Do you go to Mass while on Vacation?

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Isn’t that part of the vacation - visiting churches you’ve never been in before? :yup:

Although there have been a couple of times I didn’t, I have usually made it my business to ensure I go to Mass. Over the years, I have travelled on business quite a lot. I’ve been to Mass in Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Curacao, Aruba, Grenada, Dominica, Venezuela, France, Spain, Greece, Italy … not sure where else. 👍

I particularly rememer the time in Jamaica. I had to really push the people at the hotel to find out where and when Mass was available. Then I had to get a taxi to take me there. I asked the taxi-driver to come back in an hour to bring me back to the hotel. During Mass the rain came down - as only it can in tropical countries - a truly tropical downpour. Needless to say, my taxi-driver did not return!! I turned for help to a man who seemed to know everyone, and he quickly arranged for a middleaged couple to drive me to my hotel, which was more or less on their way home. :whistle: :

I almost always travel with my Missal - so that I can follow along in English when the Mass is in a foreign language. This makes me feel quite at home. The only problem is the homily! :gopray2:
 
I plan the Mass schedule into the vacation.

If Mass cannot be attended (through locale, or timing) we simply will not go. We will plan elsewhere.

Further…harsh as it sounds, my inlaws (non-Catholic) know that should they take the grandkids off for a week, Mass will be attended. If they miss, that will be the last time the opportunity to take the kids off will happen.

Z
 
I plan the Mass schedule into the vacation.

If Mass cannot be attended (through locale, or timing) we simply will not go. We will plan elsewhere.

Further…harsh as it sounds, my inlaws (non-Catholic) know that should they take the grandkids off for a week, Mass will be attended. If they miss, that will be the last time the opportunity to take the kids off will happen.

Z
 
Not only are we under an obligation to go to mass every Sunday, but I think it’s really interesting to get out there and see what other masses are like! In fact, I attended a mass in Dresden Germay yesterday! What a choir! By traveling, we can better understand how Catholicism is practiced througout the world.
 
We love going to Mass while on vacation. We’ve been to a variety of churches, from St. Patricks in NYC to St. Patrick’s in Apalachicola, FL!

One good story. We attended Mass in our pre-kid years at a parish in Key West. They had lovely french doors where there would normally be stained glass windows up both sides of the church. I don’t think anyone in Key West has air conditioning. I was sitting there, thinking how lovely the breeze was…until the Harley convention rolled into town. Then we couldn’t hear a thing!

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?

Best Mass experience? The little mission church at the secret beach. I’d tell you where it is, but then it wouldn’t be secret anymore and they’d ruin it with condos and mini golf. It was good just because it was at the secret beach and the priest makes such an effort to get there each week from his parish.

Ahhh. to be at the beach…
 
Yes, we definitely go to Mass during our vacations. We use the same website mentioned in other posts:

MassTimes

I have a question, though: This past weekend (July 4th), we went camping, and followed the mapquest map (to a remote church) I had prepared before we departed. It led us to a dead end. We searched for the parish for 1 1/2 hours, and finally gave up. I told my family that Christ would accept our effort as having gone to Mass, which was our heartfelt intention. Has this ever happenned to any of you? :confused:

In Christ,

Jorge.
 
Yes! I was going to attend a noon Mass in Newark, NJ when on business. I followed (or so I thought) my Mapquest directions to the T–but no church! So I began looking for another one (having seen the rather large steeples from the office building I had been in)…when finally sort of locating one, it was late, the middle of the lunch rush, and no parking available.

I missed Mass and I was disappointed! I always kind of figured my effort was appreciated and my disappointment maybe made up for the missed Mass. I also attended Adoration later in the day when I returned home.

JELane
 
When we visit my grandparents 8 hrs away my family goes to Mass, however, I don’t go to Daily Mass because its an unfamilar town so I can’t walk and I can’t get a ride because my mom acts so mean about it like I am more nuts then she alredy thinks I am and my grandparents would mock me even more.
 
👍 Always!

My wife and I are going out of town in a couple of weeks and I’ve already scouted out the area for a Catholic church for Sunday Mass.

