Mass While Vacationing

Jena Muhr describes the experience of a special mission Mass during a recent vacation and shares a resource for finding Mass near your travel destination.

As a Catholic, I think one of the coolest things about our faith is that no matter where I go in the world, in any language, the Mass will be the same. It will follow the same order of events and have the same tempo — and I will be able to receive the Eucharist no matter where I am. I have learned that sometimes you need to go with the flow and some parishes have slightly different ways of doing things which are a part of their history and culture. For example, receiving Communion at the rail or kneeling instead of standing, and standing instead of kneeling after receiving the Eucharist are a couple of minor differences I have observed when visiting other parishes or dioceses.  

Participating at Mass even in other languages  

When I was in my 20s, I was fortunate to travel a bit and have been able to attend and hear mass in a few different languages; German, Italian, Spanish (in Spain), Polish (that was in Boston, MA!), and French off the top of my head. (I speak none of these languages but was able to follow along because the Mass is the same in every church.)   

Experiencing new parishes is a highlight of any trip that I take. I have been very fortunate to have these opportunities. Each experience is something that I treasure and while attending Mass might not always be top of people’s list while traveling, it is a fun way of experiencing the local culture in a community I’m visiting.  

Traveling internationally is not something that I do much of these days. My family continues our yearly tradition of going to Lake Tahoe each summer. While there I am able to attend one of my favorite Masses of the year. It is an outdoor mission the church holds in the town of Tahoma, Lake Tahoe. 

A special outdoor mission Mass for vacationers  

The Catholic church of Corpus Christi in Tahoe City hosts a weekly outdoor Mass in a small park during the months of July and August. Families, both local and tourists, sit on repurposed ski-lift chairs and share in a Mass outside, with peek-a-boo views of the lake. Behind is a playground where my kids, and many others, are allowed to play if they are good during Mass. There is also a coffee shop just a hop, skip, and a jump down the street for adults who were good during Mass as well.  

This is very much a no-frills Mass. Music is provided via a parishioner’s cell phone plugged into the sound system. Sometimes it does not work during the whole song. Before this, a CD player was used. Father is a great vocal projector; however, there is a microphone system used, but this can fail much like the music. In my experience, this is all a part of the charm, and it has allowed me to reflect on the most important elements of the Mass, while leaving behind some of the trappings.   

I spoke with Father after Mass and learned that this mission Mass brings the mission of the Church to the small town of Tahoma and allows more people to attend Mass while traveling. The parish has worked hard to support Catholics who visit the lake each year and those who live there year ‘round. The parish has also recently refurbished the main church in Tahoe City, which I will definitely be checking out during my visit next year.  

Finding a Mass while on vacation  

Vacations can be fun, tiring, stressful and, sometimes, relaxing. When I am in a new city, I will use MassTimes.org and it hasn’t failed me yet. Even if I don’t know where the nearest church is, I can see what parishes are nearby and when they have Mass. I have not tried this internationally, but it has worked in every state in the United States where I have looked for Mass.   

Attending Mass outside your home parish and receiving the same experience with Christ is something that is so special and something that I try to continue when away from home. I hope this will help you enjoy your time away from your home parish while continuing to receive God’s graces.  

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Copyright 2024 Jena Muhr
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