A move away from daily confession

[po18guy]

Most of the parishes that I’m aware of in my archdiocese (at least the four nearest to my own) have confession at least 6 days a week.

First of all, welcome to the forums!

Amazing that so many parishes have such frequent Sacraments. Every parish that I have registered at has offered the usual Saturday afternoon confession. One nearby small parish has offered only general absolutions at Lent and Advent for decades. It is a magnet parish for those who are, uh, flexible with their observance of Catholic teaching. That Priest (who has numerous ear peirceings and gardened in a Speedo ) has retired :whew: Yet, I see that the practice has been continued, and there is zero mention of the Sacrament in the parish bulletin.

 

[SgtSchultz]

That is impressive. Which Archdiocese is it?

Well, I’d prefer not to get too personal. It is in an urban area, so that could have something to do with it. (I imagine city parishes in the States are similar.) Now, as I stated, I only know about the handful of parishes nearest to me, so my observations may not be accurate representations of the whole archdiocese, especially considering that the archdiocese covers some rural and suburban areas as well.

First of all, welcome to the forums!

Amazing that so many parishes have such frequent Sacraments. Every parish that I have registered at has offered the usual Saturday afternoon confession. One nearby small parish has offered only general absolutions at Lent and Advent for decades. It is a magnet parish for those who are, uh, flexible with their observance of Catholic teaching. That Priest (who has numerous ear peirceings and gardened in a Speedo ) has retired :whew: Yet, I see that the practice has been continued, and there is zero mention of the Sacrament in the parish bulletin.

Wow. The priests in my parish are Dominican. They wear the robes and sandals all the time, have “military” haircuts, are always clean shaven, and have no piercings or tattoos.

But yes, I think it’s handy that confession is offered before and/or after daily mass in most cases. (Though before is certainly more useful than after!)

 

[po18guy]

Wow. The priests in my parish are Dominican. They wear the robes and sandals all the time, have “military” haircuts, are always clean shaven, and have no piercings or tattoos.

But yes, I think it’s handy that confession is offered before and/or after daily mass in most cases. (Though before is certainly more useful than after!)

Well, this is the Seattle archdiocese, whose Archbishop in the 1980s was stripped of his authority in five areas and assigned an auxiliary Bishop so that “gay” masses (and various other abuses) would no longer be celebrated in Saint James Cathedral. What a time for me to enter the Church!

 

[LilyM]

I hope I didn’t make it look like I wanted daily confession, I don’t think its necessary but a good thing if it can be offered, but I think once a week confession is to little.

I sympathise if you have a situation where there’s such a big lineup for confession that penitents are not being attended to.

Otherwise, though, too little for who? For those for whom it is too much effort to phone to make an appointment? But don’t you make the effort to call the doctor or dentist for an appointment when you want to see them?

And would you expect your doctor or dentist to keep their office open after hours if few patients were showing up at those out of hours times? I hope not.

I know that I work during the week, which means weekday confessions are no more useful than weekend ones. And I have lived in one or two parishes that did offer frequent times that are only sparsely attended. They have that luxury because they are in urban areas where priests are not looking after many parishes separated by long distances.

Unlike where I am now - here outlying parishes are lucky to even have a priest for Mass each weekend - some have to settle for alternate weekends. Of course daily confession is impossible in such circumstances. Any confession would have to be by appointment only - or if they are lucky enough o be able to grab the priest for a few minutes before or after one of those fortnightly Masses.

It’s not so cut and dried as people like to make out.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

I think you have much to learn yet…a parish priest’s life is VERY busy. I know we run ours ragged…poor thing. We have over 1,200 families and one priest. He has confessions twice a week. The Wed night slot is 1/2 hour…although Father is usually there far later. Sat it is 4-5 before Mass.

The majority of the other stuff priests are busy doing can and should be delegated to lay people. Priests are ordained to do two things that only they can do- Offer sacrifice and absolve sins. If there are 1200 people in your parish, then 90 minutes to hear confessions is not enough time.

We have daily confession at my parish, and on Saturdays our priest hears them before morning Mass, after mass until the line is gone, and then comes back again in the evening to hear confessions again until the line is gone. Last night was closer to two hours. This is a priority for our priest, and somehow in his business he finds the time to do it.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

The schedules for Masses and confession times, first Holy Communion, and Confirmation are usually not decided unilaterally by the Pastor at a parish. As others have said, the deanery (regional groups of parishes within a diocese) and the Bishop also have a say.

For example, parishes that have special language Masses (in the US, Spanish, Korean, etc.) may stagger the times throughout the deanery/diocese so that Masses are more available. (You may have to drive a few parishes over, but you can still get to Mass in language X if your work schedule doesn’t permit you to make the 10am Mass at your own parish).

