Missing Mass

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Loepa

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Hey,

I have a quick question. This weekend I’ll be camping with my Boy Scout Troop and won’t be returning till late in the afternoon Sunday, by this time all the masses at my local parish will have been finished, including the spanish mass. Is this a valid reason to exempt myself from mass? Thanks.
 
There are legitimate reasons to miss Mass on Sunday. One of them is when you are traveling and there is no practical way to get to Mass. Maybe it is just me, but I doubt that most priests would want to be bothered with people calling them up and asking them for permission to miss Mass. Of course, I could be wrong.

If I recall correctly, there was something in Vatican II that gave people permission to make their own moral decisions (according to a well-formed conscience) without having to bother a priest with every little moral dilemma.

If I am wrong, I stand corrected. If there are any priests posting on these forums, it would be interesting to get their (name removed by moderator)ut on this.
 
if you look around perhaps you can find a mass as late as 7 pm. You might have to drive a little but you probably could find one within 15-20 mintes driving time unless you live in an area where there is only one Catholic church in which case there is little you can do.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. Only one parish within an hour’s drive here, so that wasn’t really an option for me since there Masses were also over with. I did try to make it back in time for the last Mass, but I wasn’t able to. Anyways, thanks for the help.
 
A few years ago, a situation like this came up in my life. I asked a priest if I could go during the week and have it “count” for the Sunday obligation, and he stated that it could.
 
Mention the circumstances during confession just to be on the safe side.
 
mommyof4 said:
A few years ago, a situation like this came up in my life. I asked a priest if I could go during the week and have it “count” for the Sunday obligation, and he stated that it could.
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I was thinking of saying this earlier but I wasn’t sure it would be okay by Church standards. I’m glad to get it verified that is is okay. When my husband worked in the restaurant business for 30 years, it was next to impossible for him to attend Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday. (He worked every weekend.) I proposed we make Tuesday (his usual day off) our Sabbath and attend Mass that day as a family. I thought it was a great idea except for one thing: he refused. So, our children and I attended Mass on Sunday without him. He’s since left the Church completely, we were divorced and I received an annulment. My thought, in not straying too far from the OP’s thread topic, is that it’s EXTREMELY important to get to Mass at least once a week as a family, no matter which day it is. After all, the family that prays together, stays together! And, besides it’s a commandment.
 
As far as I know (and I’m still new to many things) attendance to Sunday mass is obligatory. Only extreme bad weather, illness or emergency could excuse non attendance.

Attending mass on a week day is not replacement for attending Sunday mass. Missing Sunday mass or a holy day of obligation is a mortal sin.
 
Jay3gsm said:
Attending mass on a week day is not replacement for attending Sunday mass.
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It IS a replacement if you have the PRIOR approval of your pastor …

CCC 2181: The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.
 
I just ran across this thread albeit an old one while discussing with my oldest son, where he was going to go to mass this weekend while he is traveling.

Mass attendance is mandatory. Missing Mass without an appropriate dispensation is a mortal sin.

He became an eagle scout this summer, and when his boy scout troop was out camping we always researched where and when the masses were near our camp. Although the troop is not sponsored by a catholic church we always made sure the boys had the opportunity to get to mass while we were out.

Our scoutmaster was not catholic, and about the only disagreements I ever had with him was over pulling some of the boys out of camp for mass. This was a topic of conversation at his eagle scout court of honor, at which he presided. 🙂

We discovered that some parishes, including one parish on a university campus near us offer masses Sunday afternoon and evening.
 
A scout is reverent. There’s a reason for that to be in the scout law. Good scouts worship God. Next time, plan the campout in such a way that you are close enough to a Church to get to Mass or end the campout early. Or, make sure there are enough adults that you and your kids can leave the campout before it is over so you can still make it to Mass.
 
I have exactly this problem facing me this weekend but it concerns my 9 year old daughter. She made her Communion last year and has not missed Sunday Mass. As a family we take the obligation at attend Sunday Mass seriously. In fact my daughter also said to me that she did not want to miss attending Mass.

The further we journey into scouting the longer the camping activities are becoming. The upcoming one is starting Friday and finishes Monday so I contacted one of the leaders and asked if there was any plan to bring the kids to Mass or organise a Mass on camp and she told me that they are non-denominational and therefore cannot oblige all the different faith groups with services or Masses. She also said that to take them to Mass would take them away from the wonderful program that is lined up for them. (The thing is that over 95% of kids in that troop are Catholic!!! Along with that when my son (now a scout) was in that troop they always responded positively and brought him with a few others to a nearby Church for Mass.)

I responded with thanks and explained that no matter how good an activity boasts to be, all practising Catholics had an obligation to attend Mass and therefore if if wasn’t possible for my daughter to attend Mass on Sunday, I would travel down to the camp and take my daughter off camp for an hour or two either on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Now it’ an official problem as far as they are concerned as they don’t want me on camp at all or don’t want me to take her off it. She wants to go to Mass on Sunday and we as her parents would like her to attend Mass, if we have to travel to take her ourselves we don’t mind at all and in fact would prefer it as we don’t want to put anyone out.

Help?
 
Sir_Knight said:
It IS a replacement if you have the PRIOR approval of your pastor …

CCC 2181: The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.
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👍

one though would not be “replacing” Mass…but be dispensed that week…by ones pastor…
 
Were did the idea originate that any travel is an excuse for missing mass on Sunday? And why would a scout master plan a scouting trip that ends after all the masses are over if he is catholic? Do not people plan their travels around masses anymore? We always do and it is never a real inconvienence.
 
My husband and son just recently had this situation (a cub scout campout). We researched, ahead of time, the local Catholic churches in the area of the camp. And, instead of attending the ‘non-denom’ service (which, as Catholics is no substitution), they went to church in the nearest location, while my daughter and I went to our own church. Now, the ‘dispensation’, one must remember, has to be a legitimate one (even if coming from our pastor). Afterall, unfortunately, some pastors–I think, sometimes, just to avoid a confrontation or argument, sometimes bend or simply do ‘not’ follow rules (canon law), themselves. It’s not as if that’s not within the realm of possibility. Sundays and holy days are obligatory, according to the basic tenets of the Catholic faith. The ‘dispensations’ must also fall within the Church’s actual rules, and not just a pastor’s personal ‘allowance’.
 
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