New job after long period of unemployment, impossible to attend Mass

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Dorothy said:
It would be best of all to discuss this with your pastor.

I may be wrong, but I remember reading about this, and it was said that in a case like this you could get a dispensation from your pastor to attend a weekday Mass instead, under the circumstances.
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Personally, I think this is the safest route. Its possible you could force yourself to attend the Vietnamese, but as you said, after back to back 10 hour work days, this might not be prudent.

One of the CAF staff apologists, Michelle Arnold, states that missing mass due to exhaustion is acceptable. The post can be found here:forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=7906144#post7906144. In another post, she states that missing mass due to unavoidable work commitments is also acceptable (I can’t find the specific post).

Talking to your pastor can alleviate your concerns.
 
runningdude said:
Personally, I think this is the safest route. Its possible you could force yourself to attend the Vietnamese, but as you said, after back to back 10 hour work days, this might not be prudent.

One of the CAF staff apologists, Michelle Arnold, states that missing mass due to exhaustion is acceptable. The post can be found here:forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=7906144#post7906144. In another post, she states that missing mass due to unavoidable work commitments is also acceptable (I can’t find the specific post).

Talking to your pastor can alleviate your concerns.
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No doubt that talking to a pastor is good advice. But why would it not be prudent to attend the Vietnamese mass. i cannot understand this at all. To exhausted, yes that could be a reason not to attend mass, but when the OP stated she would go to a mass in English, Spanish, or Latin; that does not seem to be the issue. I cannot see why the language enters in to this issue. Hearing mass in a language we do not understand may not be ideal, but there are lots of means to follow along, it is the same rite after all.
 
Go to the Vietnamese Mass. I am echoing the thoughts of other posters, but just bring along a translations for the readings. No, you won’t be able to understand the homily, but contrary to popular opinion, the homily is one of the least important parts of the Mass.

There have been many Catholics throughout the years who have not understand the language the Mass was being said in. Up until the mid 1960s, most of the conregation didn’t understand the Latin the Mass was presented in. And think of all the missionaries who went off to foreign lands and didn’t yet understand the language. They attended the Mass in a language they didn’t understand. It doesn’t really matter what language the Liturgy of the Eucharist is being said in, because it is all the same event, no matter what language it is prayed in.

I have gone to Vietnamese Masses before, (never on Sunday) but I have gone to weekday Masses because sometimes that is the only Mass I can make and my day is not complete unless I can go to Mass.

There is really only one true language of the Mass and that is the language of love.

Congratulations on your new job!!
 
tafan said:
No doubt that talking to a pastor is good advice. But why would it not be prudent to attend the Vietnamese mass. i cannot understand this at all. To exhausted, yes that could be a reason not to attend mass, but when the OP stated she would go to a mass in English, Spanish, or Latin; that does not seem to be the issue. I cannot see why the language enters in to this issue. Hearing mass in a language we do not understand may not be ideal, but there are lots of means to follow along, it is the same rite after all.
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I would say it is not the hearing of the mass but the receiving of the Eucharist.
 
Well, I wasn’t able to meet with my confessor as he’s out for a few days, But I will meet with him as soon as he returns!

My reasoning for going to a Latin or Spanish Mass is that I am pretty fluent in Spanish. I’m also comfortable with Latin as I took it for several years in school and attended TLM’s fairly often when I was younger.

The Saturday Vigil Mass is out because I have to work then, too. Haven’t found one that I can get to in time. I work until 6:30 on Saturdays Sundays (split shift 8-1 and 3-6 on Sunday, no Masses anywhere that I can attend, though there was a 2:30 and I would have to leave by 2:40 to get back to work) and I haven’t yet found a 7 pm Vigil Mass anywhere here. Latest is 6 pm. 😦

I’m just not comfortable with the Vietnamese because I would really feel like I’m just “going through the motions”. I feel awkward just silently sitting in the pew (or standing or kneeling) and feel better when I can respond with the rest of the congregation. I went to a Vietnamese Stations of the Cross during Lent and I was so out of place. The people did make me feel welcome there, bless their hearts, but I truly felt like a fish out of water. Sure, I know my Stations, but I still felt… like an outsider. I’d feel just as “lost” at a French Mass. It’s a feeling of familiarity, and the comfort that comes with it. The Mass is a source of comfort to me. Heck, I even attended a Mass in German when I was on vacation a few years ago and it was very cool, but I speak German too. Maybe it’s because language similarities are part of my definition of “community”, and a big part of the enjoyment that I get out of the Mass is that feeling of community… how similar is that word to “communion”?

