Mass while traveling

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Richard320

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A couple of threads on our Sunday Obligation got me to thinking about it. A few people said we get a dispensation if we’re traveling. Well, I suppose if I’m on a flight I would have a good excuse to not go. I love to travel. I always hunt for a place to go to Mass. masstimes.org is a Godsend! On a trip to the Peak District in England, we went to Mass in a small town called Matlock. They announced coffee and breakfast after Mass in the hall, so we went. Why not? People were really friendly; we got to chitchat a little with the locals. It’s just another way to experience the place I’m visiting.

I’ve attended Mass several times in Yosemite (visitor center auditorium), at the Grand Canyon (Catholic church), and at a campfire circle at Pinecrest Lake, CA. They were all very reverent Masses, despite the surroundings. I suspect it’s because the attendance was hugely tourists, and it’s the serious Catholics who will go even when they’re camping.

I’ve been to a couple different churches in Las Vegas. Cedar City, Utah. Salem, MA. Newport, RI. Chicago. Beaconsfield, York, and two other towns in England. I’ve been to Masses all over California, including several at the missions.

What about you? Have you hunted for a parish while on vacation? Do you look forward to Mass in a different place? The thing that always jars me is during the Consecration when the priest says, n_, our Bishop… I’m so accustomed to hearing “Jose,” that it snaps me out of my complacency (or whatever you’d call it).
 
Richard320 said:
A couple of threads on our Sunday Obligation got me to thinking about it. A few people said we get a dispensation if we’re traveling. Well, I suppose if I’m on a flight I would have a good excuse to not go. I love to travel. I always hunt for a place to go to Mass. masstimes.org is a Godsend! On a trip to the Peak District in England, we went to Mass in a small town called Matlock. They announced coffee and breakfast after Mass in the hall, so we went. Why not? People were really friendly; we got to chitchat a little with the locals. It’s just another way to experience the place I’m visiting.

I’ve attended Mass several times in Yosemite (visitor center auditorium), at the Grand Canyon (Catholic church), and at a campfire circle at Pinecrest Lake, CA. They were all very reverent Masses, despite the surroundings. I suspect it’s because the attendance was hugely tourists, and it’s the serious Catholics who will go even when they’re camping.

I’ve been to a couple different churches in Las Vegas. Cedar City, Utah. Salem, MA. Newport, RI. Chicago. Beaconsfield, York, and two other towns in England. I’ve been to Masses all over California, including several at the missions.

What about you? Have you hunted for a parish while on vacation? Do you look forward to Mass in a different place? The thing that always jars me is during the Consecration when the priest says, n_, our Bishop… I’m so accustomed to hearing “Jose,” that it snaps me out of my complacency (or whatever you’d call it).
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We travel a lot also but we use: parishesonline.com/scripts/default.asp#Diocese as a location service. We have been to one location where the nearest church was a one-hour drive, usually there is one within 10 miles.
 
Richard320 said:
A few people said we get a dispensation if we’re traveling.
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not sure whot these people are, but they are not correct. There is no such thing as a blanket dispensation from Mass for traveling.

A pastor can dispense his parishioners in specific cases.

If it is impossible to get to a Mass, then there is no obligation just as when you are sick or otherwise unable to go.
Richard320 said:
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What about you? Have you hunted for a parish while on vacation? Do you look forward to Mass in a different place? The thing that always jars me is during the Consecration when the priest says, n_, our Bishop… I’m so accustomed to hearing “Jose,” that it snaps me out of my complacency (or whatever you’d call it).
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Yes, I have been to Mass in many cities, states, and countries. Very enjoyable.
 
Going to Mass in a new city is always one of the highlights of my vacation experience!

The last time I was in NYC, I attended Masses in 5 different churches over the course of 3 days, each very beautiful & reverent in their own way.😃
 
When my son was playing travel soccer, we always checked the game schedule against Mass at any nearby parishes. It was wonderful! We got to experience our Catholic faith fully by knowing the Mass doesn’t change. We try to go to Mass even on vacation.

