How to attend mass long haul truck driver

[Mammoths]

I am a long haul truck driver. As required by the nature of the job, I am usually driving all day sundays and not usually near home. I wonder if there is a righteous solution to mass attendance. I should also mention that there are geographical obsticals in that my parking location is generally dictated by federal hour of service regulation as well as heavy truck parking facilities that don’t put me within walking distance of a church. Some truck stops have evangelical chaplains but I rarely even have a schedule that would match their service times. Are there others in similar work that have figured this out? I do not have another skill to go to so quitting this employer would most likely not affect the problem. Is missing mass in this circumstance a sin? Is there a church bus?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

I also am curious how Catholic truckers deal with this. This is something to talk over with your pastor. He can dispense you from your Sunday obligation. Generally speaking, God does not demand the impossible. Some jobs do make Sunday Mass attendance difficult or impossible. Earning a living and supporting our family is a necessity.

 

[MT1926]

I am not a truck driver but have heard similar questions asked in the past.

First I would recommend getting a phone AP called Masstimes.org. I have it on my phone for when I am away from home.

As for the Sunday obligation. The way I have heard it explained is to miss your Sunday obligation is a sin. However, as the other poster said God does not expect the impossible. You need to speak with your Priest who can explain this further. From my understanding, you can get a dispensation to not attend Sunday Mass but are still required to attend mass on your day off. Either way I would still recommend that AP, from what I understand there might be a Mass time around you when we wouldn’t think their would be Mass. If you are near any large Universities during your travels I have heard they will have Mass for the students at the weirdest times on Saturday or late night Saturday and Sunday, because they are aware the students have a hard time waking for Sunday morning mass.

Good Luck and God Bless.

 

[pianistclare]

This is a matter to discuss in person with the Pastor of your home parish.

 

[Garyjohn2]

People who work in hospitals, police officers, etc, also often have to work all day on Sundays. Just do your best when you are able.

 

[St_Francis]

Are you generally in the same place at around the same time each Saturday and Sunday? IOW, do you have a regular route or are your trips always different?

If you are generally at about the same place at the same time, you could maybe find a nearby church. As the previous poster said, a lot of churches asociated with colleges have Mass at odd times, that could help. At regular churches, Mass times are usually about these times: Saturday evening 5:00 or 6, sometimes a 7:30 Mass; Sunday morning: early Mass around 8, another at 9:30 or 10; and sometimes also a noon Mass.

I was surprised when I checked for Mass for a trip I was on at how many were fairly near the highway.

The number of Masses depends on the number of Catholics in the area, and in areas with a lot of Latin Americans, some of the Masses are bilingual or in Spanish (these “count”, btw). The same is true in areas with a lot of people who speak other languages, such as Chinese or ASL. The church will usually have a biblingual missal or one jn each language so you csn follow along, but you might want to get one for yourself for the times when the church doesn’t have missals.

Also, there may be other truck-drivers in your position. If y’all got together, you could take a taxi or an uber car to Mass together, and then it would be less expensive. If it’s just you, you could call the church and ask if someone could give you a ride: you’d have to set this up ahead of time.

If your routes are unpredictable, you can use Masstimes to see if there is a Mass nearby and maybe take an Uber if there is one around there. Otherwise… talk to your own priest and ask what some good practices are instead. There have been many people in this situation over the 20 centuries os the Church’s existence, the obligation is lifted altogether for serious reasons, but for your spiritual life to grow, you will want to receive the Eucharist when you are able (like at a weekday Mass), and to do something special on Sunday insofar as you can, if only to read the Bible or pray more than you usually do.

You will also want to make sure you get to Confession. Many recommend once a month, but when I was able to go once a week, my spiritual life was in so much better shape

I think it’s really great you are considering Catholicism! Welcome to CAF, and I hope we’ll all be able to welcome you to the Church!

 

[pianistclare]

People who work in hospitals, police officers, etc, also often have to work all day on Sundays. Just do your best when you are able.

With the approval and dispensation of their pastor. Not on their own.
He needs to talk to his priest.

 

[MT1926]

With the approval and dispensation of their pastor. Not on their own.
He needs to talk to his priest.

Agreed. :yup:

The OP asked if missing our Sunday obligation was a sin. As stated here it is not our call on this forum to say yes or no, it is his Pastors decision.

 

[ChurchSoldier]

I am not a truck driver but have heard similar questions asked in the past.

First I would recommend getting a phone AP called Masstimes.org. I have it on my phone for when I am away from home.

As for the Sunday obligation. The way I have heard it explained is to miss your Sunday obligation is a sin. However, as the other poster said God does not expect the impossible. You need to speak with your Priest who can explain this further. From my understanding, you can get a dispensation to not attend Sunday Mass but are still required to attend mass on your day off. Either way I would still recommend that AP, from what I understand there might be a Mass time around you when we wouldn’t think their would be Mass. If you are near any large Universities during your travels I have heard they will have Mass for the students at the weirdest times on Saturday or late night Saturday and Sunday, because they are aware the students have a hard time waking for Sunday morning mass.

