Jimmy Akin reassures a questioner that they will not commit a mortal sin if they miss Sunday Mass while on a camping trip, provided that they either receive a dispensation or have the obligation commuted to another day.
Transcript:
Host: And we have from Daniel from Facebook Live, Daniel wants to know, “I’m planning to take a weekend backpacking trip but I am unsure if I will be committing a mortal sin since I would miss Sunday Mass and Saturday night Mass.”
Jimmy: It’s not automatically mortally sinful to miss Mass. There are situations that the Church recognizes that one can not be at mass for legitimate reason, and so consequently, if you need rest and recreation, and you don’t have the ability to get to Mass when you’re in that situation because you’re out in the middle of the wilderness and there’s no way to get to church in a reasonable amount of time, then you’re simply not obligated to go on that occasion.
Having said that, if you foresee this situation arising, you might go to your pastor and say, “Just to be sure, could I be dispensed, just so I don’t have to worry about it,” because your pastor can dispense you; or, “Can I have this commuted? Can I go to Mass on a different day and fulfill– it’s not my obligation in that case, but you know, can, just so I don’t, again, have to worry about, you know, this situation–can I have it commuted to attending Mass on, say, one of the days of the week?” And that’s something your pastor is also able to do for you.
And so–the answer is, if you’re not able to go because you’re out in the middle of nowhere, then you’re not obligated to go.
Host: But it’s okay to go out in the wilderness?
Jimmy: It’s okay. It’s great, yeah, people have a need for rest and recreation, and they have a need for various other things that can lead them out into the middle of nowhere, and and so the Church hasn’t put a burden on people to say, “You can’t go camping unless you go to Mass,” the Church does not say that. But I know, because I know people can tend to worry about these situations, you you can go to your pastor and either have him dispense you or commute the obligation to something else, just so you don’t have to worry about it.