Can't get to Mass

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Deltadeliquent

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What do I do if I can’t get to mass because I live too far away from the nearest church?
 
Deltadeliquent said:
What do I do if I can’t get to mass because I live too far away from the nearest church?
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God does not ask of us what is impossible. If there is absolutely no way for you to attend Holy Mass, the proper thing would be for you to discuss this with a priest, but I don’t think there would be a case for mortal sin.

However, there would be such a case if you can’t get (easily) to mass because you live too far (but you could still manage to go though this would imply some degree of discomfort and sacrifice).
 
I live on a remote island in British Columbia. The nearest Church is two ferry rides away and because of the ferry schedules, and the Mass schedules, I would have to either miss the first 45 minutes of Mass, or spend the night in a hotel. That expense along with the $60.00 ferry fare would be too expensive or me.

I do go into civilisation to visit friends about twice a year, and make a point o attending Mass then.

Otherwise I have house church at home…
 
If you have a TV usually you can find a Mass scheduled on a TV station – that’s certainly not as good as getting to Mass but it sounds as if you have a very difficult situation.
 
Given your situation, here’s my advice: go to that nearest Church next time you have a chance, speak to the priest, explain, and figure things out with him.

He may give you some sort of dispensation, provided perhaps that you confess and receive the Eucharist at least once a year in Easter time, and that you still follow the Mass on tv/online on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.

But to simply make the decision on your own…that I don’t recommend. 🙂
 
Deltadeliquent said:
I live on a remote island in British Columbia. The nearest Church is two ferry rides away and because of the ferry schedules, and the Mass schedules, I would have to either miss the first 45 minutes of Mass, or spend the night in a hotel. That expense along with the $60.00 ferry fare would be too expensive or me.

I do go into civilisation to visit friends about twice a year, and make a point o attending Mass then.

Otherwise I have house church at home…
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You can’t be expected to undertake the (virtually) impossible. You can only do what you can reasonably accomplish, and it sounds as if you really would have to go to enormous lengths to get to Mass.

If there is a Mass for shut-ins on TV (if you even have TV!) I would watch that, and if not, then spend time in prayer, as you seem to be doing.

Now, I suppose one could ask the question as to why you choose to isolate yourself in this way, but that is for you to discern (job requirement, etc.) I hope that there is, at least, a friendly group of people there on your island. (BC is so beautiful!)
 
The answer to that question is that my husband and I have recently retired from work and wanted to go somewhere close to nature and far from the maddening crowd.

We’ve only been here a few months and I must admit, it’s proving to be a lot more isolated than I thought…but my husband is one happy camper!
If the Mass in town was at noon rather than 11am, it wouldn’t be a problem.

We do have plans to buy our wn boat this summer, so that might make it possible. We will have to see how much the gasoline will cost. If less than the ferry, we can make our twice a month town days on Sunday. I’ll just send him to the grocery store with a list whilst I’m at Church.😊

I’ll look into the TV thing. Ithink there is an app for that! (we do have wi-fi).
Blessings all.
 
You can also catch them online. Ewtn and salt and life tv broadcast them every day. Since the Sunday mass is difficult whenever you are planning on going into town, you can also try to attend a mass that is happening during the week. Generally speaking most parishes offer at least one. It’s a matter of organizing your schedule according to your budget and the ferry times.

People have been encouraging you to see your priest since you live a distance away, you can also arrange a phone meeting. Everyone’s schedule is different and it’s important to be true to God and one’s situation.
 
Never heard of Salt, thank you so much. I looks like a great site.
 
I just looked up Cortes Island; what a spectacularly beautiful place! I can see why your husband is a happy camper. 🙂
 
Cortes is very beautiful, and the people are very friendly, if unconventional.
We are having a rental suite remodelled soon, so if anyone’s interested in a visit.

There is an Anglican church here that has services once a month, but I think I am the only Catholic.
 
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