Military and mass

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Bryanarroyo21

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I’m am a US Marine stationed in fort Leonard Wood for training. Because I am in training it’s hard for me to attend mass because I have to have at leas 2 people to leave with me anywhere I want to go or else I get in trouble. I have tried finding othe marines to come with me to mass but I can’t find any so I cannot go to mass. I am unsure what to do. Should I just wait the three months that I am here and then confess to a priest when I hit the fleet or should I try to leave and not get caught?
 
There are but I’m afraid taking the time to speak to them will take time away from my training and I won’t graduate when I’m supposed to. Besides they are not catholic
 
Definitely you should not leave and expect not to get caught. Are there no other options for attending?
 
Bryanarroyo21 said:
There are but I’m afraid taking the time to speak to them will take time away from my training and I won’t graduate when I’m supposed to. Besides they are not catholic
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It won’t take as much time away from your training as getting kicked out for going awol. And just because they’re not Catholic doesn’t mean they wouldn’t have some suggestions. You’re not the first Catholic to train there.
 
What I can do is watch it on the internet but that’s not enough
 
If you can’t go because of your military service, you can’t go. It would be a VERY BAD idea to disobey your orders to go, and it would be WRONG.

I recommend that you use the Mass Clock Prayer procedure found in “My Military Missal”. You can say the prayer any time you have a break from your duty and just unite yourself to the time zone where Mass is going on in the world. I’ve posted the picture below. You can substitute the daily readings at USCCB.org for the Catechism reading (since you probably don’t have a copy of the Military Missal, but likely have access to the Internet to see the daily reading online).

Just do the Mass Clock Prayer, make a Spiritual Communion, read the reading and say other prayer of your choice like the Our Father and three Hail Marys and a Glory Be.

You can mention this situation in your next confession, but like I said, if you can’t go, you can’t go, it’s not your fault so seems highly unlikely to be a sin as you would go if you were able.

You can also offer up as a sacrifice the fact that you are unable to attend Mass. Maybe offer it for a sacrifice for the souls of the deceased military in your branch.

God bless.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)!
 
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I get it, but here are a couple thoughts
  • You are not intentionally deciding not to attend mass
  • If it is available to watch, you are attempting to keep the Day holy
  • It’s good you are addressing this now; there will be other times this will present itself
Also see good comment from Tis_Bearself.
 
What the heck is wrong with Eurasia and North America on that map? 😂😂

It looks like a kindergartener tried to copy a world map and that was the end product
 
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Whatever you do, brother, do not find yourself standing tall before the man. It’s just not worth it. If you cannot get to Holy Mass because of duty, then it’s not a sin. It’s a sacrifice. Below is a Canon that clarifies the issue.

Semper Fi!

Can. 1248 §2 "If participation in the Eucharistic celebration becomes impossible because of the absence of a sacred minister or for another grave cause, it is strongly recommended that the faithful take part in a liturgy of the word if such a liturgy is celebrated in a parish church or other sacred place according to the prescripts of the diocesan bishop or that they devote themselves to prayer for a suitable time alone, as a family, or, as the occasion permits, in groups of families.

bible.usccb.org

Books of the Bible

Daily Bible Readings, Podcast Audio and Videos and Prayers brought to you by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
bible.usccb.org bible.usccb.org
 
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Spyridon said:
What the heck is wrong with Eurasia and North America on that map? 😂😂

It looks like a kindergartener tried to copy a world map and that was the end product
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It was a military-issued missal. Surely you’ve heard the government contractor motto, “Fast, Cheap, Right - Pick ONLY 2.”
 
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Bryanarroyo21 said:
or should I try to leave and not get caught?
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The only thing going UA is going to accomplish is you ending up with office hours.
Get to mass when you can. If you can’t make mass then pray, read scripture, and things like that. Trust in Christ he understands your situation.
 
When I was working in Svalbard, about 100 kilometers from the nearest city (with no Catholic church) I talked to my parish priest beforehand, and he dispensed me from Sunday obligation while I was there, with the condition that I read the readings and prayed the prayers for each sunday. Maybe you could make a phone call to your old parish and ask your priest to dispense you.

Good luck with your training!
 
Do not sneak out of training. If you can’t make it, you’re dispensed anyway.

Don’t worry: this period of being treated like a child where you have to go everywhere with a buddy won’t last forever. It’s a training thing.
 
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Military and mass Casual Discussion
http://www.wood.army.mil/newweb/garrison/chaplains/documents/worship.pdf
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I’m pretty sure there’s a service available for him on base.
 
No doubt, but the problem is he can’t go. In a lot of training iterations you can’t go anywhere alone. He can’t just walk over to the chapel on Sunday without a minimum number of people with him. If he can’t find others who want to go, he’s kind of out of luck.

OP, I’d suggest talking to a chaplain, even if it’s a non-Catholic one. One of the things military chaplains are tasked with is facilitating access to services, even if it’s a different denomination/religion. The chaplain might be able to make something happen for you.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
No doubt, but the problem is he can’t go. In a lot of training iterations you can’t go anywhere alone. He can’t just walk over to the chapel on Sunday without a minimum number of people with him
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I’m pretty sure he has the right to exercise his religious beliefs. If he cannot go alone on the base, then he should contact their Catholic Chaplain. Someone else said that they had to press the issue with their superior.
 
He does, but your right to attend services is always subject to military needs. If you’re in the field for two weeks, no one is going to truck you back to the base on Sunday to go to church.

I’m not saying don’t raise the issue with the chaplain (again, doesn’t need to be a Catholic chaplain). Just saying this might be something he just needs to tolerate till he gets to his permanent duty station.
 
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