Good Luck and God Bless.

I was going to suggest masstimes also. Here’s the link.

masstimes.org

I’ve used it while traveling (driving) to make mass.

 

[St_Francis]

I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t need to talk with you priest about the dispensation, do that as well.

Also, here is a link to Magnificat. They have a very nice missal, with the ordinary (every time) parts of the Mass in its own section. It has the readings for the Sunday and daily Masses, as well as additional information about the “theme” of the Mass and about the feastdsy, if it is a feast day, and some additional prayers.

It is pricey, altho half-price for those under 25. But extremely nice. There is also an online editiin which might also be worth looking into.

 

[thistle]

I am a long haul truck driver. As required by the nature of the job, I am usually driving all day sundays and not usually near home. I wonder if there is a righteous solution to mass attendance. I should also mention that there are geographical obsticals in that my parking location is generally dictated by federal hour of service regulation as well as heavy truck parking facilities that don’t put me within walking distance of a church. Some truck stops have evangelical chaplains but I rarely even have a schedule that would match their service times. Are there others in similar work that have figured this out? I do not have another skill to go to so quitting this employer would most likely not affect the problem. Is missing mass in this circumstance a sin? Is there a church bus?

You don’t mention what you are doing on Saturdays. Saturday evening Mass fulfills the Sunday obligation.

 

[Mintaka]

The ultimate resource is the Vatican’s “Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People”, which helps people like sailors on container ships or circus Catholics. It has recently been merged into the new “Dicastery for Integral Human Development,” but some of the documents are still up.

But local priests, masstimes.org, etc. should be sufficient for most needs.

Re: getting a dispensation from your pastor, don’t beat yourself up if it takes a while to get it done. You don’t need one usually; if it is impossible to go to Mass, that is all. But it is a good idea, because you are having this happen so often. Also he may be able to give you some good ideas on how to keep prayer life going, when you are always on the road.

 

[Mammoths]

Thank you all for replying. I picked up the ap you suggested and will be keeping an eye on it. To answer some of your questions, there is no regular schedule or routine in my day. Quite often I just drive till I reach my physical limitation at 10-11 hours and then go to sleep, wake up in 8 hours and repeat. Other times I sit for days with no work. There is no pattern as to which days those will be. So possibly in some cases the ap will point me to a Saturday or daily mass. Full disclosure here, I am not a confirmed catholic although I think I would be considered a Christian based on baptism and attempting to live like one. I am interested Catholicism but it’s a hard choice, which is why I need to attend some masses. But it’s also a fair concern how I would live up to the need to attend mass as a catholic. If I understand it right is a need on our part to fulfill God’s commands. It’s not a need on His part. It is about Him though, because He is worthy!!!

 

[FrDavid96]

I am a long haul truck driver. As required by the nature of the job, I am usually driving all day sundays and not usually near home. I wonder if there is a righteous solution to mass attendance. I should also mention that there are geographical obsticals in that my parking location is generally dictated by federal hour of service regulation as well as heavy truck parking facilities that don’t put me within walking distance of a church. Some truck stops have evangelical chaplains but I rarely even have a schedule that would match their service times. Are there others in similar work that have figured this out? I do not have another skill to go to so quitting this employer would most likely not affect the problem. Is missing mass in this circumstance a sin? Is there a church bus?

There is a lot to discuss here.

You really should talk to your local Catholic pastor.

On your profile you list “under construction” as your religion–so that tells me you might not have been baptized or formally received into the Church yet. That makes a difference because the obligation to attend Sunday Mass only applies after becoming a formal member of the Church.

Nothing can outright substitute for Sunday Mass, so there is no thing like a “private celebration to substitute for Mass for those unable to attend”; nor does attending a non-Catholic service substitute for Mass. However, the Catholic pastor of either the place where you actually live or the pastor of the place where you are located at the moment can either dispense you from the obligation or can substitute something else on occasion and on an individual basis. Not every/any priest can do this, only the pastor of the place where you actually live (and the bishop is the pastor of his diocese). Given your situation, contacting the pastors where you are located on Sundays won’t be of much help–unless you have a dedicated route, but if you did, you wouldn’t be asking the question. That’s why the Catholic pastor of the place where you live would be the one to help you.

To other posters here: directing the OP to resources to locate local Masses won’t help. Such resources won’t have information on parking or on local roads. And long-haul truck drivers can’t always make “side trips.”

Again, speak to the local Catholic pastor. He can help you to discern whether you have an obligation, whether your situation is “impossible,” and whether you might be a candidate for a dispensation (which can be a simple, verbal one given by the pastor).

