Is one excused from the Mass obligation if contagious?

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Hey everyone. Is one excused from the obligation to attend Mass if one is sick but not so sick that they must stay home but sick enough that they would spread their illness if they were to go to Mass?
 
Disclaimer: What follows is my own guess, and what I would do if faced with that choice and not in a position to ask a priest at the time.

If I was suffering anything worse than the common cold, and had reason to believe I could pass it on to others at Mass, I would refrain from attending at least till I could consult a priest about the moral issue, my doctor about the medical issue, or both.

If that meant refraining for several weeks in succession, then I would be increasingly inclined to go despite the risks, taking whatever precautions I could to minimize the risk to others.
I would of course also try very hard to get to a priest in order to ask this question.
 
If it is a bacterial infection, and a child has been on antibiotics, for 24hr, they are allowed to go back to school.
 
Thanks everyone. The thing is, I have had this cough since Tuesday or Wednesday. I’ve been coughing up phlegm and I’ve also had some nasal congestion. I am feeling a little better but I still don’t know if I should go or not. I want to go but I also don’t want to risk getting other people sick. I just have no clue what to do. I think I’ll call my priest and ask him.
 
Here is what Jimmy Akin (from Catholic Answers) says:

jimmyakin.org/2005/01/attention_cold_.html

Though I would note that if it was just a cold…and I am not coughing really…I myself would prob. go (taking all the precautions…washing hands, sanitizer…not touching things…) …

I am not referring to your particular illness…but in general…

(Though remember some things like RSV (no not the Bible!) present as mild cold for adults but can be very very severe for babies (I recall colds are most often the rino virus not rsv…such is on the smaller percentage), very young children,some older adults etc.–so certainly stay away from any babies around you and perhaps some other like persons…even it just a cold)
 
If you are SICK, stay home. Others could catch it from you, others who have a much harder time fighting off illnesses, and this could get very serious for them.

STAY HOME.
 
If you are at all contagious, I think you should stay home. Someone who already has a compromised immune system (the elderly, infants, those who suffer from auto-immune diseases and such) may get very sick from what, for you, is a simple cold.
And if you have a prolonged cough with phlegm, please go see a doctor! I hope you feel better soon.
 
You all should be glad you go to such crowded churches. My parish is shrinking so fast that anyone who wanted to could sit a very long distance from anyone else.

Holly, if you want to go to Mass and there’s one at your parish that is not crowded, go ahead. Just don’t shake hands or cough all over the pews and hymnals.
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. Is one excused from the obligation to attend Mass if one is sick but not so sick that they must stay home but sick enough that they would spread their illness if they were to go to Mass?
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I think it would depend on the illness. If you had a cold, it would probably be okay to go to Mass, even if you were contagious. On the other hand, if you had chickenpox, it probably wouldn’t be too good of an idea, even if you weren’t feeling very sick. So yes, I think you would be excused in some instances. 🙂
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. Is one excused from the obligation to attend Mass if one is sick but not so sick that they must stay home but sick enough that they would spread their illness if they were to go to Mass?
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Only if simply being physically present in and of itself is contagious.
 
baltobetsy said:
You all should be glad you go to such crowded churches. My parish is shrinking so fast that anyone who wanted to could sit a very long distance from anyone else.

Holly, if you want to go to Mass and there’s one at your parish that is not crowded, go ahead. Just don’t shake hands or cough all over the pews and hymnals.
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Betsy, that’s so sad. 😦 You’re right, I’m very fortunate to be going to a church that is loaded on Sunday mornings and holy days of obligation, and that really would make a difference with the contagious thing. Thank you for reminding me how lucky I am!
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. Is one excused from the obligation to attend Mass if one is sick but not so sick that they must stay home but sick enough that they would spread their illness if they were to go to Mass?
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Definitely! We are to spread the love and peace of Christ, not viruses. Even the common cold may be fatal to some. While Billy the teenager in the pew behind you won’t be slowed down by a cold, for 85-year-old granny 3 pews over it could be fatal.
 
The way some people reach out and shake our hands it it sometimes hard to not spread germs even when we try.
 
If you are not sick enough to go out somewhere else, like shopping, out to eat, the movies or to a friends house, you are not sick enough to skip mass. If I am really sick I sit away from most people. Only a fever or the stomach flu keeps me away from Mass.
 
Holly3278 said:
Hey everyone. Is one excused from the obligation to attend Mass if one is sick but not so sick that they must stay home but sick enough that they would spread their illness if they were to go to Mass?
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I would discuss this issue with a priest. I believe that you can absent yourself from Mass if you feel too ill. I personally wouldn’t miss it if I had a common cold. I wouldn’t skip work for a cold so I shouldn’t skip Mass. My employer wouldn’t be pleased if I rang in sick with a cold.

A cold isn’t a serious illness and it’s not going to cause harm to other people. Influenza (flu) on the other hand can be a serious illness for some people. However, if you really have flu, as opposed to a heavy cold, you will not feel well enough to go to church anyway.

I once asked my family doctor how he distinguishes a cold from flu. He told me he applies a very simple test. If the patient has managed to get to the surgery to see him they haven’t got flu.

Too many people are worried and frightened about “germs” these days. That is one of the reasons why people have poor immune systems. The immune system needs “exercise”; it needs challenging to make it work effectively.
 
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