As for my new job and feeling fatigued-- it’s hard work, and very physical. I love that, but make no bones about it… it’s tiring, especially when we’ve been over 100 degrees for the past 12 straight days and counting. In fact, this is the second hottest summer (June 1-current date) on record, 113 years of records-- second only to 1980, so yeah, it’s exhausting. And we’re not even in our hotttest month yet-- that’s August. 😊

That’s my reason for being uncomfortable with the Vietnamese service, and also why I can’t just go to Saturday Vigil.

In Christ,
~Spoken4
 
Spoken4 said:
I’m just not comfortable with the Vietnamese because I would really feel like I’m just “going through the motions”. I feel awkward just silently sitting in the pew (or standing or kneeling) and feel better when I can respond with the rest of the congregation.
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I understand how you feel. I spent serveral months in another country where I didn’t understand the language.

If you get a missal, you won’t be going through the motions. You can read along in English when the readings are done in Vietnamese. You can say all the responses quietly to yourself in Engish. There is nothing special about saying the responses in the same language as the person next to you. In my case, I got the Magnificat and read the Sunday reflection during the homily. I figured it was better than just sitting there.

While the Vietnamese Mass isn’t ideal, if that’s the only one that works, that’s what you have to work with. As long as you don’t have something keeping you from Mass (like a change in schedule or just being exhausted) your choice may be going to the Mass in Vietnamese or not going to Sunday Mass. As a rule, it’s better to go to a Mass and feel a little awkward (which is a temporarly condition) than to not go to Mass at all.
 
tafan said:
No doubt that talking to a pastor is good advice. But why would it not be prudent to attend the Vietnamese mass. i cannot understand this at all. To exhausted, yes that could be a reason not to attend mass, but when the OP stated she would go to a mass in English, Spanish, or Latin; that does not seem to be the issue. I cannot see why the language enters in to this issue. Hearing mass in a language we do not understand may not be ideal, but there are lots of means to follow along, it is the same rite after all.
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The OP said she was scouring the entire area looking for a Church, and feared exhaustion. The apologist even said unavoidably falling asleep during mass is enough of a just reason to miss mass. Falling asleep in an unfamiliar, foreign-language parish could seem particularly disrespectful!

The mass language really though isn’t the issue (My family once got stuck attending a Spanish mass on vacation once!) One shouldn’t travel when it could be dangerous. We don’t know how far it from her, so it might😉 not be prudent.
As for my new job and feeling fatigued-- it’s hard work, and very physical. I love that, but make no bones about it… it’s tiring, especially when we’ve been over 100 degrees for the past 12 straight days and counting. In fact, this is the second hottest summer (June 1-current date) on record, 113 years of records-- second only to 1980, so yeah, it’s exhausting. And we’re not even in our hotttest month yet-- that’s August.
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That’s my reason for being uncomfortable with the Vietnamese service, and also why I can’t just go to Saturday Vigil.
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Thanks all for the thoughtful discussion. No, the Vietnamese Mass is not at my home parish but I used to attend that parish until God led me to my current church home. It’s not a totally unfamiliar parish, though-- but it has changed a lot since I went there. I went there originally because it was close to where I lived when I first moved to Texas. My current parish is much closer to where I live now. The parish that celebrates the Mass in Vietnamese is not close to either my current job nor my home. But it is available.

I’m going to try to talk with my employer to see if she would allow me to leave the morning shift one hour early on Sunday so that I can attend a 12:30 Mass at a nearby parish, then clock back in for the afternoon one hour early to make up the work time. We get a long break between shifts, so there would be plenty of time to go to Mass and have lunch before going back for the afternoon. I’ll just have to politely explain that my faith is very important to me, just as my job is important, and I want to find a way to make them work together. I’ll let her know that I’ve tried my best to find a Mass that takes place outside of work hours, but to no avail, and that this solution would be the least intrusive to her schedule as far as I can see. I’ve honestly looked at over 10 churches along my travel route or within a reasonable distance and this was what I could find. I’ll pray, too, that she will be understanding and work with me since I’m willing to compromise on my time. I’m not willing to forego my obligation, but I’m willing to work out a time that isn’t too intrusive.