We use several sources and always call the parish to make sure there aren’t any schedule changes.
👍
 
Our “best” experience was in Florence Italy. We opted for the English mass at the Duomo which was very nice but the homily was in Italian!..oh well. I understand a bit but not enough., we do our best to find a church if we are traveling on a Sunday and it usually works out. On occasion it has not and we know we tried and all is well.
 
I got a dispensation for traveling a few weeks ago but that was because I hopped on a plane early on a Sat evening and flew for 24 hours (which also included a 10.5 hour change in time). Not much I could do with that…

When on vacation I often look for churches to attend Sunday Mass. I do travel to Bangalore yearly and attend a different Catholic Church each time I’m there. One note I prefer the sing of peace in Bangalore, put your hands together like praying and bow toward the the other person.
 
I’ve looked at some of the websites that list churches in various areas. I personally think they are a waste of time. It’s better to google the city plus the word parish and you are more apt to find something in the area you will be in. You can also contact the diocese of that area as well. For fun I have tried those websites that list the various masses for my city and I got exactly one or two leads which was ridiculous considering there are so many beautiful churches in Montreal and it only lists St Joseph’s Oratory. I can name some beautiful churches that are a lot prettier than the Oratory. Trust me, Montreal used to be called the city for churches for a reason.
 
Careful with masstimes.org, though.

a few weeks ago, we headed off to Mass when out of town.

Or so we thought. Between masstimes & google maps, we came up with two different addresses. we went fir to what appeared to be the newer address, and when we got there, well, there was no such street at the location. so we tried the other, and finally found the former, but closed & empty, mission in a strip mall . . .

On the bright side, we get two or three visitors a month from Garmin gps at our little parish–we’re very close to the Las Vegas airport.

They usually aren’t expecting Byzantine liturgy, though 😃

AMDG

hawk
 
We have traveled a fair bit, and always look for a Catholic church for Mass. It is always a wonderful experience, even if Mass is in a language other than English. It really gives a strong sense of the universality of the Church.
 
Attending Mass around the world is rather interesting and rewarding. Even attending different parishes near you can be an eye opener. While the Mass is very universal, you find variances in practices.

Seems like the Mass in European countries is pretty consistent in style and practice. Other than different language, I couldn’t tell if I was in a church in Paris or Rome. Found the practice to be pretty much the same in Kuala Lumpur (attended English and Chinese Masses there) and China.

Mass practices in the U.S. vary so much. Not talking about the basic elements that have to be there. Some churches sing everything, others chant, others just say the words to…for example the Eucharistic prayer “Holy, Holy, Lord of God of hosts. Heaven…”

Seems like most of the churches outside the U.S. only provide the host, whereas the U.S. offers both. They didn’t have bands and electric guitars either (sorry, pet complaint). Congregational orans during the Our Father is unique to the U.S. too.

With all that being said, I still find comfort and inspiration attending Mass around the world. I may not understand one word being spoken, but I feel inspired and party of a community. In Paris, I distinctly remember one incident where we reached the “peace be with you” part of the Mass. Everyone was shaking hands, smiling, and saying it in French, and I responded in English. At first there were serious looks, then smiles. The broken French and English conversations after Mass were a source of hilarity and fun. I’ve never been to a Mass where I didn’t feel included by the congregation.
 
Anna_Claire said:
Our “best” experience was in Florence Italy. We opted for the English mass at the Duomo which was very nice but the homily was in Italian!..
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I stumbled across, to my surprise, a roman Catholic church in Amsterdam.

Yhe door was open, so I went in. It had never been “modernized” after the council; it still had its altar rail and the pulpit a third or so back.

From the cadence, I concluded those folks were praying the rosary. That led to the conclusion a Mass was likely soon, so I stuck around.

I could understand one line of Dutch perfectly well, withoutht picking up a word of the next (although I new what it must be).

(Dutch is a “low German.”. English is also a low German, with abnormal French grafted on, along with a bit of everything else.)

hawk
 
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