MERGED: Missing Mass

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ClairUK

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This may seem like a silly question…but I’ve just started going to Mass as I want to become Catholic - my priest told me to get in to the habit of attending Mass every Sunday and then he would begin ‘preparing’ me as there is no RCIA here…
But I have my cousin’s wedding party to go to on 18th June which is a Saturday, and its over 100 miles away, I would never make it back in time on the Sunday to attend Mass…
I know this goes against the obligations of the Church and although I’m not Catholic yet I would not like to miss Mass or be frowned upon for it and seem to not be making the effort…
Any ideas?
 
You are allowed to miss Mass in a circumstance such as this, from what I hear. Would it not be ridiculous if you got yelled at by the Priest for not somehow getting 100 miles back in such a short time? The main objective the Church wants is for Catholics to try their best at getting to Mass each Sunday, whether it is at their home parish or not. If you can’t make it, and your not just trying to justify missing Mass for some other silly reason, you have nothing to worry about. God Bless.
 
There’s no Catholic Church where you’re going or on route home?
That’s what you’re supposed to do–it’s the universal Church, you can go to any Catholic service anywhere to meet the Sunday obligation.
 
st_felicity said:
There’s no Catholic Church where you’re going or on route home?
That’s what you’re supposed to do–it’s the universal Church, you can go to any Catholic service anywhere to meet the Sunday obligation.
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And you can find out where and at what time Mass is available by searching www.masstimes.org
 
Since you aren’t Catholic yet you don’t have the obligation. So, if it doesn’t work out don’t sweat it. It is great that you want to make the effort. What I do , since I am Catholic, :D, is to check if the wedding satisfies the obligation ( this occurs when it is after a certain time on Sunday and also when it is a Catholic Mass not a secular or protestant service) or attend Mass at a church in the area where I am staying or along the route. It’s easy enough to find a church . There is that Masstimes website or just look up the parishes in the diocese.
 
ClairUK said:
This may seem like a silly question…but I’ve just started going to Mass as I want to become Catholic - my priest told me to get in to the habit of attending Mass every Sunday and then he would begin ‘preparing’ me as there is no RCIA here…
But I have my cousin’s wedding party to go to on 18th June which is a Saturday, and its over 100 miles away, I would never make it back in time on the Sunday to attend Mass…
I know this goes against the obligations of the Church and although I’m not Catholic yet I would not like to miss Mass or be frowned upon for it and seem to not be making the effort…
Any ideas?
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You are not Catholic yet, so it would be okay to miss Mass. But, since you would not like to miss Mass even now before you are Catholic, travel is usually no reason why you cannot attend Mass. (Being on a cruise ship with no Catholic Mass aboard is an exception that comes to mind, but usually one can get to Mass when travelling if they make it a priority–and Catholics always should do that–and just plan ahead). Just check out Catholic churches on the Masstimes website ahead of time and plan as you plan all your stops when you travel. Check the website for a particular Catholic church that is in the area of your destination. Google map the route and location, consider travel time required to arrive in time for Mass, and choose a Mass time to go to that fits your schedule. Print all the information out, take it with you to the wedding, and then just make it happen.
 
Hi ClairUK,

The above posters are correct: You are technically speaking under no obligation, but it is still a good idea to get in the habit. You should search for Catholic Church near the wedding and see what their mass schedule is. If there honestly is no church nearby or on the way where you can make mass, then you’ve make a good faith effort. If that is the case, you should still spend an hour in prayer on Sunday. You can read scripture, meditate, etc. But do something prayerful for an hour in worship of God since you can’t make mass.

Also, keep in mind that were you already a Catholic, you would have to ask your priest for a dispensation to miss mass on Sunday.

Bottomline: Do what you can to make your Sunday obligation, failing that, ask your priest for a dispensation (after you are Catholic) and still spend an hour in prayer to make up for missing mass.

Hope that helps!
 
