Do I have to go to Mass on January 1?

[JosieCat]

I am currently visiting family in a distant area of the United States and January 1 will be a holy day of obligation on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, with Mass attendance required. But in the diocese where I live the holy day obligation has been dispensed. Since I am somewhat dependent on my non-Catholic family for a ride to Mass, and since they have been good about giving me rides when I’m required to go, I’d like to spare them the hassle if I am not required to attend Mass on January 1. Can I follow the discipline of my own diocese this holy day, or am I required to follow the discipline of the diocese I’m visiting?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Canonists generally agree that travelers may follow either the discipline of their own diocese or the discipline of the diocese in which they are traveling. In such a case where the choice is yours, prudence suggests that the decision be made based not on your own convenience, but on truly just concerns. If your decision not to go to Mass on the holy day is not for your own sake but for your family’s, it would seem to me to be within the bounds of prudence.

Recommended reading:

Was January 1 a holy day of obligation?