Can my Catholic friend attend mass

[rochejaune]

My business partner was raised Catholic, attended Catholic schools, etc. She has since left the church. Says she’s agnostic. She has 3 children. She was not married in the Catholic church. Her husband was mentally abusive to her and she left him and has since married again. Still not in the church. Her kids have not had any Catholic training whatsoever. Although, they have asked some questions.

We just got a new priest in our parish. He’s great. At our first mass with him he said that this would be the perfect opportunity to invite people to return to church…to see the “new guy”.

So, I said this to her the other day and she says that she’s not exactly living the Catholic life. My question is…Can she attend Mass again? What does she have to do? I really don’t know if she’s interested. But, last spring she had thought about sending her kids to our Catholic school and she did say something to the effect that maybe she’d start coming to church in the summer. I don’t know if she meant it, or was just saying that so that she could get parish rates (she didn’t end up sending her kids to our school).

Thanks for your answers

 

[Bluegoat]

Anyone can attend Mass. If she decided she wanted to recommit to her faith she would need to talk to the priest. If she wanted to take the Eucharist she would need to go to confession. But even an evil pagan cannibal can go to Mass.

 

[Joe_5859]

Anyone can attend Mass. If she decided she wanted to recommit to her faith she would need to talk to the priest. If she wanted to take the Eucharist she would need to go to confession. But even an evil pagan cannibal can go to Mass.

This is the answer. Anyone can (and should! ) attend Mass. However, only Catholics in good standing can receive the Eucharist. Your friend would need to go to Confession before she could receive the Eucharist, and she would have to talk to the priest about straightening out her marriage situation (which sounds like it wouldn’t be too difficult since her first marriage was not in the Church even though she was baptized Catholic).