ClairUK said:
Tand its over 100 miles away, I would never make it back in time on the Sunday to attend Mass…?
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you as yet have no Mass obligation, but if you did, there is very likely a Catholic church in that town and you could attend early Sunday before you leave for home. an easy internet search.

welcome home
 
Thankyou for all the replies, and the link:) There is a RC Church in the town (at least there was the last time I looked!) so I will look up the Mass time for it and do my best to make it (it will depend on other family members needing to get home by a certain time - I have a son in the Army who will need to start making his way back to camp quite early).
Thanks again and God Bless.
 
Arghh their Mass is at 11.15…I’ll need to be on the road long before that, and the one at home is at 8.30, and I’d never make that either - I will speak to my priest this Sunday and explain it to him…
 
I don’t know how to get to mass next weekend and I’m wondering if it would be a mortal sin if I don’t go. On Saturday, my cousin is getting married. The wedding is at 2:30, so I know that doesn’t count for Sunday obligation. I won’t be able to make a Saturday vigil mass because of the reception. Then I’m flying to DC on Sunday morning. My flight leaves at 10, which means I’ll have to be at the airport by 8:30 or 9. The only mass I could possibly make would be 7:30 am, but I’m not sure if this will work as I don’t have my license yet and I’m not sure my parents will want to go to mass that early on the day I’m leaving because it would then be very rushed to get me to the airport in time.

Would it be a mortal sin for me to miss mass? I desperately want to go, I just don’t know how to make it happen. Am I just being scrupulous? Thanks.

~lefty22
 
No one here is qualified to tell you whether something would be a mortal sin for you. We can tell you it’s grave matter, but that is all.

Personally, I would skip part of the reception to go to Mass since going the next day isn’t possible. Only you can discern what is right for you. Check with a priest, too.
 
if you cannot get to Mass there is no obligation. Check into the time schedule on Saturday, there may be a local Mass you can get to before the reception, but as you don’t drive, if you can’t get there, don’t worry about. Same with Sunday evening Mass when you get home, if there is a reasonable chance, try, but if you can’t, no obligation.
 
It sounds like there are two masses you might possibly be able to get to, though with considerable hardship.

I would talk to your priest beforehand if at all possible and get an answer from him, rather than making a decision on your own or with cyber-opinions.
 
If you really can’t get to Mass, there’s no sin. As others have said, it’s not for us to say whether or not you are able to get to Mass.

One option you could look into, though, is Mass at the airport. Some airports offer Mass and you could look into whether the one you’re flying from does and maybe adjust the time you leave home to be able to attend Mass there before you fly. Depending on what airport you’re flying into/how long your flight is, I believe DCA has Mass at midday. I’ve never been to DC, but I imagine there would also be numerous churches offering Sunday evening Mass once you arrive.

These are just options for you to consider. If you really can’t get to a Mass then I repeat: there is no sin.
 
There are several later evening Sunday Masses in the DC area. However, as others have already said, if you can’t get to Mass because of a transportation issue (which sounds like the main problem) than you have no obligation. Do check masstimes.org for a Sunday evening Mass in DC though.
 
Do not forget that some parishes also have masses on Sunday evening.
 
This is a situation where I would talk to my pastor and verify that I could have a dispensation from my obligation for that Sunday.

As Mrs. Sally pointed out, going to Mass in DC might be an option. It might interest you to know that there is a 4:30 pm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The church is about a ten-minute walk from the Brookland-CUA Metro station.

If you’re flying into Reagan National, the latest train you could take to make Mass at the Basilica is the 3:38 Yellow line train from the Airport towards Fort Totten. You’d get off at the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro station. From the Gallery Place station, take the Red Line Train to Silver Spring (that is, towards Glenmont), which leaves Gallery Place at 3:59 and will arrive at the Brookland/CUA stop at 4:07. (There is another Red Line train, to Fort Totten, a few minutes later that gets to CUA at 4:14…both go in the direction of Glenmont and so leave from that same platform) If you could get there even earlier, so much the better, because the chapels in the main church and in the crypt are simply amazing.

If you opt to do that, get online and familiarize yourself with the Metro system. The church is at 400 Michigan Avenue, Northe.ast, Washington, D.C. You’d do well to find it on Google Earth, and familiarize yourself with the lay of the land. If you come into the church and it seems to only have tourists upstairs, do not worry. That probably means the Mass is in the Crypt Church in the basement.

