New Catholic, do you (lifelong Catholics) go to Confession for missing Mass before taking holy communion again?

[Otterspotter]

I have recently converted through the RCIA process.

We are going camping in Cornwall at half term and it is going to be extremely impractical to go to Mass for the two Sundays of half term.

I understand that missing Mass is classed as a mortal sin. Do I need to receive Reconciliation before I can receive communion again?

Please, please don't stress. I honestly don't think baby Jesus will hold it against you. If you are worried, go to mass on a week day.

No, you get Traveler's Dispensation

I'm a convert and go to confession once a year if that!

In my experience (I'm not Catholic but have several friends and a DP who are) the belief in confession for missing Mass before receiving holy communion is something Catholics from abroad still believe in strongly (my DP is Australian, my Polish and Portuguese friends all do) but is less common in English/British Catholics.

They even have a phrase that translates to "stealing communion" in Poland for taking it without confession.

Depends why you are missing mass. I am working all week end so that's ok. But if you miss because you can't get out of bed then that's not ok.

I'm not Catholic but DH is and I live in a very Catholic country (his county) that has all but abandoned confession. They don't even have a confession booth in our local church. I don't know why because the church is really old. My DH has never been to confession is his life. Everyone still goes to mass.

if it is bothering you can you get advice from your parish priest? Or attend mass before you go and when you return? Disclaimer- I'm not catholic but my husband is and our kids are being brought up RC.

I'm in huge trouble then. I hate going to confession, think the whole idea is pretty odd. Haven't been for years and had communion this morning. If that makes me a bad catholic so be it.

You're supposed to go to confession if you miss Mass before you receive communion again. In practice, I suspect very few people do. I'm currently struggling a bit so am currently sat on my arse rather than getting DS and I ready to go to Mass, but I will almost certainly go next week and I almost certainly won't go to confession first.
I'm not really sure why being in Cornwall precludes you going to Mass, though? They have churches there! I've never missed Mass on holiday, including a month I spent backpacking round China (though I did have to go to 'official' Catholic services rather than Roman Catholic ones 2 Sundays out of 3, so maybe it doesn't count. Anyway, as I say currently sat on my arse so not judging, but if it's important to you and you're worrying surely it's easier just to find a service you can get to rather than stressing about whether you need to go to confession afterwards?!

You don't necessarily have to assess everything to see if it's a mortal sin before confessing it. Personally, I would think it very unlikely that I would sin mortally by missing Mass, but if I had missed Sunday Mass, I would still confess it. You're encouraged to confess venial sins too. If, e.g., I had been on holiday and there had been churches around but it would have inconvenienced my family (I would have had to take the only car 25 miles away and leave the rest of the family in a field with no access to food, shops etc.), or if I had been a little bit sick but in all honesty not too sick that I couldn't have made the effort, I would consider that a venial sin. Because I wouldn't have deliberately chosen to miss Mass in order to offend God, I would simply have decided that it wasn't going to be possible this week.

It's pretty serious to decide in advance that you're going to sin and then do it anyway knowing that you will go to confession afterwards - it's called presumption and is in itself a sin. So if you think that missing Mass in these circumstances is a sin then I wouldn't do it. If you think it's unavoidable because of the situation then it's not a sin.

I was always taught that if I missed Mass I would need to go to confession before the next Mass, and if i didn't, I most certainly could not take communion until after my confession. Having not been to Mass for ages, I will no doubt be on my knees saying my penance for quite some time...... once a Catholic, always a Catholic!

"Is there a Bible reference etc" ? Sadly, it is a common misunderstanding that all we need to know about the Faith and its practise will be found in the Bible? Firstly, we would have to ask, "which Bible"? There are very many versions of the Bible. Early in Its history, the Church decided which books to include and which to exclude from the Bible. Over time, other authors, without the Church's authority have produced their versions most usually with their own bias or preferences. Teaching authority rests within the Catholic Church. The third Commandment tells us that we are obliged to keep the Sabbath Holy. For Catholics, this means attending Mass unless there is a serious reason why we are unable to do so because of illness or because we are the only person left in charge of a young child, elderly relative and so on. Vatican II changed nothing. If we deliberately miss Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day, we commit mortal sin because using Its teaching authority, that is what the Church tells us. Do we suppose ourselves to know better than the Church?

I was raised Catholic and when we went on holiday the first thing we did find a church. If we ever missed mass we always went to confession.

I don't. I always thought the Penitential Act covered this, so Communion could be taken.

Discussed this with my Catholic husband. I'm Catholic too. Neither of us very good at it.
He didn't know about the going to confession if you missed Mass thing. I did. Neither of us do this.