Story Time!
One of my favorite things to do when I travel is go to Mass!
Why?
You mean other than the fact that I love my faith and it's important to me?
Because when you attend other churches, you get to see beautiful buildings created as a gathering space for people to worship! Many in other countries are centuries old and have contributions by famous artists! But that's not all!
You get to hear a homily from someone other than your priest at home... I LOVE our local priests, but when you have the opportunity to hear someone out of the ordinary preach, sometimes it's easier to listen (just me?). It's kind of like your parents telling you something and you're like "uh huh"... then you go to your friends' house and they say the same thing and you're like, "No way!"... Of course, if it's in a language you don't understand, you don't get this benefit (but thanks to the good old interwebs, you can find a homily or meditation on the gospel if you want)....
But wait... there's still more!
Finding a Catholic Mass when you're traveling is also important because, to remain in good conscience, you NEED to. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you get a break from praising the God that provided the opportunity for you to be on the adventure you're on! Note: there are circumstances that make attending Mass impossible while you are traveling, so I'm not talking about that... But that's stiiiill not all!
You get to feel connected to the greater Church. No matter where you go, a Catholic Mass is a Catholic Mass. It may be in a different language, but you'll be able to follow along! There may be a few nuances that are customarily different (everyone flocking up to the priest for communion instead of forming the nice, organized lines like we're used to for example), but to see people from around the world worshipping God and taking time out of their day to attend Mass just like us is one of my very most favorite things to do when we travel - whether we're just going to Texas for a karate tournament, or we're in a non-Christian dominant country like India or Japan!
Countries where I've attended Mass:
France
Austria
India
Japan
Spain
Italy
(We tried to in Sweden but we got there as they were leaving! Whoops)
Cruise ship
One of the many ways I tailor a vacation to fit your family's needs is to help you get to Mass on Sunday while you're traveling. I've contacted churches on Caribbean Islands, all over Europe, Asia, and no-where's-ville Alaska to make sure their posted Mass schedule was right because those traveling are relying on that timing to be correct (hence the missing Mass in Sweden incident - lesson learned).
Lastly - sometimes you get the blessing of "running" into a Cardinal before Mass. He compliments your daughter's dress and then asks her if she likes his "dress". What a beautiful moment, Cardinal Dolan, to not take yourself too seriously and try to connect with one of the youngest sheep in your flock!
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Cardinal Dolan, St. Patrick Cathedral, New York City, NY converses with young Bernadette before Mass