As for Confession, I have many more options… schedule a private time with my regular Confessor on my day off; go to Confession at my home parish only on my occasional “off” Saturday (and Benediction, and Saturday Vigil Mass on those weeks, too); go to Confession at the parish near my job after work on Thursdays (they also have Holy Hour and Benediction then, which is nice); or go to Confession at yet another church on Saturdays. Ugh, I hate being a ‘Gypsy Catholic’, but it’s better than being a strayed Catholic! I’d still be able to go to Adoration at my home parish… they’re the only one that I know of around here that has Perpetual Adoration. I can also attend First Friday Mass and Stations of the Cross at my home parish. Yay! 👍

Pray, please, that my boss will be reasonable and allow me to have that one hour of flexibility so that I can attend Mass at the parish close to work! :signofcross:

In Christ,
~Spoken4
 
Spoken4 said:
Thanks all for the thoughtful discussion. No, the Vietnamese Mass is not at my home parish but I used to attend that parish until God led me to my current church home. It’s not a totally unfamiliar parish, though-- but it has changed a lot since I went there. I went there originally because it was close to where I lived when I first moved to Texas. My current parish is much closer to where I live now. The parish that celebrates the Mass in Vietnamese is not close to either my current job nor my home. But it is available.

I’m going to try to talk with my employer to see if she would allow me to leave the morning shift one hour early on Sunday so that I can attend a 12:30 Mass at a nearby parish, then clock back in for the afternoon one hour early to make up the work time. We get a long break between shifts, so there would be plenty of time to go to Mass and have lunch before going back for the afternoon. I’ll just have to politely explain that my faith is very important to me, just as my job is important, and I want to find a way to make them work together. I’ll let her know that I’ve tried my best to find a Mass that takes place outside of work hours, but to no avail, and that this solution would be the least intrusive to her schedule as far as I can see. I’ve honestly looked at over 10 churches along my travel route or within a reasonable distance and this was what I could find. I’ll pray, too, that she will be understanding and work with me since I’m willing to compromise on my time. I’m not willing to forego my obligation, but I’m willing to work out a time that isn’t too intrusive.

As for Confession, I have many more options… schedule a private time with my regular Confessor on my day off; go to Confession at my home parish only on my occasional “off” Saturday (and Benediction, and Saturday Vigil Mass on those weeks, too); go to Confession at the parish near my job after work on Thursdays (they also have Holy Hour and Benediction then, which is nice); or go to Confession at yet another church on Saturdays. Ugh, I hate being a ‘Gypsy Catholic’, but it’s better than being a strayed Catholic! I’d still be able to go to Adoration at my home parish… they’re the only one that I know of around here that has Perpetual Adoration. I can also attend First Friday Mass and Stations of the Cross at my home parish. Yay! 👍

Pray, please, that my boss will be reasonable and allow me to have that one hour of flexibility so that I can attend Mass at the parish close to work! :signofcross:

In Christ,
~Spoken4
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Let your conversation with your boss be a witness to her/him as to your comittment to your faith. If she/he is not able to help you on this one then it is God’s will and for whatever reason and you probably have your answers.

I would not worry about being a gypsy Catholic - sometimes God takes us places to meet different people so that we can touch their lives or be touched in ways we may or may not understand.
 
Corki said:
I think you posted the wrong link. That was Michelle’s answer to someone with a medical condition that caused drowsiness.
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Nope, question was about the medicine, but the answer only addressed drowsiness itself, specifically:
“I can only advise that if you are sleepy at the time you’re headed out to Mass, then you should not go.”
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The Vietnamese mass might not be a reliable option considering long work hours and travel distances.
 
Praise God, from Whom All Good Things Come! 🙂

I spoke to my boss yesterday. I asked her if my current schedule was going to be a regular thing or if it would change based on the workload for the week… ahem, “so that I could know how to plan my week… just curious.” She replied that it “would probably change with the number of clients we have-- why do you (I) ask?” Then I said, “Well, I’m happy to work any day that I’m needed, but I’d just like to have an opportunity at some point to be able to go to Mass. It doesn’t matter what Mass I go to, or where, just as long as I can go either Saturday evening, or sometime on Sunday.”

Turns out that she was a Catholic before she married her husband and converted to Judaism, so she’s understanding of what Catholics need to do. She said that she was quite taken with how I wanted to balance my spiritual obligations with my work duties.