Also, priests have different commitments outside their parishes. When priests are reassigned, those commitments don’t necessarily get reassigned also. So even simple things like getting to a meeting may take longer depending on where the new parish is.

The priest in question may also want to guage the best times for confession. As another poster said, daily confession at 9:30am may not be the best time in a suburban parish where the marjoity of people are either in school or at work.

 

[catholictiger]

I sympathise if you have a situation where there’s such a big lineup for confession that penitents are not being attended to.

Otherwise, though, too little for who? For those for whom it is too much effort to phone to make an appointment? But don’t you make the effort to call the doctor or dentist for an appointment when you want to see them?

And would you expect your doctor or dentist to keep their office open after hours if few patients were showing up at those out of hours times? I hope not.

I know that I work during the week, which means weekday confessions are no more useful than weekend ones. And I have lived in one or two parishes that did offer frequent times that are only sparsely attended. They have that luxury because they are in urban areas where priests are not looking after many parishes separated by long distances.

Unlike where I am now - here outlying parishes are lucky to even have a priest for Mass each weekend - some have to settle for alternate weekends. Of course daily confession is impossible in such circumstances. Any confession would have to be by appointment only - or if they are lucky enough o be able to grab the priest for a few minutes before or after one of those fortnightly Masses.

It’s not so cut and dried as people like to make out.

I’ll say this quickly, there could be situation where weekly confession is the only thing that is possible for a priest and I understand that. But while I know a priest will be very glad to hear a confession when he is asked. But priests lives are very busy and while he will do whatever he can to hear confession it sometimes can be tough for him to fit it in his schedule. I could be wrong on this but I would think it would be better for a priest to have more people come to the confessional when the time is scheduled rather than having a lot of people call and schedule confession. Plus being a priest is different then being a dentist or doctor. Priests have many other things they have to do. All I’m saying is that a priest should schedule or who ever is change or scheduling should schedule enough times for confessions at good times so that people can come to christ and be forgiven. The less they have to schedule the better, even though that will always happen.

with the exception of churches that are in the middle of nowhere I would say that a penitent should have the ability to go to confession more than once a week, daily if possible.

 

[BcuzISaidSo]

At one time in our parish confession was by appointment only. Now we have it offered weekly, but there are only a handful of people that go. More people show up for the communal celebrations, but it’s still a small fraction of those who show up for mass each week. Sad, really.

 

[catholictiger]

At one time in our parish confession was by appointment only. Now we have it offered weekly, but there are only a handful of people that go. More people show up for the communal celebrations, but it’s still a small fraction of those who show up for mass each week. Sad, really.

only if a priest has office work every day and never goes out into he community to serve people, and never has obligations in the diocese that only by appointment thing might work. But I don’ think one priest in the world has a schedule like that.

I also think you must give people things in order for them to take advantage of that, if you don’t offer much confession time not much people are going to come. The more you offer, at good times, the more people will come.

 

[Andre1000]

In my area many(maybe most) have confession only by appointment and the others only at Saturday. There are a few exceptions. My parish has one per week and when I come, I am usually the only one.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

I also think you must give people things in order for them to take advantage of that, if you don’t offer much confession time not much people are going to come. The more you offer, at good times, the more people will come.

It also helps if priests actually promote and stress the importance of going to Confession. In the year I’ve been at my parish, I’ve heard more about Confession than I ever heard in the 18 years I was a practicing Catholic. I didn’t even know we were required to go at minimum one time a year. I had only gone prior to my first communion because that was the only time it was ever talked about. I thought it was one of those one time sacraments unless you do something very serious like murder someone or commit adultery.

 

[paperwight66]

. I didn’t even know we were required to go at minimum one time a year.

No, that isn’t so. See Canon Law 989.

Catholics are only obliged to go to Confession when they are conscious of having committed mortal sin. You are confusing it with the obligation to receive Holy Communion.

Confession of venial sins are recommended, but there is no obligation. They are absolved by other means - for instance, at Mass.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

The majority of the other stuff priests are busy doing can and should be delegated to lay people. Priests are ordained to do two things that only they can do- Offer sacrifice and absolve sins. If there are 1200 people in your parish, then 90 minutes to hear confessions is not enough time.

We have daily confession at my parish, and on Saturdays our priest hears them before morning Mass, after mass until the line is gone, and then comes back again in the evening to hear confessions again until the line is gone. Last night was closer to two hours. This is a priority for our priest, and somehow in his business he finds the time to do it.

