Mass at the beach?

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SalesianSDB said:
I could have sworn I’ve seen a picture of John Paul II as a young priest giving Mass outside using a canoe as an altar. I haven’t been able to find it online, so I’m starting to think I’ve only seen it in a movie about his life.
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I’ve also seen that film.

I still think the plan is ok, if it is just a group of friends one of whom is a priest and not a “public event.”

ICXC NIKA
 
mikelionheart said:
As the other people have said there is nothing wrong with this mass.

Catholicism was illegal in England for over 200 years and masses were held anywhere they could be.
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Really? We’ve discussed this already. Catholicism isn’t illegal, so they should go to a church.
 
LegoGE1947 said:
I am on the mailing list of The Archdiocese for the Military Services and their literature shows soldiers in Afganastan holding Mass outside on the battlefield. www.milarch.org/…/k.3DFD/Home__Archdiocese_for_the_Military.htm

Archdiocese for the Military Services provides the Catholic Church’s pastoral ministries and spiritual services to the United States Armed Forces
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I think some of the examples are not the same. Of course it’s OK on a battlefield, of course it’s OK when the government won’t let Catholics worship in public. She’s asking if it’s licit on a beach when it’s NOT being held there for a special reason (war, oppression, etc). I’m not sure about this and I live in Michigan–land of a million lakes here. I’ve never seen any of our priests doing that. They have church picnics but never Mass. Not sure --maybe it’s the Bishop’s call on that one.

I don’t think if the priest “feels like getting some sun” that Mass is licit but I think THAT’S the question… not all these examples of Mass that are the “special circumstances” she’s talking about. I doubt anyone will tell a soldier he can’t have Mass on a battlefield if that’s the only way he can attend. This is NOT that sort of example at all. This is a church “fun day” and may not meet the criteria.

Lorrie
 
There’s mass at my college every week for the students. Is this wrong? I don’t think so because everyone is able to attend.
 
I am really flabbergasted at how a number of posters don’t see the difference between having a mass in times of persecution or war and having mass at a beach because you can. :confused:

In times of war/persecution, I’m sure people would receive the blood from a plastic cup if need be. Does that mean we should receive the blood that way just to “mix it up”?
 
Redemptionis Sacramentum regarding where Mass may be celebrated:
  1. The Place for the Celebration of Holy Mass
    [108.] “The celebration of the Eucharist is to be carried out in a sacred place, unless in a particular case necessity requires otherwise. In this case the celebration must be in a decent place”.197 The diocesan Bishop shall be the judge for his diocese concerning this necessity, on a case-by-case basis.
The Church in it’s wisdom has given the authority to determine this to the Bishop of the diocese on a case by case basis.

I would think this would not be approved by the local bishop because of the lack of necessity and the difficulty to follow the rubrics which would be required.

I am surprised by how many Catholics believe this is just fine for a priest to do. I highly doubt this priest has run his beach party/Mass by his Bishop. There is no necessity.
 
mikelionheart said:
As the other people have said there is nothing wrong with this mass.

Catholicism was illegal in England for over 200 years and masses were held anywhere they could be.
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But that’s different. In cases of persecution, war, or lack of a church it’s allowed. I don’t think this is allowed. There are people at beaches cranking out obscene music, swearing, scantily dressed people, and who knows what.

This is NOT falling under the criteria for an exception. You could always check and see if the Bishop gave his consent.
 
TrueLight said:
I am really flabbergasted at how a number of posters don’t see the difference between having a mass in times of persecution or war and having mass at a beach because you can. :confused:

In times of war/persecution, I’m sure people would receive the blood from a plastic cup if need be. Does that mean we should receive the blood that way just to “mix it up”?
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I agree. John Paul II was in a persecuted country. Or should the priest set up a canoe and serve it that way? And if he can, maybe we should have a beach mass at the church too. I am stunned for the same reason.
 
newyorkcatholic said:
Can’t believe these answers! Masses said in times of war or persecution obviously cannot said in proper places, so they are exceptions.

But altars and churches are consecration for a reason. Mass on the beach, outside of war or persecution, sounds just awful.

The Church gives us sacred art, consecrated buildings with consecrated altars with relics, and so much more, and we should use it.

For Mass. Person/group prayer, not liturgical, is fine anywhere almost.
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During Blessed Pope John Paul II’s visit to Iowa in 1979, he said Mass from Living History Farms in a Des Moines suburb which is an outdoor museum of working farms.
 
garn9173 said:
During Blessed Pope John Paul II’s visit to Iowa in 1979, he said Mass from Living History Farms in a Des Moines suburb which is an outdoor museum of working farms.
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If you can’t see how a Papal Mass in Iowa (attended by so many thousands of people and he’s the Pope) isn’t a totally different situation from a “Mass on the beach” with a relatively small group … I don’t know what else to say.