According to the Metro Trip Planner online, you can also get to the basilica from Dulles, but that takes a bus ride, and you’d need to catch the bus by 2:36. With luggage to deal with, that may not be practical at all. At any rate, it would be wise to double-check any trips you want to make at the Metro Trip Planner Page: wmata.com/rider_tools/tripplanner/tripplanner_form_solo.cfm.

If you find a Mass that you’d like to attend on MassTimes.org, but don’t know if it is feasible or safe to get there on public transportation, post back and maybe one of the locals can help you.

Even if you can’t get there for Mass, try to visit the Basilica. It is very beautiful.
 
Wow, you guys are great!! Thanks. 🙂

I would try to get to mass once I’m in DC, but I’m going for a week-long seminar and the program staff are meeting me at the airport and transporting me to my hotel. Then there are welcoming speeches, dinner, and activities all evening. If there is any possibility of catching an afternoon mass, I wouldn’t know until I got there. I did check out the mass times for nearby parishes – there are quite a few – but the masses are pretty much all either at 1 or else later in the afternoon. I’m not sure if I could make it in time for a 1 o’clock mass, even if I did have a way to get there.

Also, the wedding on Saturday is about an hour from my house and I’m sure my parents will want to stay to hang out with family in between the wedding and reception. Pretty much the only possibility I see is Sunday at 7:30. I remember before, though, at my other cousin’s wedding, everyone was trying to convince my grandma that it was ok to miss mass on Sunday since we had gone on Saturday during the wedding mass and needed to get on the road home. I’m guessing my parents will have the same reaction if I ask to go at 7:30 on Sunday morning.

I probably won’t be able to talk to my priest this weekend after mass. Would it be appropriate to send him an email about this? Sometimes I get a little self-conscious since, no offense to anyone and I’m not trying to make a generalization, but a lot of 16 year olds aren’t overly concerned about missing mass once in a while.

Thanks so much for all your help! I so appreciate it.

~lefty22
 
lefty22 said:
Wow, you guys are great!! Thanks. 🙂

I would try to get to mass once I’m in DC, but I’m going for a week-long seminar and the program staff are meeting me at the airport and transporting me to my hotel. Then there are welcoming speeches, dinner, and activities all evening. If there is any possibility of catching an afternoon mass, I wouldn’t know until I got there. I did check out the mass times for nearby parishes – there are quite a few – but the masses are pretty much all either at 1 or else later in the afternoon. I’m not sure if I could make it in time for a 1 o’clock mass, even if I did have a way to get there.

Also, the wedding on Saturday is about an hour from my house and I’m sure my parents will want to stay to hang out with family in between the wedding and reception. Pretty much the only possibility I see is Sunday at 7:30. I remember before, though, at my other cousin’s wedding, everyone was trying to convince my grandma that it was ok to miss mass on Sunday since we had gone on Saturday during the wedding mass and needed to get on the road home. I’m guessing my parents will have the same reaction if I ask to go at 7:30 on Sunday morning.

I probably won’t be able to talk to my priest this weekend after mass. Would it be appropriate to send him an email about this? Sometimes I get a little self-conscious since, no offense to anyone and I’m not trying to make a generalization, but a lot of 16 year olds aren’t overly concerned about missing mass once in a while.

Thanks so much for all your help! I so appreciate it.

~lefty22
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It’s OK to e-mail him, but I know a lot of priests who only plow through the e-mail once in a blue moon. It is also OK to have your parents talk to him and get reassurance that it is OK. This is a 30 second question that is easily fielded in the open after Mass–and usually is–not something that takes a confidential office visit.

I don’t know a priest who would not give a dispensation to attend an entire wedding, including the reception, or when airline or rail travel makes attendance impossible. You don’t have to be running a fever or stranded by the side of the road in the mountains. I know more than one pastor who will explain the guidelines he wants his parishioners to follow when he’s asked, and then will tell you to use your own judgement in the future, rather than asking every time. This is a very routine question, though, and very common.
 
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