Missing mass because I'm abroad

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Mattjolley

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Okay so I’m off to France from a friday through to sunday evening. I doubt I’ll be able to find a church in the region, and also because I’m unsure when I return, I’ll most likely miss mass on sunday. Would I be able to get some sort of dispensation from my priest for this?

matt
 
www.masstimes.org

It has locations and Mass times for Catholic churches in every country. Use it and love it! Getting to go to Catholic churches in other places is a highlight of my travels.
 
nicolep said:
You don’t need a dispensation to miss Mass. Traveling and not being able to find or comfortably get to a Catholic Church frees you from the Sunday obligation.

See the following link from the AAA forum:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=62351
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True, but, if you are visiting the Church’s eldest daughter, surely, France will have a plethora of Catholic churches all over the place. While AAA and others hold that there is a dispensation, I, personally will make every effort to find a Catholic church to fulfill my Sunday obligation. After all, we cannot live without Sunday.
 
benedictgal said:
True, but, if you are visiting the Church’s eldest daughter, surely, France will have a plethora of Catholic churches all over the place. While AAA and others hold that there is a dispensation, I, personally will make every effort to find a Catholic church to fulfill my Sunday obligation. After all, we cannot live without Sunday.
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I agree completely. I do the same while traveling. I do think this forum tends to get scrupulous at times. In no way did I mean that it should be taken lightly and “skip it” if it doesn’t work into your schedule.
 
I will be going on a cruise ship to Alaska soon in July. I need to ask my priest…"What if the ship wasn’t able to get a priest for the cruise? What should I do to take the place of the Mass?
I plan to ask him that question.
Most cruise ships have Christian and Catholic services during the cruise days. But sometimes they don’t.

Has anybody had that problem?
 
LaLucia said:
I will be going on a cruise ship to Alaska soon in July. I need to ask my priest…"What if the ship wasn’t able to get a priest for the cruise? What should I do to take the place of the Mass?
I plan to ask him that question.
Most cruise ships have Christian and Catholic services during the cruise days. But sometimes they don’t.

Has anybody had that problem?
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Haven’t you heard about this one with Catholic Answers?
The first cruise is in June and is to Alaska. The theme is Catholic apologetics. On this 7-day cruise you will learn your Catholic faith and how to explain it to others. The talks will be given by four of the country’s top Catholic apologists. During the cruise you will visit some of the most beautiful country in America.

catholic.com/cruisepromo/promo_script.asp
They will have a Priest with them!!!

,and yes, you need to make every effort to get to Mass no matter where you are, however, if you really can’t, ask your Pastor for a dispensation before you leave. You ought to know in advance how difficult or easy it would be to get to Mass with the above info on Mass times and through checking other sites, etc…
 
allhers said:
Haven’t you heard about this one with Catholic Answers?
The first cruise is in June and is to Alaska. The theme is Catholic apologetics. On this 7-day cruise you will learn your Catholic faith and how to explain it to others. The talks will be given by four of the country’s top Catholic apologists. During the cruise you will visit some of the most beautiful country in America.

catholic.com/cruisepromo/promo_script.asp
They will have a Priest with them!!!

,and yes, you need to make every effort to get to Mass no matter where you are, however, if you really can’t, ask your Pastor for a dispensation before you leave. You ought to know in advance how difficult or easy it would be to get to Mass with the above info on Mass times and through checking other sites, etc…
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It also seems quite expensive compared to other cruises to Alaska…
 
its not as if Iknow france like the back of my hand, i dont even know the region at all, dont speak french and dont know how long ill be there. we go on friday night, so only really have all day saturday to seek out a church, but i will do my best! I think we come back sunday evening too so my timescale is really limited to get acquainted with the region.
 
Mattjolley said:
its not as if Iknow france like the back of my hand, i dont even know the region at all, dont speak french and dont know how long ill be there. we go on friday night, so only really have all day saturday to seek out a church, but i will do my best! I think we come back sunday evening too so my timescale is really limited to get acquainted with the region.
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That is the very reason why I posted the “missing Mass while traveling” post earlier. Yes, we should all do our very best to get there, but sometimes it’s just not possible. I don’t want anyone to beat themselves up over the issue!

Now, having said all of this…it would be quite different if you were staying right next door to a Catholic Church.
 
Mattjolley said:
its not as if Iknow france like the back of my hand, i dont even know the region at all, dont speak french and dont know how long ill be there. we go on friday night, so only really have all day saturday to seek out a church, but i will do my best! I think we come back sunday evening too so my timescale is really limited to get acquainted with the region.
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You have to work pretty hard NOT to find a Catholic Church in France. There is one in nearly every town. And, anyone in any town can tell you where the closest one is located, whether you speak French or not.

Here are the words you will need to say or write down:

church = eglise
mass = messe
catholic church = l’eglise catholique

As has already been said, if you can’t get to mass there is no obligation.
 
Mattjolley said:
its not as if Iknow france like the back of my hand, i dont even know the region at all, dont speak french and dont know how long ill be there. we go on friday night, so only really have all day saturday to seek out a church, but i will do my best! I think we come back sunday evening too so my timescale is really limited to get acquainted with the region.
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“Ou se trouve une eglise Catholique?”

Ooh suh truve oon egg-lease Cah-thol-leak

Where can I find a Catholic Church?

A quelle heure est la messe?

Ah kell ure est lah mess?

At what time is Mass?

Hope that helps. The front desk at any hotel can tell you.

God Bless
 
nicolep said:
You don’t need a dispensation to miss Mass. Traveling and not being able to find or comfortably get to a Catholic Church frees you from the Sunday obligation.

See the following link from the AAA forum:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=62351
Click to expand...
Well, reasonably is a much better limiter than comfortably, but yes, if you come across some sort of impossibility you are dispensed.

That said, even in a small town, with the wonders of the internet/travel books and a little preparation, I can almost assure you you’ll be able to find the church and its Mass times.

What I consider the biggest problem, though, is that you feel you might have to miss Mass just because you’re a broad. We’ve always allowed women to attend Mass, no matter what country they’re in.😃
 
It seems one cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a Catholic Church in France. You should have no problem whatever, especially if you do 5 minutes of internet research.
 
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