Is there a set distance in miles, travel time you aren't obligated to go to mas

[Ron_Conte]

I know a priest in Haiti who says that most of his parishioners walk to Mass on Sunday. And for some the journey is an hour or two of walking time each way. He said this by way of explaining why Mass and his sermons there are so long: literally 30 to 60 minutes for the sermon alone and up to 2 hours for the Mass. Then they spend time afterward socializing, for hours more. Finally, they walk back home. It’s a whole-day event.

So … 25 miles driving distance…

 

[ready]

I travel 2 hours to get to Mass. When their is grave hardship, such as a major snow storm with very dangerous unplowed roads and when I have no transportation I have to miss Mass, which is a rare occurrence, thanks be to God. My bus will not take me where I need to go when the highway and local roads are packed with snow and need to be plowed. God bless you.

 

[dee_burk]

I know a priest in Haiti who says that most of his parishioners walk to Mass on Sunday. And for some the journey is an hour or two of walking time each way. He said this by way of explaining why Mass and his sermons there are so long: literally 30 to 60 minutes for the sermon alone and up to 2 hours for the Mass. Then they spend time afterward socializing, for hours more. Finally, they walk back home. It’s a whole-day event.

So … 25 miles driving distance…

Now that’s true “communion”. I have heard this same thing from our associate priest who is from Nigeria. I would love to see this in the US. We would be a stronger community and i think there might be less posts on this site about people feeling unwelcomed or upset thinking everyone is rude or hypocritical. In fact when you think about what some Christians in other countries go through to worship and receive the Eucharist, well kinda makes me feel ashamed.
This is what i imagine from Jesus’ times and what i believe He actually wanted for his “church”. Not everyone rushing in, looking at their watches if the homily seems to be going over 10 minutes, purse and keys in hand as they go up for the Eucharist and then rush right out the door and consider their worship done.
My :twocents:

 

[Burt_Macklin]

Well, just be grateful that Jesus didn’t consider Calvary too far of a walk. Jesus died for your sins, Adamski. The very least you can do is attend mass when one is nearby. When my grandfather was a boy he used to have to walk 25 miles barefoot in the snow to get to mass, uphill both ways. And he was grateful for the opportunity. It just seems we miss how important going to mass actually is these days

 

[ready]

Adamski,

I’d go to Mass even in big snowstorms if I could, but my bus gets cancelled. God bless you.

Yours in Mary Immaculate, our Queen,
ready

 

[Burt_Macklin]

Adamski,

I’d go to Mass even in big snowstorms if I could, but my bus gets cancelled. God bless you.

Yours in Mary Immaculate, our Queen,
ready

If buses were canceled there is a good chance that mass was cancelled as well. The priest in my parish usually cancels mass in the event of a bad storm to prevent people from killing themselves trying to get to mass.

 

[ready]

If buses were canceled there is a good chance that mass was cancelled as well. The priest in my parish usually cancels mass in the event of a bad storm to prevent people from killing themselves trying to get to mass.

Yes, Mass has gotten cancelled with very inclement weather. But sometimes my bus gets cancelled without Mass getting canceled–I live 2 hours away from my chapel. God bless you.

 

[ready]

Dear Thistle,

Sorry about the delay in giving you a response to your question, but I did speak with a traditional priest who informed me that the one hour distance issue is not a rule but the accepted teaching of theologians. Thus we can go by it. God bless you.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

Dear Thistle,

Sorry about the delay in giving you a response to your question, but I did speak with a traditional priest who informed me that the one hour distance issue is not a rule but the accepted teaching of theologians. Thus we can go by it. God bless you.

What theologians? Dave down the street? What of theologians who disagree?

 

[ready]

What theologians? Dave down the street? What of theologians who disagree?

The traditional priest I spoke with said that it is the accepted teaching of theologians, meaning: the theologians are in agreement. If there were no agreement on the issue, then my priest would not have said what he said, and I would not be excused by him and my other confessors from missing Mass in times of hardship by him. God bless you.

 

[ready]

The traditional priest I spoke with said that it is the accepted teaching of theologians, meaning: the theologians are in agreement. If there were no agreement on the issue, then my priest would not have said what he said, and I would not be excused by him and my other confessors from missing Mass in times of hardship by him. God bless you.

I mean the accepted theologians of the Church.

 

[thistle]

I mean the accepted theologians of the Church.

