Dear Catholic Exchange:
I recently met a Catholic woman at a party who told me that she had been attending Presbyterian services every Sunday because her 94 year-old aunt needed assistance. She felt as though she was attending church, and therefore she was not going to Mass at the Catholic Church. Another woman said that the Presbyterian services didn’t count for attendance at Mass. Does God realistically measure our love for Him by how many times we attend a Catholic Mass? Isn’t the woman who is assisting her aunt doing as God asks by loving her aunt?
Thanks,
Shelly Thibeau
Dear Shelly,
Peace in Christ! As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (no.1324). In the same way, “the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and His Eucharist is at the heart of the Church’s life” (no. 2177). The Catechism goes on to explain:
Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (no. 2181).
It is important to note that these statements refer to the Mass. The Eucharist and sharing in the one Faith are central to the meaning, significance, and value of the Mass. This communal celebration brings the members of the Church together to worship God in spirit and truth. It is because of the central and communal nature of this celebration that the faithful are obligated to attend Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
While caring for an ailing friend or relative can dispense one from their obligation to attend Mass, attending a service in another church does not fulfill the Sunday obligation. Unless the woman is unable to attend a Catholic Mass as well as provide necessary care for her aunt, she is still obligated to attend Mass.
It is important to note that while there is no ban preventing her from attending such a worship service, a Catholic may not receive “communion” if made available. This is largely a consequence of the invalid ordination of ministers attempting to confect the Sacrament. Canon 844 of the Code of Canon Law says that Catholic members of the Christian faithful, with few exceptions, may receive sacraments only from Catholic ministers. Number 1400 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that there can be no “intercommunion” between the Church and Protestant communities. This teaching has most recently been confirmed by the Holy Father in his new encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia.
Participation in common prayer without taking part in a communion rite is an act of true ecumenism and of worship. This participation, however, cannot serve as a substitution for participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
For more information on the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, please see our FAITH FACT Is Missing Sunday Mass a Mortal Sin? In addition, you might find helpful John Paul II’s 1998 Apostolic Letter Dies Domini, “On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy.”
I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Amy Barragree
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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