How to fulfill a holy day if its not a holy day where you are?

[singer878]

Is it sinful to miss the obligation of being at Mass for the Ascension?

I have a unique issue because I live on the border of two states, one that has Ascension on Thursday and the other that celebrates it on Sunday. If one were to go to Mass, for example in Maryland on Thursday, it would just be the 6th Thursday of Easter, not the Ascension. Then let’s say that same person decides to go to Mass in Pennsylvania on the following Sunday and there it is not the Ascension either since in PA(part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia) it had already been celebrated that previous Thursday. Basically this person would be skipping the Ascension.

Since Canon Law says that the Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation, would this person be committing a mortal sin by not attending Mass for the Ascension?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

Whether or not it is a holy day of obligation for you depends on the diocese in which you reside.

If it is a holy day of obligation in the diocese where you live then you are obligated to attend Mass. Even if the only Mass you can attend is across state lines in a diocese that does not celebrate the holy day, you are still obligated to attend the Mass that you are able to attend. The obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days can be fulfilled by attending any Mass, it does not need to be a Mass of the day. So, for example, if you attended a funeral Mass on the holy day of the Ascension then you fulfilled your Mass obligation and are not obligated to attend another Mass for the Ascension.