Is this normal?

[taylo223]

I attended the mass for the Immaculate Conception yesterday morning (Saturday morning), and they’re were maybe 50 to 75 people there (this was the only mass offered). Today, which is Sunday, I went to the evening mass and the church was packed with a few hundred people. I’m in RCIA so this is the first parish, that I’ve regularly attended. But from my understanding the Immaculate Conception mass was obligatory, right? Why was it acceptable for all these people to miss, and then take communion? I, along with only a couple of other people, didn’t receive communion tonight . Everyone else received. I know that I shouldn’t pay attention to that but I couldn’t help but notice that everyone went forward, although I didn’t see almost any of these people at the mass yesterday.
I know that some people have to work or travel and are unable to make the one mass that the church had but I find it very hard to believe that hundreds of people couldn’t attend for these reasons. Does this commonly happen or is it only at my parish? Should the priest have say something?

 

[homewardbound]

It is possible they went to some other Mass that fit with their schedule at a different parish.

 

[baltobetsy]

The people in your parish may well have attended Mass somewhere else on Friday evening or Saturday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, especially since there was only one Mass available at your parish.

It’s a very good idea to assume the best about others when faced with a questionable situation, the same way you would like them to assume the best about you.

Just to confirm for you, yes, Saturday was a holyday of obligation, so anyone who was aware of that and freely chose to skip Mass committed a mortal sin and should not have received Communion on Sunday. But since we have not actually ascertained that about any of the others, we will charitably assume that they went to Mass in another parish.

Welcome to the Church, and may you have a wonderful experience in RCIA!

Betsy

 

[Ankabaranka_87]

Most likely they didnt know it was an obligatory day. I am surprised also, because where I live, only one parish (and the smallest one…there are 3 RC churches where I live) celebrated yesterday’s Immaculate Conception. This confuses me quite a bit. They say it’s a holy day of obligation, but why arent churches informing the public about this?

 

[taylo223]

The people in your parish may well have attended Mass somewhere else on Friday evening or Saturday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, especially since there was only one Mass available at your parish.

It’s a very good idea to assume the best about others when faced with a questionable situation, the same way you would like them to assume the best about you.

Yes, I understand that it is best to not judge others, but I know for a fact that they was only one other mass offered in our town and it was in fact only one hour earlier than ours. Come on, I attend a College parish, I find it hard to believe that hundreds of other fellow students who couldn’t attend our mass but found time to attend the other mass that was in fact offered only one hour earlier.

Thanks whoever posted last!..that makes much more sense. I think that most likely many of them didn’t know. I hadn’t realized that…Is it a mortal sin if they forgot or didn’t know to attend?

 

[tcraig]

Does this commonly happen or is it only at my parish?

Well, it’s common in every NO parish I’ve ever belonged to.

Common, of course, doesn’t make it right. I try not to speculate about the motives/actions of others, though I’m human and sometimes I do wonder …

 

[LilyM]

Most likely they didnt know it was an obligatory day. I am surprised also, because where I live, only one parish (and the smallest one…there are 3 RC churches where I live) celebrated yesterday’s Immaculate Conception. This confuses me quite a bit. They say it’s a holy day of obligation, but why arent churches informing the public about this?

A few things come to mind. The first is Friday vigil - was there a Mass then? It may have been easier for a lot of people to attend.

Secondly we must remember that many people work on Saturdays - and this especially includes students, many of whom will only have time for necessary paid work on the weekends. Not all have the luxury of going through university without a paid job, or the free time to work during the week.

For me Saturday is a 9-5 day like any other. Depending on what time the Masses were and where and what hours people were working it could be extremely difficult for working types to come to your Mass.

In any event if you can’t make Mass on an HDO due to unavoidable work commitments, there’s no obligation and no sin if you don’t go.

Finally - many may have mistakenly thought (as have a number of CAF posters, after all) that one could attend an evening Mass on Saturday and still have it count for the HDO. Even some dioceses seem to have been confused about whether it could or not. I’ll bet at least some people took that option.

 

[Phemie]

Most likely they didnt know it was an obligatory day. I am surprised also, because where I live, only one parish (and the smallest one…there are 3 RC churches where I live) celebrated yesterday’s Immaculate Conception. This confuses me quite a bit. They say it’s a holy day of obligation, but why arent churches informing the public about this?

Like me, you’re in Canada where the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is not a Holy Day of Obligation. Here we only have 2 such Holy Days: Christmas & January 1, Feast of Mary, Mother of God.

 

[MH84]

A few things come to mind. The first is Friday vigil - was there a Mass then? It may have been easier for a lot of people to attend.

Secondly we must remember that many people work on Saturdays - and this especially includes students, many of whom will only have time for necessary paid work on the weekends. Not all have the luxury of going through university without a paid job, or the free time to work during the week.

For me Saturday is a 9-5 day like any other. Depending on what time the Masses were and where and what hours people were working it could be extremely difficult for working types to come to your Mass.

In any event if you can’t make Mass on an HDO due to unavoidable work commitments, there’s no obligation and no sin if you don’t go.

Finally - many may have mistakenly thought (as have a number of CAF posters, after all) that one could attend an evening Mass on Saturday and still have it count for the HDO. Even some dioceses seem to have been confused about whether it could or not. I’ll bet at least some people took that option.

Lily, in Australia the Immaculate Conception is not a holy day of obligation is it?

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Is it a mortal sin if they forgot or didn’t know to attend?

No, in order for a sin to be mortal you have to have knowledge that what you are doing (or failing to do) is sinful, and freely choose to do it (or not do it) anyway.

That being said, I think that we as Catholic adults (and young adults) have a certain responsibility to keep ourselves informed of the precepts of the Church, dates of holy days of obligation, etc. There is probably some degree of sin in taking an “ignorance is bliss” approach.