You know this for a fact? He doesn’t have to make decisions in running the parish? He doesn’t have to meet with people at all? How about sick calls? Annointing of the Sick? Confessions by appointment? Funerals, Baptisms, Weddings? Premarital counceling? Meeting with people about marriage situations? Help teaching RCIA? Pastoral council? Administrative Council? The daily barrage of email. In addition to praying the liturgy of the hours and the hour he spends in adoration of the blessed sacrament. He is the head of our parish and he has to act like it. How many times do people here on CAF rally about their priest allowing this to happen and that to happen? This is in addition to daily Mass. These are all things someone else can do?

Don’t forget that he has to shepard over 1,200 families which requires lots of other things.

It sure is easy to play armchair quarterback He offers two times for people to go to confession…and like I said he stays late if needed. Last time I went on Wed night he was there for another 45 past. Sometimes on Sat’s it’s busy until right before Mass and sometimes you can walk right in at 4.

To me…if you can’t make it a priority to get there…why should our priest put all these other needs on hold to sit in the empty confessional?

In addition, we do have 3 other parishes in town. The other two also only have one priest, but the one downtown has daily confession because they have at least two priest plus lots of visiting priest. The priest there gets to take a four week vacation every year. Our poor priest is lucky if he can get away for a week.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

I know this I have spent time with a priest in a parish, I don’t know as much as I will in a few years of course, but I just have a feeling that confession has lost its importance in to many parishes. I also don’t see what is wrong with putting an importance on the sacraments. Shouldn’t in a priests life Christ come first, and wouldn’t it in most circumstances be best for a priest to offer confession as much as his schedule allows, and also offer enough so that everyone has a chance to go if they want to come.

Plus having confession for 90 minuets every week may be enough, there is just a part of me that says moving from 5 confessions a week to 1 confession a week is a wrong move. Maybe the priest had to make it, it just seems like he could have to change things around to allow him to hear more confessions. If I were a parishioner of a Church and the priest cut confessions down by 4 days I wouldn’t be happy and I would ask why would you do this and if his answer didn’t satisfy me contact the bishop. We are in a time when we must work to save souls and confession is essential in this mission, reducing the amount of confession THIS much seems like a little much.

BTW I understand confessions will very from church to church because of the situation, again the situation I brought up was a strange one.

I still say it’s always easier to say until you are in that situation. Maybe they got tired of sitting in an empty confessional?

It would be nice if you have the opportunity to do that in a parish however it would not be the first move I think you should make. You might want to see all the other things that come with the job.

 

[HonoraDominum]

Most of the parishes in my diocese (including the Cathedral) have confession once a week, and maybe 1/3 have it twice a week (usually Thursday nights and Saturday nights). The only two that I know of that have it daily are a personal parish for Polish speakers and the FSSP parish where I go.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again because I do think it bears repeating. One of the reasons I changed parishes was because of the lack of time available for Confession. At the Cathedral in my diocese - which, btw, has the second largest weekly Mass attendance of any Cathedral next to St. Patrick’s in New York - has confessions for 45 minutes before the English Anticipatory Mass on Saturdays and another 45 minutes before the Spanish Anticipatory Mass. My priests offer Confession before and after every Mass. There is more time available for Confession at my tiny little FSSP parish on a Monday than at our diocean Cathedral with 26,000 registered families has available during an entire week.

Also, the FSSP priests are available for Confession during two of three of the Masses on Sundays, and the line for confession is usually down the entire side of the church. Our priests encourage frequent confession, preferably every two weeks so that the requirements for indulgences is fulfilled. Most people I know go either every two weeks or every week. I personally go every Monday morning after Mass. The spiritual growth I have seen since starting this practice has been absolutely huge - God’s grace works some amazing miracles with that sacrament.

Please pray constantly for all priests, for their sanctification, so that they truly can listen with discernment to the confessions said to them, and can give guidance to help their penitents make changes in their life that will sanctify them and help them to grow closer to God.

 

[Elizium23]

Confession here is offered 5:00-5:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-10:30am and 3:00-3:45pm on Saturdays. There is always a wait. Sometimes lines are long; there are usually two priests in the confessionals, so one can go to Mass while the other one continues hearing Confessions until they are all heard. May God bless my parish priests!

 

[Seeker1961]

Our pariah only has it on Saturday from 3-4. You can make appointments of course, but I often wonder if more people would attend if they had an option to go after work or in the morning before work. I live in a tourist area and many of us work at least part of the weekends because that’s when our employers need us the most. I don’t think it would hurt to speak about the sacrament and then allow parishioners to submit times that would help them attend more often. Maybe changes could be made that would end up helping both parishioners and the Priest!

 

[Elizium23]

“You can make appointments” is a cop-out. A priest who cares about souls will put in his time in the confessional and put his own idle time to good use. A good Dominican I once knew wrote all his homilies while in the confessional.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

Ours is Saturday or by appointment. We have two longer regional ones during Advent and Lent.

 

[WingsOfEagles]

To be honest, I think the confessional is often empty even on that one day a week.