So, we looked at the schedule for the church near work, and that of my home parish. She knows now what times are available, and she’ll try to schedule me so that I’ll be able to get to some Mass-- either the bilingual English-Spanish Mass at 12:30 Sunday at the church just down the road from the workplace (a nice Jesuit parish), or a vigil or morning Mass at my home parish. At the very least, she’ll let me out in time to go to the Sunday evening English Mass down the road. There are a lot of times to work with and she says that she’ll do what she can.

I paid the Jesuit parish a visit after work the other night just in time to pray the Rosary. It was my first visit there, and they were very nice. I was invited to lead a decade of the Rosary, and to also lead a decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Stayed for Confession and Benediction, which followed the Rosary and met the Associate Pastor. No, I don’t plan to change parishes, but it’s nice to have a place to go as a visitor if I ever need it (and I probably will). However, they DO have an awesome choir… gee, I wonder if they need another soprano? 😛 👍

So, looks like my Catholic family will grow, and it’s all going to work out.

Praise God! :heaven::signofcross:

In Christ,
~Spoken4
 
Great to hear…👍

Praise be to God.

And blessings on your boss and her entire household.

Peace
James
 
Spoken4 said:
Praise God, from Whom All Good Things Come! 🙂

I spoke to my boss yesterday. I asked her if my current schedule was going to be a regular thing or if it would change based on the workload for the week… ahem, “so that I could know how to plan my week… just curious.” She replied that it “would probably change with the number of clients we have-- why do you (I) ask?” Then I said, “Well, I’m happy to work any day that I’m needed, but I’d just like to have an opportunity at some point to be able to go to Mass. It doesn’t matter what Mass I go to, or where, just as long as I can go either Saturday evening, or sometime on Sunday.”

Turns out that she was a Catholic before she married her husband and converted to Judaism, so she’s understanding of what Catholics need to do. She said that she was quite taken with how I wanted to balance my spiritual obligations with my work duties.

So, we looked at the schedule for the church near work, and that of my home parish. She knows now what times are available, and she’ll try to schedule me so that I’ll be able to get to some Mass-- either the bilingual English-Spanish Mass at 12:30 Sunday at the church just down the road from the workplace (a nice Jesuit parish), or a vigil or morning Mass at my home parish. At the very least, she’ll let me out in time to go to the Sunday evening English Mass down the road. There are a lot of times to work with and she says that she’ll do what she can.

I paid the Jesuit parish a visit after work the other night just in time to pray the Rosary. It was my first visit there, and they were very nice. I was invited to lead a decade of the Rosary, and to also lead a decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Stayed for Confession and Benediction, which followed the Rosary and met the Associate Pastor. No, I don’t plan to change parishes, but it’s nice to have a place to go as a visitor if I ever need it (and I probably will). However, they DO have an awesome choir… gee, I wonder if they need another soprano? 😛 👍

So, looks like my Catholic family will grow, and it’s all going to work out.

Praise God! :heaven::signofcross:

In Christ,
~Spoken4
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Very nice - and maybe your actions may be a light of conversion for her. Not suggesting you should try evangelizing openly to your new boss - but sometimes our actions are enough. My only advice is be open in case there is a day she asks to go with you “for nostalgia sake.”
 
Dorothy said:
It would be best of all to discuss this with your pastor.

I may be wrong, but I remember reading about this, and it was said that in a case like this you could get a dispensation from your pastor to attend a weekday Mass instead, under the circumstances.
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That is correct. If you speak to your pastor, Canon law allows him to alter your obligation to a weekday Mass in extreme or unusual circumstances. I would add my suggestion to those who beat me to the punch for your to speak to your pastor and explain the situation to him. I would be quite shocked if he did not understand immediately and do everything he could to help you through this difficult time.

Great to hear that you got a job and hopefully things will turn for your husband soon also.

God bless you!

Jason
 
Spoken4 said:
Praise God, from Whom All Good Things Come! 🙂

I spoke to my boss yesterday. I asked her if my current schedule was going to be a regular thing or if it would change based on the workload for the week… ahem, “so that I could know how to plan my week… just curious.” She replied that it “would probably change with the number of clients we have-- why do you (I) ask?” Then I said, “Well, I’m happy to work any day that I’m needed, but I’d just like to have an opportunity at some point to be able to go to Mass. It doesn’t matter what Mass I go to, or where, just as long as I can go either Saturday evening, or sometime on Sunday.”