Every time we go out of town for the weekend, I find the nearest church on www.masstimes.org. They list addresses, show maps, give phone numbers, times for confession, adoration, etc. It really is a great site.

Check it out!
 
👍 Always!

My wife and I are going out of town in a couple of weeks and I’ve already scouted out the area for a Catholic church for Sunday Mass.

Every time we go out of town for the weekend, I find the nearest church on www.masstimes.org. They list addresses, show maps, give phone numbers, times for confession, adoration, etc. It really is a great site.

Check it out!
 
Yes - from what I know the only acceptable resons for missing mass

is I am sick or there is no Catholic Church that is available to me.

Besides, visiting Catholic churches on vacation can be a great experience and inspire gratitude for my home parish and parish priest.
 
We certainly do and have gone to Mass while traveling. I enjoy mass at my mom’s hometown in Germany. My wife enjoys the experience as well, not knowing much German.

Once suggestion, since I never carried a bible before, is if you have a PDA, you can stay updated with the weekly readings from mobilegabriel.com/. This way, if you are in a foreign language mass, or not close to a Mass, you can read the readings with prayer.

And finally, since we are talking traveling, we do the Rosary more often during trips. It’s a nice relief from travel stress. I thank my friends for bringing me back to the Rosary recently!

And finally, at one point I was looking foward to business travel and demonstrating my faith with cutting any business meeting short to find a local parish for Ash Wednesday. The meeting was delayed.
 
It’s hard sometimes, but we always try to get to mass when on vacation. It’s interesting to see how the mass is the same everywhere, but each culture adds it’s own “accent” (so to speak). It really hits home that the Catholic Church is a universal church when you go to mass on vacation.
 
Last spring when I was in Las Vegas I called the closest church to the Strip to find out when they had their vigils. I was surprised to hear that the bishop had given them permission to start their vigils at “2:30pm” because they had so many visiting Catholics wanting to attend mass. When I attended the 2:30 mass I arrived early and luckily got a seat. The church was overflowing with people…up in the balcony and standing outside. We were treated royally with 1st class music and singing and an excellent homily delivered in perfect diction!!
 
My favorite vacation church is Resurrection Catholic church in Destin, FL----Awesome!! If you are ever in Destin, you gotta go!!:yup:
 
Mass is always taken into consideration regarding any vacation. My vacation is worked out as long as it doesn’t interfer with my Sunday obligation
 
We always use www.masstimes.org before we leave to get church addresses, schedules, phone numbers and directions. I then double check with the front desk at the hotel to verify my information.

Two vacation stories:
  1. My first trip without my family, my friend and I called a cab in the Bahamas and gave the driver the name & address of the church. He pulled away and said, “NO!” We were frantic. Here we are - two young women in a cab with a man, driving us away from the hotel to God knows where! After a few minutes, he said, “not such and such street, it is on First St!” 😛 Luckily, he DID bring us to the church, but it was in the middle of NOWHERE! We both looked at each other and said, “umm… how do we get a cab back to the hotel??” and he answered, “I wait for you.” And sure enough, when we came out after mass, there he was, waiting for us! God was certainly with us!
  2. We booked a Seven day Disney Cruise, Saturday to Saturday, just assuming there would be mass on board the ship. After looking into the details, we discovered that there was only a “non-denominational prayer service” available and it was an “at sea day”, so we couldn’t even leave the ship to find a church. We spoke to our pastor, and asked what we should do. He said that if it was physically impossible for us to attend mass, then he would grant us dispensation - but asked us to attend mass another day if possible. We went to mass that Friday, the day before we departed. I did contact Disney Cruise Line to complain, not just for the guests, but for the cruise ship crew - since logistically that means that a Catholic crew member could not attend Sunday liturgy mass for their entire stint on the ship.
 
I find it exciting to attend Mass while on Vacation. It is refreshing and can sometimes be an eye opener to see the way our faith is celebrated in different parts of the country and in the world.

You can learn so much from local culture and the role it plays in local faith.

I find it to be a treat to experience all this and more when attending Mass abroad.

God Bless,

Erich
 
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