Mass obligation while on D.C. Trip

[TheOne33]

In March I’ll be going for a 3 day, 2 night trip to Washington D.C. Since I’ll be there on Sunday as well, I was wondering if I was still obliged to go to mass. Note that is all pre-planned to the minute and I don’t think they’ll let me go to mass by myself. So am I exempt from the obligation on that Sunday, or am I still required?

 

[1ke]

In March I’ll be going for a 3 day, 2 night trip to Washington D.C. Since I’ll be there on Sunday as well, I was wondering if I was still obliged to go to mass. Note that is all pre-planned to the minute and I don’t think they’ll let me go to mass by myself. So am I exempt from the obligation on that Sunday, or am I still required?

In general, yes, your obligation remains.

However you mention several things that are not clear, such as not being allowed to go to mass by yourself. Are you a minor?

You should do your best to go to Mass. If you know it will not be possible due to scheduling and limits placed upon you by those in authority over you such as your parents, teachers, etc, you should speak to your priest ahead of time for a dispensation.

 

[TheOne33]

Yes, I am a minor. And like I said before, everything w do is planned to the minute. I highly doubt that I will be allowed to go.

 

[1ke]

Yes, I am a minor. And like I said before, everything w do is planned to the minute. I highly doubt that I will be allowed to go.

Then you simply need to ask your priest for a dispensation.

 

[iloveangels]

YES. But you are incredibly lucky because you can go to mass in Washington DC which has some awesome churches!!!

You can go to the Basilica near Catholic University of America. Make time to look at this because it’s beautiful. Go into the crypt too. You won’t regret it.

You can go to the Byzantine cathedral which is awesome and has the Divine Liturgy which roman Catholics are allowed to participate in!

There are plenty of wonderful churches in Wash DC. Take your pick!

 

[Ophelia23]

Check with the Chaperones of your trip. I can recall a few different trips that I took in high school where Sunday Mass was not included. But if you indicate that you have a religious obligation, the chances are quite high that at least one of the chaperones on your trip will be able to take you.

 

[Veronica97]

Check with the Chaperones of your trip. I can recall a few different trips that I took in high school where Sunday Mass was not included. But if you indicate that you have a religious obligation, the chances are quite high that at least one of the chaperones on your trip will be able to take you.

This!

 

[Sebrina]

I feel for you, because I would absolutely love to go to D.C. again as a Catholic. I spent nearly a year there in my mid-20’s and didn’t visit a single Church or Cathedral. I wish I could do it again, I’d skip the zoo and head straight for the Cathedral!

 

[iloveangels]

You also are a Catholic. Your school is not allowed by law to prevent you from attending services sometime in the Saturday/Sunday time frame. It’s the same for a job. There are laws that prevent that sort of thing.

I used to work weird hours at a fairly rigorous job, and managed to work my religious requirements around the schedule just fine and didn’t ever need to use the law, but that’s how I know it’s on the books. Between the Saturday night masses, the early Sunday masses and the late Sunday masses, I was able to catch one okay every time.

But the good thing is, in a city the size of Washington DC, with all the high profile churches there, you can catch masses at a lot of different times of the day. It makes it very easy to get to mass on a tight schedule. You just might have to do some planning.

I remember a trip I had to take for business halfway around the world a few years ago. I used the internet to plan my Sunday mass. I walked right off the plane, into a taxicab, dropped my stuff at the hotel, and continued on to church in a city where I’d never been before–just like that. I love the internet.

 

[George_Stegmeir]

Like the others said, talk to one of the chaparones about taking you to Mass. I doubt seriously your trip organizers have anything scheduled for Saturday evening or Sunday morning. If this fails, then have a talk with your parish priest. You can do this the next time you go to confession.
Never forget, your obligation to G*d comes before anything else.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Adults organizing a youth trip have an obligation to make church attendance available. Don’t be a coward about standing up for your faith. There are many Catholic churches in DC, including the largest in the US, the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

 

[Actaeon]

Check with the Chaperones of your trip. I can recall a few different trips that I took in high school where Sunday Mass was not included. But if you indicate that you have a religious obligation, the chances are quite high that at least one of the chaperones on your trip will be able to take you.

+2

Most organizations, particularly if it’s for a school trip, will make accomodation for religious obligations of their members… but you have to ask for it first!

Yes the obligation remains, but if you’re a minor with no means of transportation during your time in DC and the organization you’re travelling with won’t make an accomodation, then you can easily be dispensed from your obligation.

You should discuss this in detail with your priest because he will be able to give you the best guidance of anyone on this matter.

 

[Bookcat]

Then you simply need to ask your priest for a dispensation.

ones Pastor (just to be clear)

 

[buc_fan33]

This happened to me when I was in high school. I was planning on going to Mass, but when the time came, the group I was with (it was a collection of students from all over the world called Global Young Leaders Conference), could not accommodate. I suppose in hindsight, I should have been more insistent, but I wasn’t. I knew my way around Washington pretty well and would have been comfortable going on my own, but they wouldn’t let me, even n the Metro.

Whatever you do, as a minor, DO NOT go anywhere alone. Most of Washington is very nice, but there are neighborhoods where you would not want to be by yourself late at night. Unfortunately, some of these are in close proximity to the National Shrine if memory serves me correctly, like around Michigan Avenue NE. Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

While attending Sunday Mass is a serious obligation, the Church does not ask us to do the impossible or the dangerous.

 

[TheOne33]

You also are a Catholic. Your school is not allowed by law to prevent you from attending services sometime in the Saturday/Sunday time frame. It’s the same for a job. There are laws that prevent that sort of thing.

I used to work weird hours at a fairly rigorous job, and managed to work my religious requirements around the schedule just fine and didn’t ever need to use the law, but that’s how I know it’s on the books. Between the Saturday night masses, the early Sunday masses and the late Sunday masses, I was able to catch one okay every time.

But the good thing is, in a city the size of Washington DC, with all the high profile churches there, you can catch masses at a lot of different times of the day. It makes it very easy to get to mass on a tight schedule. You just might have to do some planning.

I remember a trip I had to take for business halfway around the world a few years ago. I used the internet to plan my Sunday mass. I walked right off the plane, into a taxicab, dropped my stuff at the hotel, and continued on to church in a city where I’d never been before–just like that. I love the internet.

Actually the trip is not school-sponsored. It’s one of the teachers that’s working with a private company to organize it.

To everyone else: we leave the hotel at around 7 AM and we don’t come back until about 9 or 10 PM and most likely we won’t be able to leave our rooms.

 

[1ke]

Actually the trip is not school-sponsored. It’s one of the teachers that’s working with a private company to organize it.

To everyone else: we leave the hotel at around 7 AM and we don’t come back until about 9 or 10 PM and most likely we won’t be able to leave our rooms.

Please talk to your pastor.

No one here can give you what you seek. Your pastor can.

 

[coachdennis]

Please talk to your pastor.

No one here can give you what you seek. Your pastor can.

And no one can tell you what the policies of the trip organizers are and what they will say until you ask them.

I realize you are a minor, and sometimes it is scary to question a teacher. But at some point you have to speak up for yourself. An internet forum cannot give you the answer you seek. Trust me, you are probably not the first student with this issue.