Do you go to Mass while on Vacation?

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+JMJ

I have always gone to mass on vacation and I must thank my mother for that. When I was 11 and we went to stay in Denver,Co to visit my dad, who was TDY (Tempary duty) for 6 months, and we tried to convence her that we did not need to go to church cause we could just read the bible and it would be the same thing. She said in her best mom voice"We are going to Church!" And she ended up paying over $45 (round trip) for all of us to go by a cab to the Chruch and I have always gone since.
 
Being on vacation does not free us from our Sunday obligation. I hope that those of you who typically do not attend Mass while on vacation will reconsider next time.

My husband, who is not a Christian, gets very irritated with me about attending Mass while on vacation. I do my best to get there with or without him. It doesn’t always work out, but the Lord knows that skipping Mass is not a habit of mine.

In Christ,
Nancy 🙂
 
Most definitely try to go to mass while on vacation. Unless, there is not one around, which is rare. It is good for the children to see this dedication to our faith. And, my big thing is the homily and music. I enjoy hearing what other leaders preach and listening to the music. This has always been a big thing in my family that we have done and it is important for me to pass this on to my children. I have to say that there is something special about going in different places and sometimes I do get more out of it! A change of scenery can be a good thing.
 
Making it to Mass in Spotsylvania County Virginia, where I go to visit my son each year, is a challenge. (very prot country, Virginia) My son and daughter-in-law have no faith so I have to rely on them to drive me to an RCC. About 7 miles or so from where they live. They do try to accommodate me though.

On vacation in Tombstone, AZ, I found the one RCC in town and walked there by myself. I was a beautiful little Church with a lovely Mass. Worth the walk to find it.
 
The first time I went out of town (since my entrance into the Church) I was really nervous about going to a “strange” church.

I had heard lots of horror stories about “circus liturgies” , etc. You know, where everything is done wrong, and what if it isn’t even valid???

But I lucked out. [BTW, missing Mass (esp. Sunday!) isn’t even an option. It would almost be a physical hurt.]

I would like to say that I went to a little Catholic Church in Gatlingburg, TN and it was a beautiful and proper Mass. It brought tears to my eyes. I don’t remember the name, but it might have been St. Mary’s.

So a big God Bless You to the diocese there!!!

Peace.
 
Being on vacation means I can go to daily Mass, which is wonderful. I start work at 6 a.m. so that’s not an option. We always take a week at Easter, and two years ago we couldn’t find a church in Mexico on Easter Sunday (or any other day). We vowed never to go to a place that didn’t have Mass available, especially at Easter. The next week, on Mercy Sunday, my wife asked for the desire to go to daily Mass before work. She now goes six days a week. The result has been an outpouring of opportunities for her to share her faith, the divine mercy and the rosary with her patients. She has seen wonderful things.
 
Always try to, but have missed at times. One of the most interesting had to be Mass at the Cathedral in San Francisco, a Chinese service, not sure if it was Mandarin or Cantonese, and of course when Disneyworld USED to have Mass at one of their restaurants. The experience gives me an opportunity to see fellow Catholics.
 
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UxoretMater:
We ALWAYS try to go. But, only once, on our honeymoon, did we fail to because we we on a Greek island with no Catholic Church and no ferry service on Sundays!! There was one church, so we went to the Greek Orthodox service and just prayed and had no idea what was going on…couldn’t believe that the one island we picked for the weekend had no Catholic Church. We went to every Catholic Church we could find for the remainder of the trip. That was the only time it was physically impossible for us to get to mass on Sunday!!
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I always go and it is always grand to worship with other Catholics. I don’t attend as the “abuse police” but as a vistor grateful to be there.

I did attend Mass while on vacation in the island of Mykonos (is that were you were?). They have a lovely little Roman Catholic church with a multi-lingual liturgy.
 
FONT=Comic Sans MS]I remember being in a foreign country, thousands of miles from home in a Catholic Church on Sunday - being the ONLY WHITE ENGLISH SPEAKING PERSON, in an overflowing church,… and having a GREAT TIME!
 
Lets hope and pray, all those poor Catholics who perished on St Stephen’s Day in the Asia disaster, fulfilled or intended to fullfil their Sunday Obligation. Life is TOO short and uncertain.

I remember when I was in Thailand on Holiday last year, I needed to get long taxi rides to get to mass. It was the first thing I checked out before I booked my Holiday.

Interestingly, I only went to Thailand as I had cancelled a holiday to the MALDIVES as they not only did not have mass but they ban Bibles/Beads etc. The MALDIVES is intolerant of any religion bar ISLAM.

I protested via the BBC, who aired my protest on Television via a consumer programme (Watchdog) bbc.co.uk/watchdog/ last year and got me compensation on the grounds that I was only told of this after I had booked.

Mass is TOO important to miss, we need Christ’s body and the graces it provides. It is the first precept of the Church. It is a mortal sin to deliberately miss!
 
So what is the proper attitude towards planning a vacation?

Are we obligated NOT to take trips like backpacking, or or canoeing the Boundary Waters or visiting a Buddhist or Muslim nation? After all, you can’t claim inability to attend if YOU planned the trip with full knowledge that mass would be unavailable. This has always bothered me because I LOVE camping. I find it hard to believe God doesn’t want me to experience the Boundary Waters.
 
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CathyD:
Bad story. Serious liturgical abuses in one parish in Nashville. Probably the only time I almost walked out of Mass. Won’t be going there again, although it’s the halfway point home from the beach. We’ll have to find a different stopping point. Anyone know a good, orthodox parish in Nashville?
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I’d suggest you try Church of the Assumption next time yuo’re in town. It is a very orthodox parish (just about the only one in the diocese!)
 
I can’t believe it! I posted this ages ago and today just on a lark, spun my mouse wheel to the bottom of the thread and there you are! Thank you so much. We’ll write this parish name on the Tennessee page of our map (that’s the best place for this info!)

Thanks,
Cathy
 
We have found the most wonderful little chapels on our vacations. On Catalina, the Church can hold, maybe, 50 people. The sunlight coming in through the stained glass windows was wonderful! We walked to Mass in Hawaii along the beach to a Church at the end of Waikiki beach. It was beautiful.
 
We always go to Mass, even when we’re camping and we’re not dressed in out Sunday clothes. It is a confessable sin to skip Mass unless you or a child are ill or it is otherwise phsically impossible to go.
 
After flying LA-SFO and SFO-Chicago due to bad weather delays my wife and I spent our wedding night at O’Hare Airport in Chicago awaiting our connection to Florida.

The next morning was Sunday…we went to Mass at O’Hare Airport Chapel. I don’t remember the priest or the readings or anything except the joy at being able to receive our Lord even in my exhausted, sleepless condition.

Check it out at ohareairportchapel.org/
 
I will do my best to go to mass, the next time I am on vacation. Right now, I can’t afford a vacation :o
 
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MGEISING:
Just checking to see if any of you go to Mass while on vacation - no matter where you may be?
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I didn’t used to, but I do today. I used to be of the opinion that vacation was a justifiable reason why one could be absent from Mass. I have since been informed (by a Priest) that to miss Mass for the sake of convenience is a mortal sin. So, now I use this link to find a close Catholic church and the times Mass is celebrated and plan my vacations around the proximity to the church. It has proven to be a very useful tool and very convenient.🙂
 
I go when I can, but it is really governed by my parents, who never do. I managed to go when I was in Boston this past weekend. So, basically if it’s convenient for my parents, I can convince them MAYBE, but I go whenever I can. Must be nice to be able to go every vacation!

Eamon
 
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