What do I do if I’m traveling to a place that doesn’t offer Sunday Mass in my language?
One of my favorite parts of summer is the chance to get away for a bit and maybe explore a new place. Sometimes that might not be far from home, but other times it could mean traveling to a different country. As part of our planning, we should be thinking: “Where can we attend Mass while we’re away?”
We can find multiple references in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1389, 2042, and 2180 just to name a few), as well as in Canon Law (1246, 1247) that state our obligation to participate in the Mass on Holy Days of Obligation, with Sunday being considered the most foundational Holy Day of Obligation.”
God desires to draw each and every one of us, His children, into deep relationship with Him. Do we believe that in our heart? I think we can intellectually assent to that and say “yeah, OK, I’ve heard that before,” but there can still be a block between believing that in our mind and believing that in our heart. If we think about any other relationship that we have in our life (family, friends, etc.) we acknowledge that deep relationships take commitments of time and effort in order to flourish. Why do we often kid ourselves into thinking differently about our relationship with God?
To be honest, I admit that for much of my young adult life I didn’t understand the “relationship” aspect and focused more on the “obligation” in regard to attending Sunday Mass. It can be easy for us to make excuses when we see attending Mass purely out of obligation rather than out of love and desiring to grow closer to the Lord. When we travel out of town, do we view the task of finding a place to attend Mass as a chore out of obligation, or as a pursuit of finding a place to rest in the loving presence of God?
And if it happens that you are traveling somewhere that doesn’t offer Mass in your spoken language, do you still go? If we view attending Sunday Mass more as an “obligation” than out of love, then we can twist this into an excuse to use for not going to Mass. It’s not a valid reason to excuse yourself from the Sunday obligation just because Mass is only offered in another language.
If you are planning on traveling away from home, I suggest you do a little research, plan ahead, and look for a parish to attend Mass while you’re away. It can be a really neat experience to attend Mass in a different culture or language. Yes, it can maybe feel a little uncomfortable at first, but the important thing to remember is that the Lord is there present in the Eucharist and desires to draw us closer to His heart.
The website www.masstimes.org can be a great resource in helping you find a Catholic Mass close to where you are traveling. If you have additional questions about getting to Mass regarding your particular travel situation, I encourage you to ask your parish priest for guidance.
Father Dan Kavanagh is director of the Catholic Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
