Holy Days of Obligation when traveling

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When you are traveling, whether for work or pleasure, and your travel includes a holy day of obligation, do you follow the timing established by your own diocese or by the diocese you’re visiting? One example would be when a holy day is moved to a weekend in your own diocese but not in the one you’re traveling to, or vice versa?

pOTHER
 
I have never had the issue. I would guess that part of it would be which way I was traveling.

For example, if my diocese celebrated the holy day on, say, Thursday, but I am leaving on a Wednesday, and the other diocese celebrated it on Sunday, but I was returning on Friday, and assuming I knew all of this, I would simply speak to my pastor about missing the day and request permission. And it would be an unusual priest who would not give it.

With the reverse, if I knew I would be back in my diocese to celebrate it on that coming Sunday, then it would be optional as to whether or not I went to Mass on that Thursday, I believe, as I am not a resident of the diocese holding to the weekday, and so am not bound by their determination. Certainly there would be no problem attending on Thursday even though I would be returning for the Sunday celebration.

And if the first scenario occurred but I was not aware of the difference, I have committed no sin. I am not intentionally missing the celebration.
 
POTHER said:
When you are traveling, whether for work or pleasure, and your travel includes a holy day of obligation, do you follow the timing established by your own diocese or by the diocese you’re visiting? One example would be when a holy day is moved to a weekend in your own diocese but not in the one you’re traveling to, or vice versa?

pOTHER
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I believe it turns out in the visitor’s favor. Either the weekday obligation exists in both road and home dioceses or it doesn’t exist at all. So if it’s required in your own diocese, check to see if the visited diocese also requires it. Otherwise you needn’t check, unless you want to.
 
Can. 12 §1. Universal laws bind everywhere all those for whom they were issued.

§2. All who are actually present in a certain territory, however, are exempted from universal laws which are not in force in that territory.

Can. 13 §1. Particular laws are not presumed to be personal but territorial unless it is otherwise evident.

§2. Travelers are not bound:

1/ by the particular laws of their own territory as long as they are absent from it unless either the transgression of those laws causes harm in their own territory or the laws are personal;

2/ by the laws of the territory in which they are present, with the exception of those laws which provide for public order, which determine the formalities of acts, or which regard immovable goods located in the territory.
 
1ke said:
Can. 12 §1. Universal laws bind everywhere all those for whom they were issued.

§2. All who are actually present in a certain territory, however, are exempted from universal laws which are not in force in that territory.

Can. 13 §1. Particular laws are not presumed to be personal but territorial unless it is otherwise evident.

§2. Travelers are not bound:

1/ by the particular laws of their own territory as long as they are absent from it unless either the transgression of those laws causes harm in their own territory or the laws are personal;

2/ by the laws of the territory in which they are present, with the exception of those laws which provide for public order, which determine the formalities of acts, or which regard immovable goods located in the territory.
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This sounds as if when you are traveling, you are not bound by any territorial laws. IOW, you don’t have to observe the Holy Day while traveling. Please clarify this.
 
POTHER said:
When you are traveling, whether for work or pleasure, and your travel includes a holy day of obligation, do you follow the timing established by your own diocese or by the diocese you’re visiting? One example would be when a holy day is moved to a weekend in your own diocese but not in the one you’re traveling to, or vice versa?

pOTHER
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My DH had that issue. He followed the diocese he was staying in and set up his schedule appropriately. It’s been nice to see how respectful his fellow employees have been!
 
1ke said:
Not exactly. You are not bound by territorial law when traveling. You are bound by universal law unless it is not in force in the territory you find yourself in.

Here is an example:

wdtprs.com/blog/2012/05/quaeritur-ascension-thursdaysunday-obligation-when-travelling-complicated/
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It would seem ridiculous to be obliged to attend an Ascension Thursday (if not transferred) mass in the territory you are visiting when you will be home for Ascension celebrated on Sunday in your home parish.
 
rondirect said:
It would seem ridiculous to be obliged to attend an Ascension Thursday (if not transferred) mass in the territory you are visiting when you will be home for Ascension celebrated on Sunday in your home parish.
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Yes.

Exactly.

Everyone agrees.

That is why Fr Z wrote this:

If a traveler named “Sempronius”, from a diocese where Ascension Thursday is celebrated on Sunday, is actually present in a place where Ascension Thursday is (shockingly) on Thursday, Sempronius is under no obligation to attend Mass (canon 13, 2.2).

And that’s why 1ke referred us to Fr Z’s explanation.
 
CB_Catholic said:
This sounds as if when you are traveling, you are not bound by any territorial laws. IOW, you don’t have to observe the Holy Day while traveling. Please clarify this.
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If you are dispensed in your home territory, the dispensation “travels with you.” As if it were an actual piece of paper (indeed, it could be).

You are bound by universal laws when the universal law applies in both the home territory and the place where you visit.*

If you are dispensed by legitimate authority in either your home or your place of travel, you are dispensed (with some rare and obscure exceptions)
  • That applies to most of the law; almost all of it. However, with regard to only the Holy Days of Obligation, they’re probably dispensed more often than not.
 
Thank you everybody! That was very helpful.

The situation that caused me to ask was exactly the example you all are talking about. My home diocese observes the Ascension of Our Lord on Thursday. I didn’t realize that it’s only some dioceses which have moved the celebration to Sunday, so when the diocese where I was visiting said they observe it on Sunday I thought that it must be a universal change. It was when I got back to my home diocese later that week and they did not celebrate Mass for the Ascension on Sunday, as I’d expected they would, that I realized that it wasn’t universal after all.

I know that it was not a sin for me to have missed the holy day, because I didn’t miss it intentionally. But I also believe that, now that I have some knowledge of this weird little quirk with certain holy days in certain dioceses, I’d better figure it out because the next time something similar happens I won’t be able to blame it on ignorance!

Thanks again.
pOTHER
 
POTHER said:
I know that it was not a sin for me to have missed the holy day, because I didn’t miss it intentionally.
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it wasn’t a sin to miss the holy day because there was no holy day in the location where you found yourself.
POTHER said:
But I also believe that, now that I have some knowledge of this weird little quirk with certain holy days in certain dioceses, I’d better figure it out because the next time something similar happens I won’t be able to blame it on ignorance!
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there is nothing to figure out. You had no obligation on Thursday in the diocese you were in-- where Ascension was transferred to Sunday. You had no obligation to keep the holy day celebrated on Thursday in your home diocese when you were absent from it.
 
1ke said:
it wasn’t a sin to miss the holy day because there was no holy day in the location where you found yourself.

there is nothing to figure out. You had no obligation on Thursday in the diocese you were in-- where Ascension was transferred to Sunday. You had no obligation to keep the holy day celebrated on Thursday in your home diocese when you were absent from it.
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My impression of Pother’s post was that (he/she) might plan travel arrangements differently next time - which might or might not be required, but certainly could be considered honorable if not required. And given the few circumstances (i.e. holy days) which could be the subject of differences between dioceses, it may simply never occur again.
 
This happened to me in 2013. I was traveling for work and started the day in a diocese where the Ascension was moved to Sunday. My home diocese still observes Ascension on Thursday. I arrived home late in the evening.

I spoke to my pastor and he gave me permission to not attend Mass that day.
 
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