Can I skip Mass if I have to work in the Grand Canyon this summer?

[bart0937]

I am new to the site, but not new to being Catholic. The opportunity came up for me to work in the Grand Canyon this summer, but it is in a very isolated location, and from my understanding it would be a real challenge for me to get to Mass on Sundays. What does the Church teach about these circumstances? Can I get a dispensation for this?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The Church teaches that you have to make every reasonable effort to get to Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.

You state that, “From my understanding it would be a real challenge for me to get to Mass on Sundays.” What does that mean? Did you call the diocese in which the Grand Canyon is located and ask about available Sunday Masses? Did you go to MassTimes.org? Did you Google key words such as “Mass schedule Grand Canyon”? Did you search this site for previous questions and answers on the subject (example)? Or, did you take someone’s word for it that there would be a “real challenge” to get to Mass on Sundays (possibly without considering whether a “real challenge” actually translates to a moral impossibility)?

I am very concerned that many Catholics today in the U.S. take their Mass obligation so lightly that they apparently are unwilling to do minimal research into finding available Masses whenever the slightest weekend conflict arises. This is especially distressing when we consider that people who actually live in poverty in remote areas of the world strive to get to Mass on Sunday and suffer when they cannot do so (example).