Going to Mass on Aug. 15th?

[Deacon_Tony560]

Some feasts are moved. Monday is a difficult day as the vigil Mass would have to be Sunday night and there are Sunday evening Masses for the regular Sunday liturgy in a lot of parishes.

May God bless you and please pray for the Catholic Churches in the U.S.A. and we will pray for the Church in Europe.(Both areas badly in need of prayer)

 

[Morning_Glory]

Thank you for posting the information about Assumption Grotto in Detroit. I found thier web address on Mass Times as well. Going through that site, I was surprised how many churches are not celebrating.

I have to work on Sunday night into Monday morning, and with all of the construction in the city, I am happy that it will be an all day activity.

Also like the fact that they post on the site “No T-Shirts and No Shorts” for masses.

A shame the Cathedral is not doing something for the 15th.

www.masstimes.org

 

[Travesty]

I am a deployed US Army Military Police soldier serving overseas in Kosovo currently.

The Bishop of Kosovo is hosting a “Pilgramage” in Letnica. The US-Army is allowing soldiers to attend this “catholic pilgramage” alongside 15,000 civilians.

Its a blessing that my employer not only gives me the day off in deference to a religious holiday, but goes out of its way to provide the deployed soldiers here a chance to attend Mass as well.

You know I’ll be there!

 

[radhika]

It’s a day of obligation here in India, only it is also the countrys Independence day and as I am a government employee I have to attend the flag hoisting ceremony in my office! Luckily I am also the head of my office so I got it postponed, the flag hoisting , till after the mass which is at eight thirty in the morning-after a flag hoisting ceremony at our parish …

 

[grotto]

Way to go Radhika - great job multi-tasking and delegating that authority! smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_201.gif

 

[Kielbasi]

It’s a day of obligation here in India, only it is also the countrys Independence day and as I am a government employee

I would be interested to know if the Indian founding fathers chose this date to declare their independence, knowing that in much of Europe and Latin America the date of the Assumption was already a public holiday.

 

[auroraj42]

unfortunately, I have to spend the day at the hospital for appointments and a procedure. I’d love to be able to attend mass, but it may simply be impossible for me to do so. Instead I will spend any free time I have praying and reading…I hope the Blessed Mother will understand and watch over me tomorrow…

Jamie

 

[Ricardus]

In doing away with the obligation due to a holy day falling on a Monday, the bishops are more or less implying that our American spiritual muscles are so soft and flabby that we can’t deal with the strain - - the strain I say! - - of attending Mass two days in a row, on the rare occasion that a holy day falls on a Monday. Baloney, I say.

What did Catholics in the U.S. do for years and years before this accommodation was made for a holy day falling on a Monday? That’s right. They went to Mass - - heavens - - a second day in a row! Somehow, they managed to survive the ordeal.

If most folks can go to work two days in a row, if they can shop at a mall two days in a row, take the kids to soccer or little league two days in a row, go the health club two days in a row,…well, you get the idea. A 45 minute Mass on a Monday for a holy day is not too much to ask of us.

 

[radhika]

Kielbasi:

I would be interested to know if the Indian founding fathers chose this date to declare their independence, knowing that in much of Europe and Latin America the date of the Assumption was already a public holiday.

No very doubtful- Indians on the whole are very vague about christianity other then depicting churches and priests in their movies.

 

[Kielbasi]

What did Catholics in the U.S. do for years and years before this accommodation was made for a holy day falling on a Monday?

Years ago, it was a far different arrangement than it is today.

Of course for our grandparent and great grandparents in the old country, the holy days were public holidays, almost everyone had off in the various Catholic countries where they lived.

Even here in the US, the immigrants lived and worked in tight knit communities, the local parish was close by and so was the people’s employment in the mine or the mills. Today, we’re sprawled all over the place, with first and second jobs, shopping, parking, fighting traffic.

The situation has changed, the burden is much greater and the bishops have responded.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

Travesty:

I am a deployed US Army Military Police soldier serving overseas in Kosovo currently.

The Bishop of Kosovo is hosting a “Pilgramage” in Letnica. The US-Army is allowing soldiers to attend this “catholic pilgramage” alongside 15,000 civilians.

Its a blessing that my employer not only gives me the day off in deference to a religious holiday, but goes out of its way to provide the deployed soldiers here a chance to attend Mass as well.

You know I’ll be there!

It’s great that you get the opportunity to attend! Thank you for your service to our country and May God bless you and all our service men. My grandson is now in Army boot camp. He might be seeing you in a little while.

Deacon Tony

 

[dumspirospero]

I am very upset that the Bishops don’t want to “burden” Catholics with the obligation to go to Mass any more than necessary…It is very upsetting and such a sad state of affairs. I will be there Monday…

 

[joshua1]

I dont think its an age matter. I am 41 and I am not comfortable with it not being a day of obligation. The previous poster is right, I wonder how many masses tomorrow will be weekday lturgy or assumption liturgy. I aways thought that solemnities were required to be celebrated, whether it was on a weekday or transferred to Sunday. Why cant Catholics make sacrifices anymore. An extra hour at mass everyonce in a while is not going to kill anyone. Whats next, Christmas tansferred to Sunday? Granted, we are living in a more secularized world that is less tolerable of its employees taking off for a religious observance, but making this wonderful solemnity a optional day this year is very disturbing as I see this as another inch down a slippery slope.

Pray for us Holy Mother of God

 

[Strider]

patg:

Regardless of how people view attending mass, what is the purpose of making this or any other day a day of obligation?