 

[THurifer2]

I’m gonna chime in here…Yes it is possible that people went to a different mass and yes that might be true for some…But c’mon it is no secret that the Vaaaaaaaast majority of people who are “catholic” likely didn’t have a clue that saturday was a Holy day of obligation. As a CCD teacher at my parish I have attended the training sessions for catechists with fellow teachers. I am absolutely floored at how some people are clueless about even the most basic Catholic teachings.

 

[Mimi]

Every year we receive, for free, a calendar that has all the HDO marked in red print.

Are these not readily available in most areas of the US?

I was not aware that HDO can be rescinded in other countries. How did that happen? Who makes that decision?

God bless and happy Advent,
Mimi

 

[LilyM]

Lily, in Australia the Immaculate Conception is not a holy day of obligation is it?

It isn’t. Christmas and the Assumption are pretty much the only HDOs here that aren’t relegated to the nearest Sunday.

 

[LilyM]

Every year we receive, for free, a calendar that has all the HDO marked in red print.

Are these not readily available in most areas of the US?

I was not aware that HDO can be rescinded in other countries. How did that happen? Who makes that decision?

God bless and happy Advent,
Mimi

It’s not that other countries ‘rescind’ HDOs at all.

Instead, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of each country, as Canon Law gives them power to do, determines which days are HDOs in their country.

This allows, for example, each country to recognise the feasts of its own patron saints, or feasts like Our Lady of Guadalupe which is of more significance in some parts of the world than others.

 

[Cristiano]

As a CCD teacher at my parish I have attended the training sessions for catechists with fellow teachers. I am absolutely floored at how some people are clueless about even the most basic Catholic teachings.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I do not go for the pseudo-traditionalism of some people. I think that faith formation is more critical than willfully ignorant forms of piety. Yes, I do really like Latin, proper reverence etc… However, we will not get to that without treating the children like intelligent people, and giving them strong catechetical basis.

We are also to charitably confront ignorant teachers, and people that think that some topics are too advanced for our youth. Too often I heard the words; “You do not have to worry about being a catechist, the Holy Spirit will drive you.” This statement can turn into the lamest excuse to avoid studying and preparing for classes and fostering our own ignorance. I am more afraid of an EMHC that does not understand the concept of real presence than of an EMHC that uses the word “wine” when referring to the distribution from the chalice.

I apologize for hijacking the thread but this topic pushes my buttons.

 

[puzzleannie]

is it normal? sadly, probably yes
is it right? no of course not
on the principle that we are required in Christian charity to put the best possible construction upon any circumstance in which we view our fellow Christians, we must therefore assume:
they attended another Mass
they genuinely forgot or did not know this was an obligation
they assumed incorrectly that because other holy days have the obligation removed if they fall on a Saturday that this was one such case
they intended to go to Mass but were prevented by a good reason such as work or illness

 

[Ankabaranka_87]

Like me, you’re in Canada where the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is not a Holy Day of Obligation. Here we only have 2 such Holy Days: Christmas & January 1, Feast of Mary, Mother of God.

hmmm. I am new to this idea of “Holy Days of Obligation”. Can someone please explain to me the whole idea behind these Holy Days? Why isnt it the same for each and every country? Our belief is universal, hence the word “Catholic” in Roman Catholic. So why isnt it the same for every country?

and when I look up the Holy Days of Obligation, I get ambigious results. like this Canadian link here says that in Canada, Feast of Immaculate Conception is obligatory .

forces.gc.ca/hr/religions/engraph/religions28_e.asp

 

[Phemie]

hmmm. I am new to this idea of “Holy Days of Obligation”. Can someone please explain to me the whole idea behind these Holy Days? Why isnt it the same for each and every country? Our belief is universal, hence the word “Catholic” in Roman Catholic. So why isnt it the same for every country?

and when I look up the Holy Days of Obligation, I get ambigious results. like this Canadian link here says that in Canada, Feast of Immaculate Conception is obligatory .

forces.gc.ca/hr/religions/engraph/religions28_e.asp

I don’t know where they came up with that list but they don’t have it right. Here’s what Canon Law says:

ß1: Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church. Also to be observed are the day of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Ascension and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Holy Mary Mother of God and her Immaculate Conception and Assumption, Saint Joseph, the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, and finally, All Saints.

ß2: However, the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See.

In Canada they kept Christmas and Mary, Mother of God (January 1) as Holy Days; they transfered the Epiphany, the Ascension and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ to Sunday and they abolished the rest. This was approved by Rome.

 

[sjegts]

My husband and I discussed the same thing as we left church Saturday morning. We had attended the previous evening as well. I wanted to go to the Vigil Mass for First Friday, even though it was a vigil mass. I can’t go in the a.m. due to work. Therefore, we attended again Saturday a.m. We then attended Saturday evening for Sunday vigil. Our priest stated after mass to those who had not attended the previous masses for HDO, the Saturday night vigil technically could still count as it fell on the actual calendar day of the feast. That however, would mean that he expects to seen them again Sunday morning!

 

[THurifer2]

is it normal? sadly, probably yes
is it right? no of course not
on the principle that we are required in Christian charity to put the best possible construction upon any circumstance in which we view our fellow Christians, we must therefore assume:
they attended another Mass
they genuinely forgot or did not know this was an obligation
they assumed incorrectly that because other holy days have the obligation removed if they fall on a Saturday that this was one such case
they intended to go to Mass but were prevented by a good reason such as work or illness

SOoooo if we KNOW they didn’t attend Mass on the HOLY day are we supposed to not say anything?

Certainly turning our head the other way cannot be a form of Christina charity.

Wouldn’t that be like assuming someone knows a tree is about to fall on them and not saying anything?