Dispensation for missing Mass

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SomeCatholicGuy

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Hi, I will be on a trip/cruise out of the country next year, and it looks like the timing will be such that I won’t be able to attend Mass Saturday or Sunday, as I will be on a ship on Saturday and on a plane on Sunday. My question is would I be able to get a dispensation for missing Mass? If so, how do I go about doing that? Thank you in advance!
 
I’m not sure… I’d go to your parish priest and ask him…

Prayers for a safe trip! :cool:
 
Hello,

Often there is a priest aboard a cruise ship, so you might not have a problem.

If there’s no chance of Mass either prior to or after your flight, then “traveler’s dispensation” could apply here. Although we must do everything in our power to attend Mass, sometimes it is just not possible during travel. Perhaps you can attend a daily Mass on Monday, if all else fails.

If you do a search in the “Ask an Apologist” section, you will see this subject addressed.

God bless.
 
SomeCatholicGuy said:
Hi, I will be on a trip/cruise out of the country next year, and it looks like the timing will be such that I won’t be able to attend Mass Saturday or Sunday, as I will be on a ship on Saturday and on a plane on Sunday. My question is would I be able to get a dispensation for missing Mass? If so, how do I go about doing that? Thank you in advance!
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Your pastor can give you a dispensation.
 
Do you have time to go to Mass when you arrive on Saturday? Some Churches have later vigil Masses. How about a very early Mass on Sunday? Some airports have Mass, and often there are Churches close to the airport. Are you familiar with masstimes.org? They are an excellent resource for finding Mass when traveling.
 
As Dixieagle has already mentioned, many cruise ships have priests onboard who offer Mass. I’d call the cruiseline and see if this might be the case.
 
Thanks, everyone! I actually had just found out on the day that I first posted about this that the cruise was going to be on a weekend. The cruise actually departs earlier in the week, so I will most likely be on the ship all day on Saturday. I will inquire about whether there will be a priest on the ship - I certainly hope so! If not, I guess I’ll have to ask my priest for a dispensation, which would be the very first time I ask for a dispensation of any kind. And oh, this will be my first cruise of any kind, too!
 
I didn’t know cruise ships had priests on board. What a lucky priest that would be!
 
SomeCatholicGuy said:
Hi, I will be on a trip/cruise out of the country next year, and it looks like the timing will be such that I won’t be able to attend Mass Saturday or Sunday, as I will be on a ship on Saturday and on a plane on Sunday. My question is would I be able to get a dispensation for missing Mass? If so, how do I go about doing that? Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Isn’t there an automatic dispensation for travelling more than a certain distance? Once I tried to confess missing sunday mass, and the priest asked if I had travelled that day more than 150km, and since I had, he refused to accept ‘missing mass’ as a sin to be confessed. 🙂
 
StratusRose said:
I didn’t know cruise ships had priests on board. What a lucky priest that would be!
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I know a few priests who “work” cruises. In exchange for Celebrating Mass, they get a free cruise, though usually in very small rooms. Check with the cruise line to find out if there will be a priest on board.
 
I’ve been on 2 cruises and went to Mass. They had port stops
that had nearby Catholic Churches and several of us got cabs or
walked to Mass. On the other, I went to Mass before boarding the
ship.
 
OK, I spoke with a priest at my parish yesterday, and he also said that there might be a priest on board. When I asked if I needed a dispensation, he told me that I didn’t need one. Thanks again, guys!
 
OK, I just heard back. Looks like there won’t be a priest on board. I’ll have to see if I can’t find a church close by when it temporarily docks Saturday evening.
 
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