Occasion of sin?

I think that most of the bodies you see on beaches are not likely to make your horny, but you may need a barf bag. Depends on the beach i guess.

I was thinking, should traditional Catholic families shun beaches for vacations?

I was wondering if you people know of some good vacation spots for good traditional Catholics?

 Should a SSPX chapel in the area influence a vacation spot?

Tell me about how to deal with vacations nowadays.
   

In the Summertime, one is apt to encounter scantily-clad young women and shirtless young men just about anywhere outdoors nowadays, so avoiding the beach for modesty's sake may be almost meaningless anymore. Still, depending upon where one happens to be, you can usually find beaches and waterfront areas of a more quiet sort, that are not teeming with half-naked venuses and preening adonises. Obviously, places like Ft. Lauderdale during Spring Break or other destinations notorious for outright hedonism might be positively shunned, but Virginia Beach in September, for example, is marvelous.

In my own state, the Adirondack Mountains are breathtaking, and there are alot of family-friendly facilities available. Also the Finger Lakes region (great if you're into wineries and vineyards), Lake Chatauqua and the Niagara Gorge to the West. Niagara Falls, believe it or not, isn't all about honeymoons and casinos.  That's just a small, small part of it.  What's left of the surrounding region is nature at her most magnificent, dotted by quaint towns and villages with boutique shopping, sidewalk cafes, and splendid Niagara River vistas. And in the area there are other things like scenic railroads and theme parks...and yes...an SSPX chapel or two. Same for the Finger Lakes region and the Adirondacks.  The SSPX has, actually, a fairly heavy presence in New York State.

I think that, generally speaking, vacation destination options are as wide open and plentiful for a Traditional Catholic as for anyone else. If your family want a historical or educational component to your trip, history and historical sites/museums abound across the country. From the sites of the Revolution in New England to the historic plantations of the Deep South, to the historic Spanish missions that dot the California coast. It's almost limitless, really. If you want a historical component with no beaches, a place like Virginia City, Nevada might be fun.

I wouldn't feel constrained by vacationing in a "traditional Catholic" way...there's no such thing.  "Traditional" refers to the form of the liturgy, for the most part, and that designation hasn't much to do with the things in life that are completely neutral...like vacations. In most areas you'll find a Latin Mass offered somewhere. If it has to be a Mass said by an SSPX priest, they have chapels in so many places now that you should be able to pinpoint a vacation destination within reasonable driving distance of a chapel or priory.

If you select a vacation destination that does not have an SSPX chapel nearby, but which has plenty of Catholic Churches, then you encounter the dilemma of deciding whether or not missing Sunday Mass is permissible with so many options available to you. I'm glad I'm not in that position, to be honest; that would make me neurotic. Keep in mind, too, that a number of Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches have a solid presence in this country.  It would be hard to argue that you would not be obliged to worship publicly on Sunday with no SSPX chapels nearby, if, say, there was a Ukranian Catholic Church right down the street from your hotel.

But if, say, you decided to vacation in some remote place in Alaska or someplace without much of any sort of a Catholic presence at all, like Iceland, then you keep the Lord's Day holy in other ways, best you can. You aren't obliged to attend Mass where there simply, really, and truly aren't any options available to you. And you aren't obliged to avoid such destinations, either.

We like to go places where the kids can use their imagination and make their own fun. I don't want to go someplace where kids are "entertained" and I'm dragging them from one entertainment to the next (e.g. Disney). Anyway -- we spend a week at the Jersey Shore each year. The beach immodesty thing can be gotten around by going to the beach mid- to late afternoon. (Also, my kids are fair-skinned so going to the beach when the sun is not at its highest is best. :smile:)

Camping is also a good option and can be combined with a pilgrimage in some cases (for example, the Shrine of the North American Martyrs).

We like to go places where the kids can use their imagination and make their own fun. I don't want to go someplace where kids are "entertained" and I'm dragging them from one entertainment to the next (e.g. Disney). Anyway -- we spend a week at the Jersey Shore each year. The beach immodesty thing can be gotten around by going to the beach mid- to late afternoon. (Also, my kids are fair-skinned so going to the beach when the sun is not at its highest is best. :smile:)

Camping is also a good option and can be combined with a pilgrimage in some cases (for example, the Shrine of the North American Martyrs).

My family actually did that once!

No one has brought this up yet -- how about visiting remote areas (with no traditional Mass available) 6 days of the week, and swinging back to civilization for Sunday -- visiting more than one location during your vacation? Just arrange it so that you find yourself near a chapel *on Sunday*. It shouldn't be that difficult.

It is permissible to miss Mass if you're taking a vacation in a remote area, but no more than 1-2 times per year.

We like to go places where the kids can use their imagination and make their own fun. I don't want to go someplace where kids are "entertained" and I'm dragging them from one entertainment to the next (e.g. Disney). Anyway -- we spend a week at the Jersey Shore each year. The beach immodesty thing can be gotten around by going to the beach mid- to late afternoon. (Also, my kids are fair-skinned so going to the beach when the sun is not at its highest is best. :smile:)

Camping is also a good option and can be combined with a pilgrimage in some cases (for example, the Shrine of the North American Martyrs).

I am going to the Jersey shore with my family this June.   I went to Montreal last August and attended the SSPX chapel there. It is a nice small place.

But it was raining a lot that day due to Hurricane Irene effects.

Pepsuber said:  

I don't think a Catholic would be forbidden to be an astronaut. That's work, not vacation.

Having to film a couple days at a Hollywood movie studio is not going to keep you from attending Mass  :wink: