Medical work is essential work. This situation is a prime example of why it is not at all correct to say that “one generally should not work on Sunday” without knowing the nature of the work in question. A priest spends all day working on Sunday. It is a particular work. But then there are medical workers, fire fighters, soldiers, among many others whose tours of duty preclude attendance at Mass.
A priest never knows how true this is as when he has a heart attack or other health crisis on Sunday and blesses God that there are health care providers who give up their Sunday to care for the sick.
And, of course, one has to be sensitive if one is in a situation where an accommodation begins to impose an unfair burden on others. It would not be fair if an arrangement that allowed her to have every Sunday off resulted in another Catholic employee never being able to have Sunday off, as an example.
Over the course of my priesthood, I have many times had to reassure doctors, nurses and those in allied health professions that there are other provisions that their parish priest can make for them.
I remember a time, years ago, with a situation where the nurse’s shift was twelve hours Saturday and Sunday, 7 am – 7 pm. She could never attend a Sunday Mass because of our Mass schedules in the diocese, as they were at that particular time. We commuted her Mass obligation and she attended a Mass during the week for the duration of that situation.
