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I am not Catholic, but would like to attend Mass while on Camino. Is there any etiquette around this?
I am not Catholic, but would like to attend Mass while on Camino. Is there any etiquette around this?
This is the original thread you started
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/pilgrims-masses.6254/
The little chapel about 200 metres before the big municipal albergue at Monte Gozo has a daily evening mass, it was about 7 pm when I attended last year but the mass times are posted outside. Only room for about 25 people inside, there were about 15 present when I was there from 7 countries, the priest got each of us to give a small reading in our own native language, a very simple ceremony and an utter contrast to the noon pilgrim mass I attended the next day in Santiago.
We arrived in Villar de Mazarife on a Saturday afternoon and inquired about a mass that night. We were told there was no mass until Sunday at 1 pm. Later that night, we saw several people leaving the church, so asked them and they said a German priest was travelling through and had a mass that night. We missed itBeing Catholic, I know that priests must perform a mass every day, so if they are travelling the Camino, there may be "surprise" masses and any church along the way.
hello jim,
the ritual of non-catholics approaching the altar with arms crossed in front of your chest to receive a blessing is not a custom or practice here in spain.
not many small pueblos have evening masses nightly as there are not enough priests around to say mass. many a priest in the local pueblo also say mass in maybe 4-6 other pueblos in the surrounding areas.
if you want to know whether there is mass in the evening, it is best to ask the older women in the pueblo, as the mass usually follows after the novena.
Thanks for your response. I don't know much about what is common custom or practice in Spain, but I only stated what was our experience on the CF in August and September of this year. It's true that many small villages may not have an evening Mass -- alas, that's the case in much of the world. We were, however, able to attend Mass on average three times a week, Sundays included. Maybe we were just lucky in our timing or happened to be in a larger town when we were able to attend. The point is, in response to the original question, it's simply a matter of asking someone about Mass to see if one is scheduled in whatever town or village you happen to be in.
In fact after the change of the Summer time hour to the legal hour ( last Saturday night of October until last Saturday night of March) masses tend to be said one hour earlier. I found, during summer the masses were either said at 7 pm or 8 pm. Check with your hospitalero who should know ( but not always the case)!I always thought the masses in the winter are usually earlier than the summer masses in the pueblos.
Hello jim,
I am not doubting you. I guess i am supposed to address the information about masses in the evening to peregrinos who are walking the caminos so that they won't be disappointed. This is also the reason why sunday masses in the small pueblos are all staggered for the simple reason that not many people enters the priesthood and there is a big shortage of priests in spain.
Regarding communion, there has been a lot of discussion on these forums regarding reception of the Eucharist by non-Catholics so I won't expound on that further here. Basically, at communion time, non-Catholics are welcome to approach the altar along with everyone else -- simply cross your arms in front of your chest with your hands on opposite shoulders, and you will receive a blessing by the priest in lieu of the Eucharist.
Jim
And you become a member of the community in the church! It would be nice and polite if non-catholics stand up in respect during the consecration.For non-Catholics, just follow the lead of those around you when it comes to sitting, standing, or kneeling. After the Lord's Prayer, join in the sign of peace by shaking hands with those around you and say "Peace be with you" (it doesn't matter what language you say it in -- everyone knows the meaning of the words and the gesture). Regarding communion, there has been a lot of discussion on these forums regarding reception of the Eucharist by non-Catholics so I won't expound on that further here. Basically, at communion time, non-Catholics are welcome to approach the altar along with everyone else -- simply cross your arms in front of your chest with your hands on opposite shoulders, and you will receive a blessing by the priest in lieu of the Eucharist. The Mass is a beautiful ritual with roots going back to the first century after the death of Jesus. There is a specific order and meaning to every element of the Mass, and it's especially more meaningful when you attend Mass in a small village church that's over a thousand years old, and you find yourself sitting next to a person whose family has lived in that one village and attended that same church through all those generations. Jim
For non-Catholics and non-Spanish speakers, when is that?It would be nice and polite if non-catholics stand up in respect during the consecration.
I am not Catholic, but would like to attend Mass while on Camino. Is there any etiquette around this?
Two more useful links:
To find a mass anywhere in Spain, and partly also in other countries: http://www.misas.org/
For orders of the mass in various languages, including English and bilingual English-Spanish: http://www.misas.org/docs/ordinario-idiomas
Hope that helps and Buen Camino! SY
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