Hey all:

A friend of mine down in Melbourne tells me her pastor posted a message on the parish website asking all parishioners to try their very best to fulfill their Sunday obligation even though a category 2 hurricane is blasting through.

Shouldn't this priest be saying the opposite? Shouldn't he be asking his parishioners to avoid leaving the house and not drive the streets through floods and 100 mph winds?

It just seems to me to be a big mistake. Not pastoral at all. I was reading through the catechism, 2181 says the obligation can be lifted if there is a grace cause. Does this qualify as a grave cause?

Brian

-- brain (brian@brian.com), September 04, 2004

Answers

without knowing the contents of the message we must withhold judgement. namely, the priest may not be in an area where the hurricane is likely to hit, and may have parishoners who are not going to endanger their lives by attending mass. in this case it is the solemn duty of the priest to offer mass for those who can make it, and it is the duty of those who can make it with reasonably small risk to come to the mass and serve their devotion to God.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), September 04, 2004.

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. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

It seems a hurricane would be a serious reason to miss mass, but he didn't ask parishioners to risk their lives to come to mass. He asked them to make their best effort. If they can't, they can't. They should try and attend, if they can, don't you think? Aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?

-- Brian Crane (brian.crane@cranemills.com), September 04, 2004.

Isn't Melbourne in the area requiring mandatory evacuation? If this is the case, the priest's comments could have been taken out of context. He could have meant that all Catholics are required to fulfill their obligation while evacuating northward, say in North Carolina or Virginia. He couldn't have necessarily meant that all parishioners MUST attend mass at HIS church on Sunday. I dare say he, himself will not be attending mass at HIS church this Sunday (today).

-- MY Two Cents (mytwocents@noemail.com), September 05, 2004.

Yes, very true. He isn't necessarily saying they all must attend. He may simply be asking those who are near, to make their best effort. I don't think all parts of Melbourne are under evacuation. Just those near the coast. I read the post and he, in no way, forced anybody but he didn't include anything about a dispensation or not incurring a grave sin in the case that a parishioner couldn't make it. The flooding has been pretty bad down there. To me, it just seems irresponsible to say anything that might motivate somebody to try extra hard to trek through the hurricane.\

-- brian (brian@brian.com), September 05, 2004.