Turns out that she was a Catholic before she married her husband and converted to Judaism, so she’s understanding of what Catholics need to do. She said that she was quite taken with how I wanted to balance my spiritual obligations with my work duties.

So, we looked at the schedule for the church near work, and that of my home parish. She knows now what times are available, and she’ll try to schedule me so that I’ll be able to get to some Mass-- either the bilingual English-Spanish Mass at 12:30 Sunday at the church just down the road from the workplace (a nice Jesuit parish), or a vigil or morning Mass at my home parish. At the very least, she’ll let me out in time to go to the Sunday evening English Mass down the road. There are a lot of times to work with and she says that she’ll do what she can.

I paid the Jesuit parish a visit after work the other night just in time to pray the Rosary. It was my first visit there, and they were very nice. I was invited to lead a decade of the Rosary, and to also lead a decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Stayed for Confession and Benediction, which followed the Rosary and met the Associate Pastor. No, I don’t plan to change parishes, but it’s nice to have a place to go as a visitor if I ever need it (and I probably will). However, they DO have an awesome choir… gee, I wonder if they need another soprano? 😛 👍

So, looks like my Catholic family will grow, and it’s all going to work out.

Praise God! :heaven::signofcross:

In Christ,
~Spoken4
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Great to hear that! Good for you. God is indeed good and merciful! Its nice that you found an understanding supervisor to help you. I hope that you enjoy the new parishes that you get to attend.

Peace of Christ,

Jason
 
I agree that the Vietnamese Mass would be a good choice. Another option would be to consider less conventional places to attend mass that might be on a different schedule- for example, is there a Catholic hospital that holds weekend mass in your area? I’ve known many people also who were unable to get out of their homes for various reasons and watched mass on television - they would make other arrangements for the Eucharist. This could be an option for you, as well.

As relates to not being able to understand the homily, I wanted to mention that a couple of Catholic parishes in my area record homilies and they can be downloaded for free. I actually relied on this the first time I went back to mass after many years away - they had an African priest who spoke English, but between his accent and my hearing, I could not understand him. I downloaded the homily from that week that was delivered by a different priest in the parish and listened to it later. It is not quite as good as a comprehensible homily while in attendance, but it met my personal needs. It addressed the same week in the liturgical calendar, so was also relevant to the readings.

If your church does not offer recordings of homilies, one that does is Holy Family Catholic Church in Palatine, Illinois. It may be listed as Inverness, Illinois. You can find them online quite easily. I download their homilies to my Ipod sometimes, and listen to them when I go for walks.
 
I am in the same situation.
Unemployed since April 2009. Just got a new job.
Have to work both weekend days, no option to choose off or a particular shift
on either day, either. Have to be available at all times.
I would love to be able to go to Sunday mass in any language.
 
Update: My boss has given me Saturdays as my regular day off! 👍😃 This is GREAT news, as I can go to the (English) Saturday vigil Mass AND Confession at my home parish!

I have other options, too, if I choose to make Saturday my “rest” day. I can go to the bilingual English-Spanish Mass at the Jesuit parish just down the road from work during my long lunch break on Sunday. Not my home parish, but they’re very nice. Or, I can go to the fully Spanish Mass at 7 pm on Sunday evening at my home parish after work. While my Spanish isn’t perfect, neither is Father’s… he’s from Germany and his first language is German (though his English is perfect). It’s actually kind of fun to hear him say (read) Mass in Spanish, with a German accent! 😛 Someone else gives the homily, though!!

Or, I can attend a 7:30 pm English Mass at a parish in another town. That’s a bit of a drive, but I do have an old and dear friend from my hometown and parish (near Chicago) who had also moved to this area about the time I did… and I didn’t even know it for several years. We’ve been catching up, and going to Mass and then having supper (or vice versa) would be a great way to spend time. We go back over 25 years (good grief, has it been THAT long… are we THAT old??) so it would be worth the drive even once a month, just to spend time with my friend.

God is so great; He granted me a job, and softened my boss’s heart. They all know that I’m Catholic and that my faith is vital to me. Believe me, when my boss made Saturdays my “permanent” day off, I went STRAIGHT to Adoration as soon as I left work that day and gave profound thanks for the many blessings! Why I didn’t see that Spanish Mass before is beyond me; never mind that though as God once again made the blind to see!

In the joy of Christ,

~Spoken4
 
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