 

[FrDavid96]

Thank you all for replying. I picked up the ap you suggested and will be keeping an eye on it. To answer some of your questions, there is no regular schedule or routine in my day. Quite often I just drive till I reach my physical limitation at 10-11 hours and then go to sleep, wake up in 8 hours and repeat. Other times I sit for days with no work. There is no pattern as to which days those will be. So possibly in some cases the ap will point me to a Saturday or daily mass. Full disclosure here, I am not a confirmed catholic although I think I would be considered a Christian based on baptism and attempting to live like one. I am interested Catholicism but it’s a hard choice, which is why I need to attend some masses. But it’s also a fair concern how I would live up to the need to attend mass as a catholic. If I understand it right is a need on our part to fulfill God’s commands. It’s not a need on His part. It is about Him though, because He is worthy!!!

I was typing my reply to your OP while you posted the above.

The answer’s the same: talk to the local Catholic pastor. He can help you.

 

[MT1926]

Thank you all for replying. I picked up the ap you suggested and will be keeping an eye on it. To answer some of your questions, there is no regular schedule or routine in my day. Quite often I just drive till I reach my physical limitation at 10-11 hours and then go to sleep, wake up in 8 hours and repeat. Other times I sit for days with no work. There is no pattern as to which days those will be. So possibly in some cases the ap will point me to a Saturday or daily mass. Full disclosure here, I am not a confirmed catholic although I think I would be considered a Christian based on baptism and attempting to live like one. I am interested Catholicism but it’s a hard choice, which is why I need to attend some masses. But it’s also a fair concern how I would live up to the need to attend mass as a catholic. If I understand it right is a need on our part to fulfill God’s commands. It’s not a need on His part. It is about Him though, because He is worthy!!!

Jesus gave us the Sacraments, through the Church, to receive more grace so we can come closer to Him. However, we are bound by God’s sacraments, He is not.

Luke 12:48
Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.

We need to do the best we can do with what has been given to us. We need to do our best to understand what He is asking of us and give it all we got to live up to His Will. He knows what is in our hearts and will judge us justly.

Since you spend so much time in the truck I would also recommend downloading the Catholic Answers Live AP. They have a live call in show 2 hours every week day. It is quite popular with truck drivers. They are always calling into the show to ask questions.

 

[Kielbasi]

I am a long haul truck driver. As required by the nature of the job, I am usually driving all day sundays and not usually near home.

If you’re on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Sundays, you don’t even have to get off the road. Between Somerset and Bedford, you can park on the shoulder and climb the steps up to a Catholic church and people have been doing it since I was a kid.

 

[MT1926]

If you’re on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Sundays, you don’t even have to get off the road. Between Somerset and Bedford, you can park on the shoulder and climb the steps up to a Catholic church and people have been doing it since I was a kid.

I haven’t been on the PA turnpike in years but I remember those steps.

 

[JanetF]

Talk to your priest, definitely. Another suggestion I have for you that doesn’t quite take care of the issue of actually attending, but you might like: If you have satelite radio, EWTN is 130 I think. Daily mass is said in the early morning.

 

[Mammoths]

I suppose there are two parts. I understand that as a catholic I would be under the authority of the magisterium as in, “whatever you bind…” that means that I need to talk with the pastor at the parish in my home town. Potentially Catholics in some situations can be given a special dispensation Frankly, I would love to meet the local priest. The only reason I haven’t called the local parish is that I don’t want to be burdensome and I can be labor intensive in exploring religion. Part of my question is also not just the technical or legal obligation but also if there are truck drivers like me or perhaps other itinerant workers, what is your experience in keeping the sacraments on the road, rail, or sea? As I hear on EWTN, “be a Saint; what else is there!” I listen to catholic radio on local channels when I can catch it. The purpose of starting this thread is not to find an excuse to avoid mass. By ‘under construction’ I certainly do not mean that I have no conviction at all. I have a bible only faith only background that has some insufficiency in explanatory power. FOR SURE Jesus is the best and the most important and He laid His life down to present the church to Himself. He proved her value with His blood. Where I am having a hard time is being sure about whether the RC is where all Christians belong–me included. The fact this is a question for me is a change. There was a day I would be on pins and needles to convert the backslid catholic to evangelicalism. Roman doctrine is not always easy to master and, given the stakes, I want to be sure. So having a religion under construction is in no way meant as doubting Christ or His apostles or scripture. I am not sure I know how they are meant to apply to me with regard to recognizing the flock. It’s not meant that I am inclined to ‘cafeteria’ Christianity. I want to know the truth, all of it, and be sure. I’ve heard lots of arguments and I would guess that if I were asked to make an academic debate with the average evangelical pastor, I would make a worthy opponent to the post-catholic debator at the least. But somehow I still feel doubtful. So I want to do more than figure out the logic. I want to see if my Lord is with ‘us’ and if He bids me come over the water into the parish. Winding back to the thread topic, I meet very few catholic truck drivers and not even a lot of christians of any kind. I did once meet a devout catholic at a truck stop and we had nearly two hours of heavenly conversation. But shortly after I realized he was a Roman Catholic our time ran out and I didn’t get a chance to hear how he keeps the sacraments on the road. But he did say he has never missed.