time situation, your drive time, your schedule, or your work. You do not have to go to some crazy length to attempt to attend mass.

You have to work, no mass is available to you, the end.
 
Ok, that’s good to hear. I’ll still go on Wednesdays just because it feels weird otherwise. Even if it doesn’t replace Sunday mass, it just seems like something I should do and want to do.
 
Even if it doesn’t replace Sunday mass, it just seems like something I should do and want to do.
The obligations of Canon Law have been clearly and accurately described by @Augustinian and @1ke already. I just wanted to make an observation here. So often, especially on CAF, it seems we’re caught up in the legalistic approach - the “what’s my obligation?” questions. I’m not downplaying the importance of that, as there’s a reason the Church imposes those laws on us. That reason, primarily, is to get our hearts in the right place. Based on your comment, while the legal obligation is certainly dismissed by your circumstances, your desire to be at Mass anyway - in spite of complicated issues and going to the lengths of trying to substitute another day is where I believe the Lord is truly smiling and offering his blessing to you. Legalistically, you’re in the clear, but spiritually speaking, you’ve accomplished your mission as well with this particular obligation, I’d say.
 
What if you go to 10 masses in midweek but can’t make it on Sunday.
 
One doesn’t replace or “make up for” the other.

If you can’t go on Sunday (or Saturday evening) to meet the Sunday obligation for a serious reason then the obligation is excused.

Going to daily mass is wonderful and a great thing to do. But it doesn’t have any bearing on the Sunday obligation.

We are obliged to go to mass on Sundays and Holy Days because the Church asks it of us as a part of fulfilling the third commandment. It isn’t to be taken lightly. But as an ecclesial law it also isn’t absolute. We can be excused from the obligation for proportionate reasons— work, illness, weather, care of infants or the infirm, and other reasons.
 
What if you go to 10 masses in midweek but can’t make it on Sunday.
That’s fine, if you have good reason and can’t make it on Sunday you can’t make it.

The weekday attendance isn’t required, but i can see where it is a good practice both on a spiritual level as well as on a community basis as appearing in church will keep you in touch with the activities occurring within the parish.
 
Maintaining some kind of Mass schedule by going on Wednesday is a healthy thing, just like watching Mass on TV is a healthy thing. But it’s not obligatory.

If you’re the kind of person who needs a kick in the tuckus to make sure you get to Mass on time, it’s okay to think about it as obligatory… as long as you know it’s not really. Similarly, if you want to think of weekday Masses as a “makeup Mass,” just to make sure you go, that’s okay.

But if it’s icy and blizzarding on Wednesday, or anything else happens, you can remind yourself that it really isn’t any kind of obligation, and stay home like a sensible person. Give yourself at least as much mercy as Mother Church does!

(And of course, a sensible person would also stay home from Mass on Sunday if the roads are too bad, because you’re excused. Insert personal story frome me about how I foolishly tried once to go to Mass after an icestorm when everybody was telling me to stay home, and how I broke my arm in the parking lot when I was almost there, and ended up going to Emergency instead of Mass. Don’t be an idiot like me. Unless there’s a heroic reason, accept a practical impossibility as excusing you from Mass!)
 
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Military service is a valid reason for missing Mass. relax. You’re fine. If you can go to weekday mass during this period when you don’t have a full time gig, that’s great. But it’s not required.
 
He already said he cannot be at mass on Saturday or Sunday and someone else already said Wednesday does not fulfill the Sunday obligation.

Someone else also said he does NOT need a dispensation…

All of the above are also true if we were talking about a Holy Day of Obligation rather than a Sunday. The rules are the same for both.
 
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