Mass during honeymoon?

audreyjem · April 2011

Haven't booked the honeymoon, so not sure this will even apply, but for anyone who will be honeymooning with a Sunday included, or has, were you able to go to Mass?

FI and I are going to Maine this weekend to see my parents, and there are no Catholic churches within an hour drive, and it made me wonder about honeymoon locations (and even cruises) have churches!?

newlyseliski · April 2011

Always a good thing to research ahead of time,probably

My sister and her husband went to Jamaica for their honeymoon and although their honeymoon didn't go over a Sunday, they wanted to go at least once that week! They took a $30 escorted taxi drive to a local church in the resort town and definitely appreciated the opportunity despite it being a bit of an extra expense and out of the way. I can't say that I know if cruises have Masses available... It probably varies!

Calypso1977 · April 2011

we were bad and didnt go the sunday of our wedding weekend.
we did go that wednesday, tho, which was ash wednesday.

ellen73 · April 2011

We went to Hawaii, and went twice (we were there two Sundays). Both times were awesome. The church we went to on Maui was quite a drive, but well worth it. It was this tiny little church and it was beautiful (DH researched it). The other church was near where we stayed on Oahu. Both churches asked if there were any visitors, and for us to introduce ourselves, before mass started. We got to experience the "newlywed" thing even at church!

I grew up always going to Mass on vacation, even if it was out of the way.

greeneke2 · April 2011

A lot of the All Inclusive Resorts in Mexico offer Mass I want to say at least twice during the week. All the ones I had been to at least. Jamaica did not though, not on the resort.

Once you plan where you will be going on your honeymoon it will be easier. Some resorts will have Mass on site, which will make it super easy to go. Other places you may have to make plans to go off site to go to Mass

catarntina · April 2011

Hi!

I went on my honeymoon cruise to the southern caribbean, during Ash Wednesday of all weeks (I honestly did not look when we booked the cruise in September!).

All of the Islands we went to had Catholic churches because Catholicsm was 80% of the population on these caribbean islands. I was able to go to Mass on Sunday in St. Thomas before heading to the beach, and then I was able to get Ashes in St. Lucia. It was a great experience, because we were able to go to Mass with the local school children, and it was interesting to see how it differed from Mass in the US.

So I'm not sure where you're going on your HM, but it worked out for us. Catholicsm is very popular in the Caribbean at least.

HTH!

[Deleted User] · April 2011

We were bad and didn't go to church on our HM. I am sure there were Catholic churches in the area (we went to Jamaica) had we of researched it, but we only had 5 days as it was and I wanted to get my money's worth.

mica178 · April 2011

We were on a very small boat during the Sundays of our honeymoon -- no priest or chaplain on board, no church in the village. We did visit on Catholic church during that week, so we both went in and prayed a bit, but it was not mass time.

If it's possible to find a church when you are honeymooning, I think you should try to go (I have had some wonderful experiences visiting local churches on my travels), but if it's not possible, it's not possible.

DFWIndian · April 2011

We are going to St. Lucia and there will be a Sunday in there so we are going to mass. I've already started looking for a church and times. FI said we should wait until we get there to set up transporation but at least we know where we are going and when.

Hope61 · April 2011

We leave on a Sunday, and planned our flight around being able to make it to Mass, actually. We're going to a church near the airport before leaving. We fly back the next Sunday, but in the early afternoon so I'm sure we'll be able to find plenty of Masses to go to (in Denver) before the flight back

mcdol3 · April 2011

There is a gorgeous Cathedral on Antigua that I'm dying to go to. We arrive Saturday so Sunday I want to get there for Mass.

catarntina · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_mass-during-honeymoon?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:27a10727-b755-4b58-bdcf-e6a38edd76a2Post:b2ea03ff-e1b2-4154-99ca-07bd1148418f">Re: Mass during honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]We leave on a Sunday, and planned our flight around being able to make it to Mass, actually. We're going to a church near the airport before leaving. We fly back the next Sunday, but in the early afternoon so I'm sure we'll be able to find plenty of Masses to go to (in Denver) before the flight back :)
Posted by KatieAnne18[/QUOTE]

KatieAnne, go to Cathedral Basillica of the Immaculate Conception if you can. It's in Denver and just absolutely gorgeous! :D

<a href="http://www.denvercathedral.org/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.denvercathedral.org/</a>

lmeade62 · April 2011

We're not going to be able to take a long honeymoon due to having our family brunch the day after the wedding, and FI having visitation with his son again two days later. We probably will go to our cabin in the woods the following weekend, but the church is fairly close by, so that's not a problem.

However, I missed Mass a couple of times while I was camping out on a trail building outing, and we just couldn't make it work. The church in that area only does Masses during floating season, and has them early. This didn't allow enough time for us to pack up and get out before Mass, and was over an hour away. We couldn't go and come back because we would have to be out of the campground before we got back. So we didn't go, which is highly unusual for us, but spent some time in discussion and reflection. I went to confession the next Saturday and told the priest, and he said if it was over 45 minutes away and wasn't a regular thing, it wasn't a sin. I do my best to go when I'm camping, but it's tough - there have been times when we have cancelled a camping trip, or gone just to build trail for the day, because we don't want to miss Mass.