What does the attempt to force people to attend mass do except force some of them to commit a grave sin and possibly increase the take in the collection basket? Make it a feast day as a point of honor and remembrance.

I realize that this is probably a topic for a separate thread but I wanted to explain myself.

As charitably as I can, let me explain. There are several days set aside in the Calendar of the Roman Catholic Church (for want of a better name) for special reverence. This requires that Catholics actually go to Mass on those days. That’s because the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Eucharist, is the source and summit of our faith, and there are some events in Church history that should be commemorated by attending Mass.
The USCCB has decided to dumb down (oops! Is that uncharitable?) the Church in America (again. Ascension Thursday moved to Sunday is the first example that comes to mind).
To expect Catholics to be required to attend Mass and receive Our Lord in the Eucharist two days in a row (with exemptions for those who legitimately cannot get to Mass) is just too much for us.
I’ve heard a rumor that the USCCB is considering moving Decembver 25th to the nearest Sunday (just kidding, but I wouldn’t be surprised).
When the bishops do something like this, and allow “worship spaces” to be built to replace church buildings that actually foster reverence and devotion, when they publish pap about “vote your conscience” when it comes to abortion and euthanasia, when they let liturgical abuse go rampant in their dioceses, when they don’t exhort their priests to preach Truth and sin and discipline and suffering in their homilies etc, and then complain about the lack of reverence in the church, we can see that there is a major disconnect between what they do and how they percieve the laity.
We’ve got problems. People rise to expectations. Apparently, many of our bishops don’t expect much of us…and it shows!
End of rant. I feel much better, now.

 

[vegpotter]

I just had to chime in. Our parish is having 3 Masses on the 15th–two in the morning and one in the evening. Our priest gave up his one day off a week to do this!

 

[Kielbasi]

To expect Catholics to be required to attend Mass and receive Our Lord in the Eucharist two days in a row (with exemptions for those who legitimately cannot get to Mass) is just too much for us.

For the record, no Catholic is ever required to recieve Holy Communion at mass on Holy Days of Obligation.

Catholics are required to recieve communion once a year between Ash Wednesday and Trinity Sunday, and also required to receive at the point of death ( viaticum *). *(Provided they are able to in both circumstances, availability of a priest, that they are conscious and able to receive).

The requirements for Holy Days of Obligations are to hear mass, and to abstain from servile work. Period.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

I get to go, our parish is offering 3 Masses to accomodate everyone(6:30, 8:00 and then 7:00 PM)! God bless our pastor, he loves the Blessed Mother!

 

[Ricardus]

Kielbasi:

Years ago, it was a far different arrangement than it is today.

Of course for our grandparent and great grandparents in the old country, the holy days were public holidays, almost everyone had off in the various Catholic countries where they lived.

Even here in the US, the immigrants lived and worked in tight knit communities, the local parish was close by and so was the people’s employment in the mine or the mills. Today, we’re sprawled all over the place, with first and second jobs, shopping, parking, fighting traffic.

The situation has changed, the burden is much greater and the bishops have responded.

I’ll concede your point about life being more local and self-contained within (usually) a walking-distance for our ancestors, but you can’t be serious about it being more difficult for us today to get to Mass, relatively speaking.

Our grandparents and greatparents never had lives as easy or as convenient or as mobile as most of us do today in the U.S. Besides, you’re evading my point, namely, that if most of us can manage to go to first and second jobs, shop, park, fight traffic, and so on, as you would put it, or bring the kids to soccer or little league or go to the health club, as I would put it, these same highly mobile folks can also IMHO find a way to attend a 45 minute holy day Mass on a Monday.

And I can assure you that your Polish immigrant grandparents (and my Polish immigrant grandparents) most surely did not have holy days off in the mills where they worked here in the U.S. (In the old country, yes, but not here.) Yet they still managed to attend holy day Masses on a Monday. They would have been astounded at the thought of the holy day Mass obligation for the Feast of the Assumption being relaxed merely because it fell on a Monday!

Why be so quick to seek the least path of resistance when it comes to spending an additional 45 minutes a week at Mass once in a blue moon?

 

[Katie1723]

JKirkLVNV:

I get to go, our parish is offering 3 Masses to accomodate everyone(6:30, 8:00 and then 7:00 PM)! God bless our pastor, he loves the Blessed Mother!

We have a morning Mass and then a 7 PM Mass. If I can get out of work early I plan to attend the evening Mass.
This is a bit off the subject, but I was so excited to find a neighboring parish offering twice weekly evening Masses. I am a " revert" and attend Mass whenever I can. I was rather disappointed to find the twice weekly Mass cancelled( not sure why) so WHENEVER I can go to Mass I do.
~ Kathy ~

 

[Kielbasi]

And I can assure you that your Polish immigrant grandparents (and my Polish immigrant grandparents) most surely did not have holy days off in the mills where they worked here in the U.S.

I’m not so sure about this assertion.

Of course they never had paid days off in the mills or mines for sick days or personal days, even until the 1980s when I last knew people who worked in the mills.

But they definitely were given days off.

I was at the Western Pa. History Museum, very interesting exhibits if your nearby, and saw an exhibit about the Darr Mine Disaster in Rostraver PA on Dec. 19, 1907. The mine fire killed 239 men, but no Greek Catholics, as they were given the day off for the feast of St. Nicholas, a holy day for those of that church.

I don’t know whether or not this was common practice, and whether Roman Catholics, Jews, or persons of other faiths also got holy days off, but it wasn’t totally unheard of.