You just have to be willing to see the distinctions, which many have pointed out on the thread already.
 
  1. I’m a HE, not a SHE lol
  2. I am also surprised that many people are comparing a battlefield or persecution with a “beach get-together”. There is absolutely no way you can include a “beach day” to the list of exceptions to have mass outside of a church.
  3. After looking at all the answers, and reading the quoted sentences from the Church documents, I’m convinced that it’s just not good to do such things. I will definitely NOT attend, and hope my friends understand why this is not appropriate.
So thank you very much for ALL the responses! 🙂
 
This is wonderful. Actually, throughout history, Mass has been celebrated in so many differenct locations… on the beaches, in basements, caves, on the battlefield…etc etc…

Mass can be celebrated anywhere.
 
apulido4 said:
Hello,

A monthly youth group at my parish is organizing a “get-together” at the beach in a couple of months.
They are planning to have a bonfire, some activities, etc… and I just found out that our Priest will be there as well, and he will celebrate Mass at the beach.

I absolutely don’t feel comfortable with this, but I’m not sure if it is actually wrong, or just my personal opinion.
I tried to get some info here, and all I found is that it might be okay if it’s a “special occasion”, but I still can’t see how this would be considered a “special occasion”.
They invited me, and a couple of my friends are planning to go, but I’m not sure if it’s even allowed in the first place.

Can anyone help?

Thanks!
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Sounds great.

I’ve been on opus dei led hikes with mass on a mountaintop.
 
garn9173 said:
During Blessed Pope John Paul II’s visit to Iowa in 1979, he said Mass from Living History Farms in a Des Moines suburb which is an outdoor museum of working farms.
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Don’t want to hijack this thread but I was there in “79”
I’ve been to a mass poolside once, but no bathing suits just casual clothing as part of my college orientation.
 
triumphguy said:
Lots of Catholics seem to have experienced an outdoor mass.
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Still doesn’t make it right, according to the Church’s norms, not just my opinion.

I guess to me, this seems an awful lot like the “Twinkie and Diet Coke” example of why we can’t just consecrate anything as Christ’s body and blood. Sure, Christ can turn anything into His Body and Blood, if He wants to. But he specified bread and wine. He also could have held the Last Supper next to the Sea of Galilee or in a sheep field, but he held it indoors, effectively establishing the first altar, and the first Church.

If Catholic couples can’t marry on the beach or in the mountains, why should a regular Mass be allowed?

:confused:
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Still doesn’t make it right, according to the Church’s norms, not just my opinion.

I guess to me, this seems an awful lot like the “Twinkie and Diet Coke” example of why we can’t just consecrate anything as Christ’s body and blood. Sure, Christ can turn anything into His Body and Blood, if He wants to. But he specified bread and wine. He also could have held the Last Supper next to the Sea of Galilee or in a sheep field, but he held it indoors, effectively establishing the first altar, and the first Church.

If Catholic couples can’t marry on the beach or in the mountains, why should a regular Mass be allowed?

:confused:
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Well, the Last Supper was not by the Sea of Galilee because that is several days’ walk from Jerusalem 🤷

He did, however, break bread there with them after His Resurrection.

And wasn’t the Cenaculum a rooftop deck in His time? The modern vault was put up in the 1200s.

ICXC NIKA
 
There used to be a rule that every altar was somehow structurally built on the real earth beneath the Church, so that even if a church had a crypt the altar’s foundation had to go through the crypt and be built into the earth.

Also the altar had to have an altar stone in it.

Stone and earth are not antithetical to the celebration of the Eucharist.

And humility a Christian virtue, means of the earth, the humus. In respect of this the early friars said that Francis’ feet were so dirty you could not tell where his feet ended and earth began - this was seen as virtuous, not a complaint about his sanitary habits.

Earth, stone, humility, Eucharist - they all go together.

How about this?

http://www.cnewa.org/blog-images/2011-12/Mt.BeatGalilee01.jpg
On this stone altar overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Msgr. Kozar celebrated Mass.
How do you best begin your first full day in the native land of the Lord? How about a beautiful and tranquil early morning liturgy on a stone altar along the shore of the Sea of Galilee? That is how the four of us — Father Guido; Sami El-Yousef, our regional director for Palestine and Israel; his colleague, Tony Za’rour; and I — began our Saturday. Just a few hundred yards from the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves, we walked past some olive groves and some ancient olive presses and arrived at a quaint little chapel looking out over the sea. What a blessing to celebrate Mass on this holy ground. cnewa.org/blog.aspx?ID=313&pagetypeID=35&sitecode=HQ
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Maybe most Bishops feel that outdoor masses with youth, with kids, with young adults is a pastoral need, and maybe they allow it in their dioceses. And maybe they have done for 2,000 years.
 
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