Linda

monkeysip · April 2011

I haven't booked a honeymoon yet, but I came upon this problem when I went on a cruise last year. We were going to be on the boat on Saturday evening and all of Sunday, and Carnival doesn't provide any religious services except on Easter and Christmas. Even then, its probably a generic service that doesn't fulfill the Catholic obligation for mass or divine liturgy.

You should always try to plan vacations in a way that allows for mass on Sundays, not just because its an obligation but also because its so beneficial (I LOVE visiting exotic churches). But there is a dispensation from mass for travelers who LEGITIMATELY cannot attend mass during their travels. I'm pretty sure the dispensation is automatic (meaning no formal process), but you're always welcome to ask your priest if you need more reassurance for your conscience.

aclove2lope · April 2011

We are going to Kiawah Island, South Carolina...and I haven't looked into churches yet but we will be leaving Sunday so we need to find somewhere to go. I really don't want to miss Mass the first week we are married.

HandBanana · April 2011

We probably will not make it to mass the Sunday after our wedding.

I plan on us going the The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans during the week.

It is a beautiful church but I always feel slightly uncomfortable attending mass at another parish.

linzluvsgzuss · April 2011

We planned our flight for the honeymoon in the afternoon so we can go to the late morning Mass the day after our Wedding. For the actual honeymoon, we'll be in Hawaii so we will definitely find a Church to go to Mass the one Sunday we're in Hawaii and maybe even daily Mass. I'm not saying anything new, just echoing everyone else - try and find a church and even if you have to drive a distance, put in the extra effort (time off purgatory? jk). Good luck and happy planning

Also, I echo catarntina's suggestion - the Cathedral in Denver is gorgeous, definitely check it out, KatieAnne!

clearheavens · April 2011

I also grew up with trying to go to Mass during vacation even if it's out of the way. We're going to try to do the same on our cruise vacation.

When trying to find Masses out of town, check this out:

http://masstimes.org/

caitriona87 · April 2011

Our honeymoon covered two Sundays--we went to the Dominican Republic. The first Sunday we were in the capital and went to Mass at the cathedral there, which was awesome because it was so old & historic. The second Sunday we were kind of way out in a remote area, and we looked all over for a church but couldn't find one. It was really disappointing because we asked 4 or 5 locals for directions to the CATHOLIC church, and their directions always took us to a protestant church instead, usually AME or some variant of Pentecostal, almost like they didn't realize there was a difference. Not a language barrier because DH speaks fluent Spanish and I'd give myself a 7/10. Frustrating in a majority Catholic country. So, we went back to the hotel & watched Mass on EWTN. Not the same, I know, but the best we could do.

professorscience · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_mass-during-honeymoon?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:27a10727-b755-4b58-bdcf-e6a38edd76a2Post:b312c755-948a-4adc-8995-a884694f2fed">Re: Mass during honeymoon?</a>:
[QUOTE]I haven't booked a honeymoon yet, but I came upon this problem when I went on a cruise last year. We were going to be on the boat on Saturday evening and all of Sunday, and Carnival doesn't provide any religious services except on Easter and Christmas. Even then, its probably a generic service that doesn't fulfill the Catholic obligation for mass or divine liturgy. You should always try to plan vacations in a way that allows for mass on Sundays, not just because its an obligation but also because its so beneficial (I LOVE visiting exotic churches). <strong> But there is a dispensation from mass for travelers who LEGITIMATELY cannot attend mass during their travels. I'm pretty sure the dispensation is automatic (meaning no formal process), but you're always welcome to ask your priest if you need more reassurance for your conscience.</strong>
Posted by monkeysip[/QUOTE]

<div>This. FI worked in Saudi Arabia for three months, where the public practice of any religion other than Islam is illegal. The priest in his hometown gave him all the info he needed.</div>

GulfCoaster · April 2011

I always go to Mass when I'm on vacation. Masstimes.org is great for that -- it even has a fair number of listings in foreign countries. For me, attending Mass in different locations (and different languages) is often the highlight of my vacation. You get to see other churches, and you might experience what the liturgy is like in another culture or in another language. (Attending Mass in Japan was the single coolest part of my trip there... even though I don't understand a word of Japanese.)

So, take a look around when you're planning your travel. Find out where the nearest church is. If a site like masstimes.org doesn't help with that, you can figure out what diocese your destination sits in, then see if the diocese has a website with a listing of parishes. If you're already booked in a hotel or resort, contact them and ask about nearby churches. Surely you are not the first guest who has ever wanted to worship. ;-)

rombacja · May 2011

Any time FI and I are on vaca we always try to find a Catholic mass. If there isn't one or if we just cannot make it happey, we try to just find a church to pop in and spend 15 or 20 minutes in. As several people above have said, those church stops usually are such a welcome point in the vacation - after all isn't that a perfect time to do a little thanksgiving for our blessings! Good luck

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