Thanks for getting back. However, the only teachings we have to accept are those of the Church and as far I can can tell the Church has no teaching or discipline setting limits on distance or time travel.

 

[ready]

Thanks for getting back. However, the only teachings we have to accept are those of the Church and as far I can can tell the Church has no teaching or discipline setting limits on distance or time travel.

You don’t understand the Universal Ordinary Magisterium, Thistle. If you did, you would accept the accepted teaching of theologians as the Church accepts it. God bless you.

 

[thistle]

You don’t understand the Universal Ordinary Magisterium, Thistle. If you did, you would accept the accepted teaching of theologians as the Church accepts it. God bless you.

There is NO CHURCH TEACHING OR DISCIPLINE that we are required to accept that puts a time or distance limit on when we can miss or not miss Mass on Sundays.

 

[Sirach2]

I live less than one mile from Church. Last week I went to daily Mass, thinking the roads were safe, since I live near a public highway that was cleared and salted. Whoa, even though the main road was good, the long driveway to my Church was a sheet of ice, as was the parking lot, which made it treacherous to even walk into the Church from my car. I was a nervous wreck! If this would happen again on a Sunday or holy day, I would now reconsider whether it is really prudent to go to mass, and may even miss due to the elements of nature.

So distance is not a good measure whatsoever. Remember Our Lords’ words, “The Sabbath was made for “man”… not man for the Sabbath.” (Mk. 2:27) THIS is our rule and guide. Think about it.

 

[ready]

There is NO CHURCH TEACHING OR DISCIPLINE that we are required to accept that puts a time or distance limit on when we can miss or not miss Mass on Sundays.

The CHURCH DOES PERMIT us to miss Mass (without any culpability on our part) if we live more than an hour away and some grave hardship is involved. Do not think that you know more than the traditional priests that I know, who are all responsible teachers and who all have much more learning than you do, thistle. None of them would EVER lead me astray by telling me that the Church permits me to miss Mass when some grave hardship presents itself given I live over an hour away. Be humble and recognize that you do not understand the Universal Ordinary Magisterium, which you obviously do not given your response. The Church PERMITS us to miss Mass if under hardship when far distances are involved; if she did not, then she would have most certainly corrected the accepted teaching of theologians and pronounced that we can NOT go by their teaching–this is how the Church traditionally has worked, this is how the Universal Ordinary Magisterium works, thistle. God bless you

 

[Sirach2]

The CHURCH DOES PERMIT us to miss Mass (without any culpability on our part) if we live more than an hour away and some grave hardship is involved.

There are other things besides distance that could impair one’s ability to attend mass. Last year, gas was $3.95/gal. in my state. If your vehicle only gets 20 mpg, it would cost nearly $10 to go to Mass (both ways considered). If the family budget is constrained to the point that the gas is needed for work, then that could also be a factor. God does not expect the impossible of us, when it becomes a point of hardship or danger, not simply inconvenience or unwillingness to worship at liturgy.

 

[CatholicSheila]

Well, just be grateful that Jesus didn’t consider Calvary too far of a walk. Jesus died for your sins, Adamski. The very least you can do is attend mass when one is nearby. When my grandfather was a boy he used to have to walk 25 miles barefoot in the snow to get to mass, uphill both ways. And he was grateful for the opportunity. It just seems we miss how important going to mass actually is these days

Up hill both ways? He must have been going in a circle. He should have gone the other way around the circle. Then it would have been down hill both ways.

 

[DaisymaeD]

In the county where I live, there is an historic old Quaker meetinghouse and quite a distance away is an historic old farmhouse. Back in the 1700s, the family who lived in the farmhouse would get up at 4am every Sunday to walk down the unpaved trail to go to Meeting. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. In bad weather it could take as much as three hours.

They didn’t even have the Real Presence.

Just a thought.

 

[Sirach2]

In the county where I live, there is an historic old Quaker meetinghouse and quite a distance away is an historic old farmhouse. Back in the 1700s, the family who lived in the farmhouse would get up at 4am every Sunday to walk down the unpaved trail to go to Meeting. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. In bad weather it could take as much as three hours.

They didn’t even have the Real Presence.

Just a thought.

Your analogy was meant (I suppose) to lay a guilt trap on others, if they have not the same excessive zeal - no matter what! - and inferences that we should all do likewise. Is that what you truly believe God wishes? Extraordinary means to attend mass?