Is it common practice to ask your priest if you can skip church for the day to do x,y, or z?
My husband and I are currently separated, but still living together, and I’m trying to figure out if this is normal behavior in his church or if this is excessive.
He has to ask his priest for permission to do almost anything that conflicts with church.
This weekend we had family visiting from out of state. We only see them every 2–5 years. They arrived Friday evening and leave Monday morning. We did some sightseeing Saturday and planned to spend Sunday at the National Park nearby.
My husband became visibly uncomfortable about missing church and said he couldn’t come because church was more important. His own family begged him to reconsider since this was rare family time. Instead of making the decision himself, he said he needed to ask his priest for permission first.
He texted his priest and was eventually “granted permission” to spend the day with his family.
This isn’t a one-time thing either. When we were together, I planned a Valentine’s weekend getaway and he had to ask permission to spend Saturday and Sunday away with his own wife. If work comes up on a Wednesday night, he asks permission to miss church so he can literally go make money for his family.
He and his priest text constantly, and honestly the whole dynamic feels strange and unhealthy to me. Is this normal in some churches, or is this crossing into something more controlling?